FULHAM FC

Full Name: Fulham Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1879
Stadium: Craven Cottage (22,000)
Colors: Black, White
Previous Name: Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School FC (1879-88)
Nicknames: The Cottagers
Rivals: Chelsea, QPR, Brentford
Official Website: fulhamfc.com

Description:

Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School formed a football club in 1879 for the church parishioners. Ten years later as the scope of the club expanded beyond the church the name changed to simply Fulham FC. Fulham is a neighborhood of West London. The Cottagers are the oldest professional football club in London. Fulham began competitive life in the Southern League in 1898 before moving to the Football League in 1907 after winning two consecutive Southern League titles. The stadium is named for a home on the location, built by William Craven, and used by a variety of 18th and 19th century celebrities. The home had virtually collapsed by the time the stadium construction began and the stadium was effectively built around it. Fulham shared the ground of QPR (Loftus Road) for two seasons from 2002-04 while upgrades were done on Craven Cottage. The nickname Cottagers is of course a reference to the Craven Cottage stadium. Previous stadiums - Star Road (1879-83), Eel Brook Common (1883-84), Lillie Road Recreation Ground (1884-85), Putney Lower Common (1885-86), Ranelagh House (1886-88), Barn Elms Playing Fields (1888-89), Parsons Green (1889-91), Half Moon (1891-95), Cpt James Field (1895-96), Craven Cottage (1896-2002), Loftus Road (2002-04).

Fulham FC History

Fulham Football Club is a football team based in Fulham, London. Founded in 1879, they are celebrating their 125th anniversary in 2004, and they will be playing in the top tier of English football, the FA Premiership. Had it not been for the intervention of millionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, they would still be languishing in the depths of the lower divisions of professional football.

They spent much time in the Old First Division (=Premiership) through the 60s, but are yet to gain any major honours, their only FA Cup Final appearance being in 1975. They are currently playing at Craven Cottage, a beautiful riverside ground in Fulham, having spent two years at Loftus Road, with a still uncertain future. See more on this topic in the Grounds subsection of this article. They are currently looking for no more than a respectable finish in their 20-team league, although relegation is at the back of their mind.

HONORS

League Titles:

* Football League First Division (2001)
* Football League Second Division (1949, 99)
* Football League Third Division - South (1932)
* 1907 - Southern League Champions
* 1907 - Admission to The Football League as Southern League Champions
* 1908 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 1936 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 1958 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 1959 - Promotion From Division Two
* 1962 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 1970 - Promotion From Divison Three
* 1975 - FA Cup Finalists
* 1975 - Anglo-Scottish Cup Finalists
* 1982 - Promotion From Division Three
* 1997 - Promotion From Division Three
* 2002 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
* 2002 - Intertoto Cup Winners