Full Name: Everton Football Club
City: Liverpool
Founded: 1878
Stadium: Goodison Park (40,394)
Colors: Blue, White
Previous Name: St Domingo's (1878-79)
Nicknames: The Toffees, The Toffeemen, The Blues
Rivals: Liverpool
Official Website: evertonfc.com
Description:
The St Domingo's football eleven was formed in 1878 by members of the St Domingo Methodist Church in Liverpool. Many neighbors who were not members of the church soon wanted to join. The following year the club's name was changed to Everton, the district of the city of Liverpool where the church was located. Everton were founder members of the Football League in 1888 and have played more seasons in the top flight of English football than any other club, being absent only four times in 110 years. In the 1927-28 season, Dixie Dean scored 60 goals, still the English record for most goals in a season.
The tower in the club emblem is Prince Rupert's Tower, a single-tower prison built in Everton Brow in 1877. The emblem also includes the club's motto Nils Satis Nisi Optimum - Nothing But the Best is Good Enough, and a pair of wreaths, symbolic of success. The club's nickname - The Toffees - has several possible origins, the most likely being the house where many early club meetings were held - Ye Anciente Everton Toffee House. The stadium is located in Goodison Park, a part of the larger Stanley Park, of which Liverpool's Anfield Road ground is also a part. Previous Stadiums - Stanley Park (1878-82), Priory Road (1882-84), Anfield Road (1884-92)
Everton FC History
Everton F.C. is an English football club from the city of Liverpool and was founded in 1878. The club's nickname is the Toffees and their home ground, known as Goodison Park, has a capacity of 40,260.
Origins
The club's roots lie in an English Methodist congregation called New Connexion, which decided to build a new chapel in the Liverpool area in 1868. The following year, the church bought some land on Breckfield Road North, between St. Domingo Vale and St. Domingo Grove. This was located near the district of Everton, which had become part of the City of Liverpool in 1835.
St. Domingo Methodist Church's new chapel was opened in 1871 and six years later, Rev B.S. Chambers was appointed Minister. He was responsible for starting a cricket team for the youngsters in the parish. Because cricket can only be played in the summer, they had to find something to play during the other seasons as well. So a football club called St. Domingo F.C. was formed in 1878. A lot of people outside the parish were interested in joining the football club so it was decided that the name should be changed. In November 1879 at a meeting in the Queen's Head Hotel, the team name was changed to Everton Football Club, after the surrounding district.
Recent Events
The 1990s were a difficult time for the Toffeemen, with financial difficulties and several end of season near-escapes from relegation. However, since the appointment in March 2002 of a new manager, David Moyes, they improved greatly and finished the 2002-2003 season in seventh place, narrowly missing qualification for the UEFA Cup. However in the 2003-2004 season they finished 4th from bottom, the lowest league position to avoid relegation, with the lowest season points total in the club's history.
Another key factor in Everton's recent revival was the emergence of a rising young star, Wayne Rooney. In one of his first games for the club, in October 2002, he entered football folklore by scoring a sensational last-minute winner against the then League champions Arsenal, consigning them to their first league defeat for almost a year. He has also figured prominently in recent England international matches, after having become the youngest ever player to play for England, in a friendly against Australia, in February 2003. Rooney went on to establish himself as a true superstar at Euro 2004. Rooney requested a transfer on August 27 giving the reason that he wanted to play European football on a regular basis, which wasn't happening at Everton; on August 31, 2004, he moved to Manchester United in a deal that may eventually be worth between £20 million and £27 million (the final amount will depend on both United and Rooney's success).
Everton have started the 2004-2005 season in surprisingly good form, having been tipped by many in the media to be relegated this year. After an opening game 4-1 loss to champions Arsenal they have embarked on a remarkable run and are challenging for a Champions League spot. In fact with just six games left in the season they are above their rivals Liverpool and are in a Champions League spot.
Late in 2004, the club was in talks with Liverpool regarding sharing that club's proposed new stadium at Stanley Park. Among the more contentious terms in the negotiations was ownership of the new facility - Liverpool wanted to retain ownership of Stanley Park while Everton wanted an even share. Historically it has appeared that Everton would be more willing to groundshare than Liverpool, although both sets of fans are fiercely opposed to the idea. On January 11, 2005, the clubs announced that they were abandoning the groundshare plan.
HONORS
* Football League (1891)
* Football League First Division (1915, 28, 32, 39, 63, 70, 85, 87)
* Football League Second Division (1931)
* Charity Shield (1928, 32, 63, 70, 84, 85, 86*, 87, 95)
* FA Cup (1906, 33, 66, 84, 95)
* European Cup Winner's Cup (1985)
