Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional
football club based in
Horwich
Horwich ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Prior to 1974 in the historic county of Lancashire. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest of Manchester. It l ...
, Bolton,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
, England, which competes in . The club played at
Burnden Park
Burnden Park was the home of English football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games there between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting the 1901 FA Cup Final replay, it was the scene in 1946 of one of the greatest disasters in English footba ...
for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at
Pike's Lane
Pike's Lane was a football ground in Bolton, England. It was the home ground of Bolton Wanderers between 1880 and 1895, and the venue of the first goal scored in league football anywhere in the world.
History
Pike's Lane opened in 1880, with th ...
. On 9 March 1946, thirty-three Bolton fans lost their lives in a
human crush
Crowd collapses and crushes are catastrophic incidents that can occur when a body of people becomes dangerously overcrowded. When a body of people reaches or exceeds the density of , the pressure on each individual can cause the crowd to collapse ...
, the
Burnden Park disaster
The Burnden Park disaster was a human crush that occurred on 9 March 1946 at Burnden Park football stadium, then the home of Bolton Wanderers. The crush resulted in the deaths of 33 people and injuries to hundreds of Bolton fans. It was the de ...
.
In 1997, Bolton moved to what is now known as the
University of Bolton Stadium
The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England.
Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming rig ...
. They have spent more seasons, 73, than any other club in the top-flight without winning the title.
Formed as Christ Church Football Club in 1874, it adopted its current name in 1877 and was a founder member of the
Football League in 1888. The club moved between the
First Division and the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
eight times in thirteen seasons between 1899 and 1911, winning the Second Division title in 1908–09. Bolton won the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
three times in the 1920s: in
1923
Events
January–February
* January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory).
* January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...
– the "White Horse Final",
1926
Events January
* January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece.
* January 8
**Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.
** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...
and
1929
This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
; they had finished as runners-up in
1894
Events January–March
* January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire.
* January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...
and
1904
Events
January
* January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''.
* January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library syst ...
. The club spent just two seasons outside the top-flight between 1911 and 1964, having won promotion from the Second Division at the second attempt at the end of the 1934–35 season. They lost the
1953 FA Cup final and then won the competition for a fourth time in
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
under the stewardship of
Bill Ridding
William Ridding (4 April 1911 – 20 September 1981)England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations) also known as Nibbler Ridding, was an English football player and manager, most notably in a 17-year period manag ...
. Bolton were relegated in 1964 and 1971, but regained their top-flight status after winning the
Third Division title in 1972–73 and then the Second Division title in 1977–78. However, three relegations left them in the fourth tier by 1987, though promotion out of the
Fourth Division was secured in 1987–88 and they lifted the
Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
after being beaten finalists in
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal enter ...
.
Promotions in 1992–93 and 1994–95 – they won the
1995 First Division play-off final but lost the
1995 League Cup final – saw them reach the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
. Bolton won the First Division title in 1996–97, but were unable to survive more than one season in the Premier League until
Sam Allardyce
Samuel Allardyce (; born 19 October 1954), colloquially referred to as Big Sam, is an English football manager and former professional player.
Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football Lea ...
returned them to the top-flight with victory in the
2001 First Division play-off final. Bolton spent eleven consecutive seasons in the Premier League, reaching the
2004 League Cup final and reaching the knock-out stages of the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
twice. However, two relegations in five years left them in
League One
The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...
by 2016, and though they won promotion in 2016–17, severe financial difficulties saw the club enter
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...
in May 2019 after relegation back into the third tier was confirmed. Facing possible EFL expulsion and probable extinction, the club was acquired by new owners on 28 August 2019.
Relegated to the fourth tier in 2020, they won promotion out of
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
in 2020–21.
History
Early history (1877–1929)
The club was founded by the Reverend
Joseph Farrall Wright
Joseph Farrall Wright (1827–1883) was a 19th-century Anglican priest who founded the historic English football club Bolton Wanderers.
Wright was educated at St Bees Theological College and ordained in 1852. After serving at Bolton-le-Moors ...
,
Perpetual curate
Perpetual curate was a class of resident parish priest or incumbent curate within the United Church of England and Ireland (name of the combined Anglican churches of England and Ireland from 1800 to 1871). The term is found in common use mainly du ...
of Christ Church Bolton, and Thomas Ogden, the schoolmaster at the adjacent church school, in 1874 as Christ Church F.C. It was initially run from the church of the same name on Deane Road, Bolton, on the site where the Innovation factory of the
University of Bolton
, established = 2004 – gained University Status 1982 – Bolton Institute of Higher Education
, type = Public
, endowment = £160,000 (2009)
, administrative_staff = 700+
, chancellor ...
now stands. The club left the location following a dispute with the vicar, and changed its name to Bolton Wanderers in 1877. The name was chosen as the club initially had a lot of difficulty finding a permanent ground to play on, having used three venues in its first four years of existence.
Bolton were one of the 12 founder members of the
Football League, which formed in 1888. At the time
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
was one of the strongest footballing regions in the country, with 6 of the 12 founder clubs coming from within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire. Having remained in the Football League since its formation, Bolton have spent more time in the top flight (
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
/old
First Division) than out of it.
In 1894 Bolton reached the final of the FA Cup for the first time, but
lost 4–1 to
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...
at
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a association football, football stadium in the Walton, Liverpool, Walton area of Liverpool, England. It has been the home stadium of Premier League club Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892. Located in a residential area ...
. A decade later they were runners-up a second time,
losing 1–0 to local rivals
Manchester City at
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
on 23 April 1904.
The period before and after the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
was Bolton's most consistent period of top-flight success as measured by league finishes, with the club finishing outside the top 8 of the
First Division on only two occasions between
1911–12 and
1927–28.
In this period Bolton equalled their record finish of third twice, in
1920–21 and
1924–25, on the latter occasion missing out on the title by just 3 points (in an era of 2 points for a win).
On 28 April 1923, Bolton won their first major trophy in their third final, beating
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...
2–0 in the first ever
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in north-west Londo ...
FA Cup final. The match, famously known as
The White Horse Final was played in front of over 127,000 supporters. Bolton's centre-forward,
David Jack scored the first ever goal at Wembley Stadium. Driven by long-term players
Joe Smith in attack,
Ted Vizard
Edward Vizard (7 June 1889
– 25 December 1973) was a Welsh international footballer who became a manager. He spent almost all his playing career at Bolton Wanderers.
Playing career
Born in Cogan, Wales Vizard joined Bolton Wanderers in Sep ...
and
Billy Butler on the wings, and
Jimmy Seddon
Jimmy Seddon (20 May 1895 – October 1971) was an English footballer who played most famously in the centre of defence for Bolton Wanderers during the 1920s.
For Bolton he played 375 games in all completions, scoring 5 goals, he also collected ...
in defence, they became the most successful cup side of the twenties, winning three times. Their second victory of the decade came in
1926
Events January
* January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece.
* January 8
**Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz.
** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of Viet ...
, beating Manchester City 1–0 in front of over 91,000 spectators, and the third came in
1929
This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...
as
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
were beaten 2–0 in front of nearly 93,000 fans.
In 1928 the club faced financial difficulties and so was forced to sell David Jack to
Arsenal to raise funds. Despite the pressure to sell, the agreed fee of £10,890 was a world record, more than double the previous most expensive transfer of a player.
Top flight run and cup success (1929–1958)
![Nat_Lofthouse_statue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Nat_Lofthouse_statue.jpg)
From 1935 to 1964, Bolton enjoyed an uninterrupted stay in the top flight – regarded by fans as a golden era – spearheaded in the 1950s by
Nat Lofthouse
Nathaniel Lofthouse (27 August 1925 – 15 January 2011) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Bolton Wanderers for his entire career. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with o ...
. The years of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
saw most of the Wanderers' playing staff see action on the front, a rare occurrence within elite football, as top sportsmen were generally assigned to physical training assignments, away from enemy fire. However, 15 Bolton professionals, led by their captain
Harry Goslin
Henry Goslin MC, (9 November 1909 – 18 December 1943) was an English footballer who played as a defender for Bolton Wanderers for the whole of his professional career.
Born in Willington, Durham, he was signed from Nottingham amateur foot ...
, volunteered for active service in 1939, and enlisted in the
53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment, Royal Artillery
53rd (Bolton) Field Regiment was a Royal Artillery (RA) unit of Britain's part-time Territorial Army (TA) during World War II. It was descended from the Bolton Artillery, first formed in the Lancashire town of Bolton in 1889. It served in the B ...
.
By the end of the war, 32 of the 35 pre-war professionals saw action in the British forces. The sole fatality was Goslin, who had by then risen to the rank of Lieutenant and was killed by shrapnel on the Italian front shortly before Christmas 1943. 53rd Bolton Artillery took part in the
Battle of Dunkirk
The Battle of Dunkirk (french: Bataille de Dunkerque, link=no) was fought around the French port of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle of France on t ...
and also served in the campaigns of Egypt, Iraq and Italy.
Remarkably, a number of these soldiers managed to carry on playing the game in these theatres of war, taking on as 'British XI' various scratch teams assembled by, among others,
King Farouk of Egypt
Farouk I (; ar, فاروق الأول ''Fārūq al-Awwal''; 11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965) was the tenth ruler of Egypt from the Muhammad Ali dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I, in 19 ...
in Cairo and Polish forces in Baghdad.
![Sport and Leisure during the Second World War H7497](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Sport_and_Leisure_during_the_Second_World_War_H7497.jpg)
On 9 March 1946, the club's home was the scene of the
Burnden Park disaster
The Burnden Park disaster was a human crush that occurred on 9 March 1946 at Burnden Park football stadium, then the home of Bolton Wanderers. The crush resulted in the deaths of 33 people and injuries to hundreds of Bolton fans. It was the de ...
, which at the time was the worst tragedy in British
football history. 33 Bolton Wanderers fans were crushed to death, and another 400 injured, in an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
quarter-final second leg tie between Bolton and
Stoke City. There was an estimated 67,000-strong crowd crammed in for the game, though other estimates vary widely, with a further 15,000 locked out as it became clear the stadium was full. The disaster led to
Moelwyn Hughes
Goronwy "Ronw" Moelwyn Hughes (6 October 1897 – 1 November 1955), known as Moelwyn Hughes was a Welsh lawyer and a Liberal and Labour politician who was elected to two short terms as a Member of Parliament (MP).
Early life
Born in Cardiga ...
's official report, which recommended more rigorous control of crowd sizes.
In 1953 Bolton played in one of the most famous FA Cup finals of all time –
The Stanley Matthews Final of 1953. Bolton lost the game to
Blackpool 4–3 after gaining a 3–1 lead. Blackpool were victorious thanks to the skills of
Matthews
Matthews may refer to:
People
* Matthews (surname)
Places
* Matthews Island, Antarctica
* Matthews Range, Kenya
* Mount Matthews, New Zealand
United States
* Matthews, Georgia
* Matthews, Indiana
* Matthews, Maryland
* Matthews, Missouri
* Mat ...
and the goals of
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding Mortensen (26 May 1921 – 22 May 1991) was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final (subsequently known as the "Matthews Final"), in which he became the only player ever to score a ha ...
.
Bolton Wanderers have not won a major trophy since 1958, when two Lofthouse goals saw them overcome
Manchester United in the
FA Cup final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...
in front of a 100,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium. The closest they have come to winning a major trophy since then is finishing runners-up in the
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
, first in 1995 and again in 2004.
Few highs and many lows (1958–1995)
While Bolton finished fourth the following season, the next 20 years would prove to be a fallow period. The club suffered relegation to the
Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
in
1963–64, and were then relegated again to the
Third Division for the first time in their history in
1970–71.
This stay in the Third Division lasted just two years before the club were promoted as champions in
1972–73. Hopes were high at Burnden Park in May 1978 when Bolton sealed the Second Division title and gained promotion to the First Division. However, they only remained there for two seasons before being relegated.
Following relegation in 1980, Bolton signed up talented striker
Brian Kidd, as they prepared to challenge for a quick return to the First Division. Kidd scored a hat-trick in his third game for Bolton, a 4–0 win over
Newcastle United in the league, but the rest of the season was a struggle as Bolton finished close to the relegation places.
By the end of the
1981–82 season, Bolton were no closer to promotion and had lost several key players including
Peter Reid
Peter Reid (born 20 June 1956) is an English football manager, pundit and former player.
A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career. He built his reputation as one of England's brightest midfield tale ...
and
Neil Whatmore
Neil Whatmore (born 17 May 1955) is an English former footballer who played as a striker. He made 449 appearances in the Football League and scored 150 goals, playing for Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Oxford United, Burnley and Mansfield ...
. The following season Bolton were relegated to the Third Division after losing 4–1 at
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in ...
on the final day.
Despite a new-look, much younger team and an 8–1 win over
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield.
Walsall is th ...
, Bolton's best league win for 50 years, Bolton failed to win promotion in the 1983–84 season, and would remain in the Third Division for another three seasons. In 1986
Nat Lofthouse
Nathaniel Lofthouse (27 August 1925 – 15 January 2011) was an English professional footballer who played as a forward for Bolton Wanderers for his entire career. He won 33 caps for England between 1950 and 1958, scoring 30 goals, with o ...
was appointed President of the football club, a position he would hold until his death on 15 January 2011. At the end of the
1986–87 season, Bolton Wanderers suffered relegation to the Fourth Division for the first time in their history,
but won promotion back to the Third Division at the first attempt. The club won the
Sherpa Van Trophy in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
, defeating
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
4–1. During the
1990–91
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
season, Bolton were pipped to the final automatic promotion place by
Southend United
Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...
and lost to
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
in the play-off final, but they failed to build on this and the following season saw the club finish 13th.
The early 1990s saw Bolton gain a giant-killing reputation in cup competitions. In 1993 Bolton beat FA Cup holders
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
2–0 in a third round replay at
Anfield
Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
, thanks to goals from
John McGinlay
John McGinlay (born 8 April 1964) is a Scottish football manager, former professional footballer and scout who is the club ambassador of Bolton Wanderers.
As a player, he was a striker over a 26-year career that saw him notably play in the Pr ...
and
Andy Walker. The club also defeated higher division opposition in the form of
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
(2–1) that year before bowing out to
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
. Bolton also secured promotion to the second tier for the first time since 1983. In 1994 Bolton again beat FA Cup holders, this time in the form of
Arsenal, 3–1 after extra time in a fourth round replay, and went on to reach the quarter-finals, bowing out 1–0 at home to local rivals (and then Premiership)
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
. Bolton also defeated top division opposition in the form of
Everton (3–2) and
Aston Villa (1–0) that year.
Return to the top flight and venture into Europe (1995–2012)
Bolton reached the Premiership in 1995 thanks to a 4–3 victory over
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spelling ...
in the
Division One play-off Final. Reading took a 2–0 lead before a Keith Branagan penalty save in the 42nd minute changed the course of the game. Bolton scored two late goals to take the game to extra time, scoring twice more before a late Reading consolation. The same year Bolton progressed to the
League Cup Final, but were defeated 2–1 by Liverpool. Bolton were bottom for virtually all of the
1995–96 Premiership campaign and were relegated as they lost their penultimate game 1–0 to
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
.
The club won promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt thanks to a season in which they achieved 98 league points and 100 goals in the process of securing the Division One championship, the first time since 1978 that they had finished top of any division. This season also marked the club's departure from Burnden Park to the Reebok Stadium, the last game at the stadium being a 4–1 win over Charlton Athletic.
![Jussi Jaaskelainen August 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Jussi_Jaaskelainen_August_2011.jpg)
Bolton were relegated on goal difference at the end of the
1997–98 Premiership campaign. They finished on the same number of points as Everton, whom they faced in the first competitive match at the newly built Reebok Stadium. The game finished 0–0, but a goal by Gerry Taggart for the Whites was mistakenly not given; the point swing in Bolton's favour would have kept them up. The following season they reached the
1999 Division One play-off Final but lost 2–0 to
Watford
Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, and ...
.
In 2000 Bolton reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Worthington Cup and play-offs but lost on penalties to Aston Villa, 4–0
on aggregate to Tranmere Rovers and 7–5 on aggregate to
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. They play in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
The club was founded in 1878 but did not turn profession ...
respectively. In
2000–01 Bolton were promoted back to the Premiership after beating Preston North End 3–0 in the
play-off final.
Bolton struggled in the following two seasons, but survived in the Premiership. The 2001–02 season began with a shock victory as they destroyed
Leicester 5–0 at
Filbert Street
Filbert Street was a football stadium in Leicester, England, which served as the home of Leicester City F.C. from 1891 until 2002. Although officially titled the City Business Stadium in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by ...
.
They then followed the win with two more over
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
and Liverpool to go top of the top flight table for the first time since 1891. Despite a 2–1 win away at Manchester United, becoming the first team since the formation of the Premiership to come from behind and win a league game at
Old Trafford, they went into a deep slump during the middle of the season and needed a
Fredi Bobic
Fredi Bobic ( sl, Fredi Bobič, born 30 October 1971) is a German football executive and former player who played as a striker. He is the sporting director of Bundesliga club Hertha BSC.
Club career
Bobic was born in Maribor, SFR Yugoslavia, ...
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
against Ipswich Town to survive. Despite losing the final three games, 16th place was secured. The 2002–03 season began with a poor start and, despite another win away at Manchester United, they were bottom until a 4–2 win against
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
at
Elland Road. Despite suffering from a lack of consistency, Bolton achieved the results needed and secured survival in a final day 2–1 victory over Middlesbrough.
Bolton reached the League Cup final in 2004, but
lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
2–1 to Middlesbrough. Nevertheless, the club finished eighth in the league, at the time the highest finish in their Premiership history.
In 2005, Bolton finished sixth in the league, thus earning qualification for the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
for the first time in their history. The following season, they reached the
last 32 but were eliminated by French team
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
as they lost 2–1 on aggregate. Between 2003–04 and 2006–07, Bolton recorded consecutive top-eight finishes, a record of consistency bettered only by the big four of
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Towards the end of the 06–07 season, long-serving manager Sam Allardyce departed the club, stating that he was taking a sabbatical; he would be hired shortly thereafter as manager of Newcastle United. Allardyce later cited a lack of ambition on the part of the club's board for his departure; he had sought financial backing in January 2007 to push the club towards Champions League qualification, which he had not received.
![Johan Elmander](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Johan_Elmander.JPG)
The 2007–08 season saw Bolton survive with a 16th-place finish, their safety being confirmed on the final day of the season, as they went on an unbeaten run for their final five games, as well as getting to the last sixteen of the UEFA Cup. Former assistant manager Sammy Lee replaced Allardyce as manager, but a poor start to the season saw him replaced by Gary Megson. During the European run, Bolton gained an unexpected 2–2 draw against former European champions
Bayern Munich, as well as becoming the first English team to beat
Red Star Belgrade
Fudbalski klub Crvena zvezda ( sr-Cyrl, Фудбалски клуб Црвена звезда, lit=Red Star Football Club, ), commonly known as Red Star Belgrade in English-language media, is a Serbian professional football club based in Bel ...
in Belgrade. They also defeated
Atlético Madrid on aggregate before being knocked out by
Sporting Lisbon
Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...
.
Bolton broke their record transfer fee with the signing of
Johan Elmander
Johan Erik Calvin Elmander (; born 27 May 1981) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a striker. Beginning his career with Holmalunds IF in the late 1990s, he went on to play professionally in the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmar ...
from
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
on 27 June 2008, in a deal which cost the club a reported £8.2 million and saw Norwegian striker
Daniel Braaten
Daniel Omoya Braaten (born 25 May 1982) is a Norwegian former professional footballer who played as a winger. He has previously played for Skeid, Rosenborg, Bolton Wanderers, Toulouse, Brann and Stabæk. He has been capped 52 times for the N ...
head in the opposite direction. Megson was replaced part-way through the 2009–2010 season by former Wanderers striker Owen Coyle, after Megson endured a difficult relationship with the fans. In the
2010–11 FA Cup
The 2010–11 FA Cup (known as The FA Cup sponsored by E.ON for sponsorship reasons) was the 130th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition; the FA Cup. A total of 806 clubs applied to enter of which 759 were accepted, a slight ...
, Bolton progressed all the way to the semi-finals, but were beaten 5–0 by Stoke at Wembley, with the match being described as "a massive anti-climax".
The
following season began as the previous one had ended with just one win and six defeats, their worst start since the
1902–03 season when they were relegated. On 17 March 2012, manager
Owen Coyle
Owen Columba Coyle (born 14 July 1966) is a professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Scottish Championship club Queen's Park. He played as a striker for several clubs in England and Scotland, and made one ...
travelled to the
London Chest Hospital
The London Chest Hospital, located in Bethnal Green in London, adjacent to Victoria Park, was a hospital with a national reputation for treatment of cardiac and pulmonary disease. Since 1999 it had been run by the Barts Health NHS Trust. It clos ...
with
Fabrice Muamba
Fabrice Ndala Muamba (born 6 April 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played for Arsenal, Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers as a central midfielder. Born in Zaire, Muamba moved to England at the age of 11 and subsequently ...
who had suffered from a cardiac arrest whilst playing against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...
at
White Hart Lane
White Hart Lane was a football stadium in Tottenham, North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club from 1899 to 2017. Its capacity varied over the years; when changed to all-seater it had a capacity of 36,284 before demolition. ...
in a
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
match. Muamba stayed in a critical condition for several weeks and Coyle was widely praised for the manner in which he represented the club during the period. That 13 May, Bolton were relegated to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
by one point on the last day of the season after drawing 2–2 with
Stoke City.
Return to the Championship (2012–2018)
The following season back in the Championship started badly for Bolton, with only three wins in ten league matches and a second round exit from the League Cup following a loss at
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...
. As a result of poor performances leaving them in 16th place, Bolton sacked Coyle on 9 October 2012, replacing him with
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace may refer to:
Places Canada
* Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick
* Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario
* Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...
's
Dougie Freedman
Douglas Alan Freedman (born 25 May 1974) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is the current sporting director of Crystal Palace.
Freedman played as a striker, primarily for Crystal Palace and also had spells as ...
. They finished in seventh place, losing out on a play-off place to
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
on goal difference. The 2013–14 began with a trip to
Turf Moor
Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional footba ...
, in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Football League. Freedman was fired after a torrid run of results at the beginning of the 2014–2015 season; he was replaced by former Celtic manager
Neil Lennon
Neil Francis Lennon (born 25 June 1971) is a Northern Irish football coach and former player.
During his playing career he represented English clubs Manchester City, Crewe Alexandra and Leicester City. Lennon moved to Celtic in 2000, where he ...
, who promptly won his first game in charge 1–0 away at Birmingham.
In December 2015, Bolton, who were £172.9 million in debt, were handed a winding-up petition from
HM Revenue and Customs
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over unpaid taxes, and a
transfer embargo
In professional football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one association football club to another. In general, the players can onl ...
for the following month's window. Much of this debt owed to former owner
Eddie Davies was confirmed to have been written off in March 2018, to assist with the club's potential sale prospects. After ending a 17-game winless run, Lennon, who had been investigated by the club due to allegations about his personal life, said that the club had "been through hell". On 18 January 2016, the club avoided an immediate winding-up order after their case was adjourned until 22 February to give it time to either close a deal with a potential buyer or raise sufficient short-term funds from asset sales. The club was said to owe HM Revenue and Customs £2.2m. The financial situation had improved as a takeover bid by
Dean Holdsworth
Dean Christopher Holdsworth (born 8 November 1968) is an English former professional football player and manager. As a striker he scored 193 goals in 610 league games over a 22-year career. Despite playing for 16 clubs in 19 spells the majorit ...
's Sports Shield was successful in March 2016. Lennon was removed from his position for the final few games of the season, replaced by Academy manager Jimmy Phillips. On 9 April 2016, Bolton lost 4–1 away at
Derby County
Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group.
Founded in 188 ...
to confirm their relegation to the
third tier for the first time since 1993.
Under new manager
Phil Parkinson
Philip John Parkinson (born 1 December 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently manager of National League side Wrexham.
Parkinson is the only manager to take an English fo ...
, Bolton won promotion from League One at the first time of asking with a second-place finish. On 14 September 2017, the board announced that the embargo was over. Bolton started their first season back in the Championship poorly, only earning their first victory in October. Their form improved mid-season, however going into the final round of fixtures Bolton were in the relegation zone, needing a win to stand a chance of securing survival. They achieved this to finish 21st, narrowly avoiding relegation, having fought back from 2–1 down to win 3–2 at home against
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...
in the last ten minutes of their final match of the season.
Relegation and financial crisis (2018–2019)
Throughout the
2018–19 Championship season Bolton faced financial difficulties. On 12 September 2018, Bolton reached an agreement with their main creditor BluMarble Capital Ltd over an unpaid loan, avoiding administration and a points deduction from the EFL. Bolton were served a winding-up order on 27 September 2018 after failing to make a payment to HM Revenue and Customs. This was the fourth such petition the club had faced in the previous 14 months. After the collapse of the permanent signing of on-loan striker
Christian Doidge
Christian Rhys Doidge (born 25 August 1992) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for club Hibernian as a striker.
Doidge played in the youth systems of Southampton and Bristol Rovers, but temporarily gave up football and played baske ...
,
Forest Green Rovers
Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...
commenced legal action over lost earnings. In February 2019, Bolton were again issued a winding-up petition by HMRC which was subsequently adjourned until the end of the season as their search for a new owner continued. The match against
Brentford on 26 April was called off by the
English Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...
16 hours before kick off after Bolton's players, supported by the
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members.
The aims of ...
, refused to play until they had received their unpaid wages; the EFL awarded the win to Brentford. The Bolton Whites Hotel, owned by Ken Anderson, was also issued with a winding-up petition in March 2019 (it closed on 1 May and went into administration on 14 May).
The team was relegated to League One in April after a 23rd-place finish.
In May 2019, the club went into
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, admini ...
due to a £1.2m unpaid tax bill, incurring a 12-point penalty for the 2019–2020 season.
Fildraw (former owner
Eddie Davies' trust fund) appointed administrators from insolvency firm David Rubin and Partners. A 17 July statement from the Bolton players said that no-one at the club had been paid by owner Ken Anderson for 20 weeks, the training ground had no potable drinking water nor hot water for showers. Pre-season friendlies were cancelled as Bolton could not give assurances about fielding a competitive team.
Anderson failed to find a buyer before the start of the season, and Bolton started their opening League One game on 3 August at
Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play their ho ...
with only three contracted senior outfield players, and lost 2–0.
A week later, Bolton fielded its youngest ever side, with an average age of 19, in a goalless home draw against
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. The club is nicknamed t ...
.
Manager Phil Parkinson expressed concern about the welfare of the youth players used in all of Bolton's games, leading Bolton to postpone the game against
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team compete in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club play their home games at ...
on 20 August
but without informing either Doncaster or the EFL.
Parkinson and assistant Steve Parkin resigned the following day, with academy manager Jimmy Phillips taking interim charge.
On 26 August, it was announced that the takeover by Football Ventures had fallen through one day before the EFL deadline, potentially risking the club going into
liquidation.
After Bolton failed to meet that deadline, the suspension of its notice of withdrawal from the EFL was lifted; however, the club was not immediately expelled from the EFL – it was given until 12 September 2019 to meet all outstanding requirements of the League's insolvency policy.
Under new ownership (2019–)
On 28 August, Bolton announced that the club's sale to Football Ventures (Whites) Limited had been completed, with the administrator paying tribute to the Eddie Davies Trust and their legal team, and criticising Ken Anderson who had "used his position as a secured creditor to hamper and frustrate any deal that did not benefit him or suit his purposes."
Days later,
Keith Hill was announced as the new club manager.
He signed nine players before the transfer deadline closed,
and his first win came on 22 October, 2–0 against
Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.
They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...
, Bolton's first win in 22 matches.
On 21 November 2019, Bolton were handed a five-point deduction, suspended for 18 months, and fined £70,000, half of which was suspended for 18 months, for failure to fulfil two fixtures (against Brentford and Doncaster). The points would not be deducted if Bolton fulfilled all fixtures during the 18-month period. An EFL appeal against what it saw as a "lenient" penalty
was rejected by an arbitration panel in January 2020.
On 9 June 2020, the
EFL League One decided to end the
2019–20 season early due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, causing bottom club Bolton Wanderers to go down to the
fourth tier of English football for the first time since 1988 and only the second time in their history. Following relegation, the club announced that Keith Hill and assistant David Flitcroft would leave the club when their contracts expired at the end of June.
Barrow manager
Ian Evatt
Ian Ross Evatt (born 19 November 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Bolton Wanderers.
Evatt began his career as a central midfielder, but was later converted to a central defende ...
was appointed Hill's successor on 1 July 2020.
Despite being in 17th place after 24 matches, Bolton orchestrated an impressive season turnaround under Evatt. They completed the
2020–21 League Two season in third place after a 4–1 win against
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The club was founded as Crawley Football Club in 1896, changed its name to Crawley Town Football Club in 1958. The team com ...
on the final day – enough to secure automatic promotion to League One – and early in the 2021–22 season settled debts with unsecured creditors to remove the threat of a 15-point deduction.
In January 2022, it was confirmed that the club had received an emergency loan from The Future Fund, a financial support scheme set up during the
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
pandemic. This was subsequently converted into shares of the club, with around 8% of shares now owned by the
British Business Bank
British Business Bank plc (BBB) is a state-owned economic development bank established by the UK Government. Its aim is to increase the supply of credit to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as providing business advice services. It is ...
, an economic development bank developed and run by
HM Government
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, image = HM Government logo.svg
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, image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg
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, date_es ...
.
Colours and badge
Bolton Wanderers' home colours are white shirts with navy and red trim, traditionally worn with navy shorts and white socks. Their away kits have been varied over the years, with navy kits and yellow kits among the most popular and common. Bolton did not always wear a white kit; in 1884 they wore white with red spots, leading to the club's original nickname of "The Spots".
The traditional navy blue shorts were dispensed with in 2003, in favour of an all-white strip, but they returned in 2008. The club had previously experimented with an all-white kit in the 1970s.
The Bolton Wanderers club badge consists of the initials of the club in the shape of a ball, with a red scroll and
Lancashire rose
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a Historic counties of England, historic county, Ceremonial County, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significa ...
underneath. The current badge is a reimagining of one designed in 1975; this was replaced in 2001 by a badge which retained the recognisable initials but controversially exchanged the scroll and rose for blue and red ribbons. The re-design has been welcomed by fans as the red rose returned to the badge and those who saw the ribbons as a poor choice.
The original club badge was the town crest of Bolton, a key feature of which was the Elephant and Castle motif with the town motto – Supera Moras meaning “Overcome Delays”. This feature has been reincorporated on the back of some more recent club shirts which was seen as a nice touch by some.
The club's nickname of "The Trotters" has several claimed derivations; that it is simply a variation on "Wanderers", that it is an old local term for a practical joker, or that one of the grounds used before the club settled at Pikes Lane resided next to a piggery, causing players to have to "trot" through the pig pens to retrieve the ball if it went over the fence.
Grounds
![Reebok Stadium before Bolton vs Arsenal, 2011-03-24](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Reebok_Stadium_before_Bolton_vs_Arsenal%2C_2011-03-24.jpg)
When the club was first founded, Christ Church had a nomadic existence, playing at a number of locations in the area. The club, which had by then been renamed Bolton Wanderers, started playing regularly at
Pike's Lane
Pike's Lane was a football ground in Bolton, England. It was the home ground of Bolton Wanderers between 1880 and 1895, and the venue of the first goal scored in league football anywhere in the world.
History
Pike's Lane opened in 1880, with th ...
in 1881.
Spending £150 on pitch improvements, season tickets cost a guinea. They played here for fourteen years until the tenancy expired and they moved to Burnden Park.
Situated in the
Burnden
Burnden is a district in the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located about southeast of Bolton town centre.
Historically a part of Lancashire, Burnden derives its name from two Old English words. The first part ''"burn"'' ...
area of Bolton, approximately one mile from the centre of the town, the ground served as the home of the town's football team for 102 years. In its heyday, Burnden Park could hold up to 70,000 supporters but this figure was dramatically reduced during the final 20 years of its life. A section of The Embankment was sold off in 1986 to make way for a new
Normid superstore. At this time, Bolton were in a dire position financially and were struggling in the
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following th ...
, so there was a low demand for tickets and the loss of part of the ground gave the Bolton directors good value for money.
By 1992 the club's directors had decided that it would be difficult to convert Burnden Park into an all-seater stadium for a club of Bolton's ambition, as the
Taylor Report
The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Inquiry report is the report of an inquiry which was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, into the causes of the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, on 15 April 1989, as a result of which, ...
required all first- and second-tier clubs to do.
A decision was made to build an out of town stadium in the town of Horwich, with the eventual location chosen 5 miles due west of the town centre. The stadium opened in August 1997, as a modern,
all-seater stadium
An all-seater stadium is a sports stadium in which every spectator has a seat. This is commonplace in professional association football stadiums in nations such as the United Kingdom, Spain, and the Netherlands. Most association football a ...
with a capacity of around 29,000. In recognition of the club's former ground the stadium stands on "Burnden Way". It has four stands, though the lower-tier seating is one continuous bowl. It was originally known as the ''Reebok Stadium'' after long-time team
sponsor,
Reebok
Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
. This was initially unpopular with many fans, as it was considered impersonal, and that too much emphasis was being placed on financial considerations. This opposition considerably lessened since the stadium was built. In April 2014, the stadium was renamed as part of a four-year deal with new sponsors
Macron sportswear. When this deal came to an end in August 2018 the stadium was again renamed, this time as the University of Bolton Stadium.
In 2014 the club established
Bolton Wanderers Free School
Bolton Wanderers Free School was a free school sixth form located in the Lostock area of Bolton, in the English County of Greater Manchester. The sixth form was established by Bolton Wanderers Football Club through the (not for profit) Eddie ...
at the stadium, a
sixth form
In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...
offering sports and related courses for 16 to 19-year-olds. However, this was later closed in 2017 due to low pupil numbers which deemed it 'not financially viable'.
Rivalries and supporters
Bolton Wanderers Supporters' Association (BWSA) is the official supporters' association of Bolton Wanderers Football Club. The Supporters' Association was formed in 1992, on the initiative of a fan, Peter Entwistle. Later that year the Directors of the football club, satisfied that the Association had proven itself to be organised and responsible, officially recognised Bolton Wanderers Supporters' Association as the club's supporters' group.
In 1997, shortly after the move from Burnden Park to the
Reebok Stadium
The University of Bolton Stadium is the home ground of Bolton Wanderers F.C. in Horwich, Greater Manchester, England.
Opening in 1997, it was named the Reebok Stadium, after club sponsors Reebok. In 2014, Bolton Wanderers signed a naming ri ...
, the BWSA accepted the invitation from the football club to hold its monthly meetings at the new stadium. The University of Bolton Stadium has continued to be their venue ever since. In the year 2000, the Association expanded significantly when its invitation to affiliate was accepted by Bolton Wanderers supporters groups in other parts of Britain, and also by groups around the world. All of these foreign groups have come on board to become independent, but integral, parts of the official Bolton Wanderers supporters' family. Requests for affiliated status continue to be received regularly from other places around the world where Wanderers fans find themselves gather together.
Historically Bolton's traditional rivals were near neighbours
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
, though due to limited league meetings and Bury's expulsion from the
Football League in August 2019 the rivalry has lessened considerably. The club also has traditional rivalries with fellow Lancashire clubs
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
and
Preston North End, as all three sides are separated by less than fifteen miles and are all founder members of
the Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...
. More recently, Bolton have developed an enmity with
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
, whose fans generally regard Bolton as their main rivals. Wigan eventually became known as Bolton biggest rivals, and crowd trouble marred the 16 October 2021 meeting between the two clubs.
A study in 2021 found that the Bolton/Wigan rivalry was the most competitive in all of English Football history, with both teams having an identical record against each other at the time. Bolton fans also maintain a mutual dislike with the fans of nearby
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, Lancashire, Preston, at the confluence of the River C ...
,
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
,
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ado ...
, and the more distant
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...
.
According to a survey conducted in August 2019 entitled 'The League of Love and Hate', Bolton supporters named
Manchester United,
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...
,
Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.
Founded in 1932, ...
,
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
and
Bury
Bury may refer to:
*The burial of human remains
*-bury, a suffix in English placenames
Places England
* Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village
* Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire
** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...
as their biggest rivals.
Ownership and finances
The holding company of Bolton Wanderers F.C. is Burnden Leisure Ltd, a
private company limited by shares
A private company limited by shares is a class of private limited company incorporated under the laws of English law, England and Wales, Northern Irish law, Northern Ireland, Scots law, Scotland, certain Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth c ...
. Burnden Leisure was previously a
public company
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange ( ...
traded on the
AIM stock exchange until its voluntary delisting in May 2003 following
Eddie Davies's takeover. The club itself is 100% owned by Burnden Leisure;
businessman Davies owned 94.5% of the shares, with the remaining stakes held by over 6,000 small shareholders with less than 0.1% holding each. After Bolton exited the
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
, Davies revoked his investment into the club. This led to published debts of almost £200m and brought the club very close to being wound up over unpaid tax bills owed to
HMRC
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. As a gesture of his goodwill and as incentive to sell the club, Davies promised to wipe over £125m of debt owed to him when the club was sold, which wiped a significant proportion of debt the club owed.
In March 2016, Sports Shield, a consortium led by Dean Holdsworth, bought Davies' controlling stake; a year later, Holdsworth shareholding in Sports Shield was bought out by Ken Anderson.
Under Anderson, financial difficulties dogged the club, with player strikes, further winding up orders and financial disputes with other creditors.
[ These culminated in the club (Burnden Leisure Ltd) going into administration in May 2019,][ and, with the club's future ownership unresolved, being threatened with expulsion from the EFL in August 2019.] On 28 August, the club was sold to Football Ventures (Whites) Ltd despite opposition from Ken Anderson.
In January 2022, it was confirmed that the club had received an emergency loan from The Future Fund, a financial support scheme set up during the COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
pandemic. This was subsequently converted into shares of the club, with around 8% of shares now owned by the British Business Bank
British Business Bank plc (BBB) is a state-owned economic development bank established by the UK Government. Its aim is to increase the supply of credit to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as providing business advice services. It is ...
, an economic development bank developed and run by HM Government
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.
Sponsorship
Bolton Wanderers had a long-established partnership with sporting goods firm Reebok, which was formed in the town. Between 1997 and 2009 this partnership encompassed shirt sponsorship, kit manufacture and stadium naming rights. The combined shirt sponsorship (1990–2009) and kit manufacture (1993–2012) deals covering 22 years represent the longest kit partnership in English football history. The stadium's naming rights were held by Reebok from its opening in 1997 until 2014.
Bolton's kit manufacturer from the 2014–15 season changed to Italian sportswear brand Macron, who also became stadium name sponsors for four years. In August 2018, the stadium naming rights went to the University of Bolton
, established = 2004 – gained University Status 1982 – Bolton Institute of Higher Education
, type = Public
, endowment = £160,000 (2009)
, administrative_staff = 700+
, chancellor ...
in an undisclosed deal.
Players
Current squad
Bolton B squad
Out on loan
Club officials
Bolton Wanderers Football & Athletic Co management
Honours
League
* Second Division / Championship (Tier 2)
**Champions (2): 1908–09, 1977–78, 1996–97
**2nd place promotion: 1899–1900, 1904–05
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
, 1910–11, 1934–35
**Play-off
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
winners: 1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...
, 2001
* Third Division / League One (Tier 3)
**Champions (1): 1972–73
**2nd place promotion: 1992–93
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 '' Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since t ...
, 2016–17
* Fourth Division / League Two (Tier 4)
**3rd place promotion: 1987–88, 2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
Cup
*FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...
**Winners (4): 1922–23, 1925–26, 1928–29, 1957–58
**Runners-up: 1893–94, 1903–04
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
, 1952–53
* Football League Cup
**Runners-up: 1994–95, 2003–04
* FA Charity Shield
**Winners (1): 1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
*Football League Trophy
The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL Le ...
**Champions (1): 1988–89
**Runners-up: 1985–86
References
{{Good article
1874 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1874
Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom
EFL Trophy winners
FA Cup winners
Football clubs in Bolton
Football clubs in England
English Football League clubs
Premier League clubs
The Football League founder members