Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
club based in
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
,
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the
Kirklees Stadium since moving from
Leeds Road
Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home of ...
in 1994. The club colours of blue and white stripes were adopted in 1916. Their nickname, "The
Terriers", was taken in 1969. Huddersfield's current
emblem
An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint.
Emblems vs. symbols
Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often use ...
is based on the town's
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
. The team have long-standing
West Yorkshire derby
The West Yorkshire derbies are a series of football matches or rugby league matches taking place between football or rugby league clubs from West Yorkshire.
In football History
Leeds United's relegation to League One in 2007 may have reignite ...
rivalries with
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
and
Leeds United, as well as a
Roses derby with
Oldham Athletic.
Founded in 1908, Huddersfield competed in the
North Eastern League
The North Eastern League was an association football league for teams in the North East of England.
The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play. Although som ...
and
Midland League, before gaining admittance to the
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 Engla ...
in 1910. They were promoted out of 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 1919–20 and went on to win 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 ...
in
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
, having been beaten finalists in
1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
. Under the management of
Herbert Chapman, Huddersfield were crowned
league champions in three successive seasons: 1923–24, 1924–25 and 1925–26. They played on the losing side in three more FA Cup finals:
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
,
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
and
1938
Events
January
* January 1
** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
. They were relegated from the
First Division after 32 years in 1952, though secured an immediate promotion the following season. Relegated again in 1956, they won the Second Division title at the end of the 1969–70 season, though were relegated three times in four years by 1975.
Huddersfield won the
Fourth Division
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
in 1979–80 and were promoted from the
Third Division
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
in 1982–83. Relegated in 1988, they were beaten in the
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
final of 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 Leag ...
, though returned to
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 ...
the following year to win the third tier's
play-off final
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 ...
. They returned to the fourth tier in 2003 following a second relegation in three years. Huddersfield reached 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 Foo ...
with three successful play-off campaigns: from Division Three in
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, from
League One in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, and then from the
Championship in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
. They spent two seasons in the Premier League, before being relegated in 2019.
History
Early years and golden days (1908–1945)
The club was founded in 1908. The founders bought a site on
Leeds Road
Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home of ...
for £500, and joined the
North Eastern League
The North Eastern League was an association football league for teams in the North East of England.
The league was founded in 1906 and was initially successful, with teams defecting from the rival Northern Football Alliance to play. Although som ...
. The following season they joined the
Midland Football League in order to reduce travelling costs.
In an effort to gain entry into the
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 Engla ...
, the club invited Scottish architect
Archibald Leitch to reconstruct Leeds Road. A 4,000-seat stand was to be constructed, and terracing was also planned, to provide an overall capacity of 34,000. After the plans went through, Huddersfield directors successfully applied to become members of the Football League in 1910, and development of Leeds Road began immediately. However, the development costs were too high, and attendances sunk below 7,000. Huddersfield went into liquidation in 1912, after which a new
limited company
In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...
was formed to take over the club’s assets.
Huddersfield Town were reportedly £25,000 in debt in 1919, and attendances fell to around 3,000. Chairman
John Hilton Crowther planned to merge Town with newly formed
Leeds United and to relocate to
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
.
The reports galvanised supporters to start fundraising to stave off the move. Shares of £1 had been released, converting the club to a public ownership. After a month of acquiring funds and negotiations, the club stayed in Huddersfield.
The team then reached the
1920 FA Cup Final
The 1920 FA Cup Final, the first since the end of the First World War, was contested by Aston Villa and Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge. Aston Villa won 1–0, with the goal coming in extra time from Billy Kirton, to clinch the trophy for a reco ...
and won
promotion to
First Division for the first time.
During their
first season in the top flight, former
Leeds City
Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. It was dissolved in 1919 due to financial irregularities, after which Leeds United was established as a replacement.
History
The club was ...
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
Herbert Chapman was brought in (after Huddersfield helped him overturn his ban) as the new assistant to
Ambrose Langley
Ambrose Langley (10 March 1870 – 29 January 1937) was an English football player and manager. He was the manager of Hull City from 1905 until 1913. He was born in 6 South Street, Horncastle and played over 300 games for Sheffield Wednesday.
...
. Chapman replaced Langley in March 1921,
and led the team to a 17th-place finish. In the summer of 1921,
playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's play, and is often involved in offensively and defensively playing passing moves which lead to goals, through their vision, technique, ball control, creativit ...
Clem Stephenson
Clement Stephenson (6 February 1890 – 24 October 1961) was an English footballer whose 20-year career at Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town included success in both the FA Cup and League Championship. Stephenson's place in history as an inside ...
and the club's all-time top goal scorer
George Brown George Brown may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter
* George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist
* George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor
* G ...
were acquired.
Chapman's tactics were based upon the principles of a strong defence and a fast, counter-attacking response, with the focus on quick, short passing and mazy runs from his
wingers. He is regarded as the first manager to successfully employ the counter-attack. Other progressive ideas included a disciplined fitness regime for the players, and the practice of reserve and
youth teams playing the same style as the senior team.
He employed a wide-ranging
scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...
network to find the right players for his tactical system.
![Huddersfield town afc 1922](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/Huddersfield_town_afc_1922.jpg)
The team won their first ever major honour, 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 ...
, after
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
were beaten 1–0 in the
1922 FA Cup Final
The 1922 FA Cup Final was contested by Huddersfield Town and Preston North End at Stamford Bridge. Huddersfield won by a single goal, a penalty scored by Billy Smith.
Overview
This was the last final before the opening of Wembley Stadium, and ...
.
Huddersfield also won the
1922 Charity Shield, defeating
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 popul ...
1–0. Town finished in third place in
1922–23, before winning their first ever First Division championship in
1923–24.
The team fought off
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
, although it was by the narrowest of margins. They both finished on 57 points, but Huddersfield won it by a difference of 0.024 in
goal average. Huddersfield won 3–0 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 match, and Cardiff drew 0–0 at
Birmingham City
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...
and missed a
penalty
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
.
The team retained their First Division title in
1924–25 after only one loss in the last 27 league matches.
Huddersfield only conceded 28 goals and never conceded more than two per game; the first time a team accomplished this feat.
Another notable feat was achieved in October 1924, as
Billy Smith became the first player in history to score directly from a
corner. After winning successive league titles, Chapman left for
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, which offered to double his wages and attracted larger crowds than Huddersfield.
Cecil Potter was brought in as his successor. Under Potter, Town became the first club to win
three successive English League titles in
1925–26. The team came close to winning a fourth consecutive title the
following season, but only won one of their last seven matches and thus handed the title to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
. Town won the "wrong
double
A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another.
Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to:
Film and television
* Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character
* Th ...
" in the
1927–28 season; they finished runners-up in both the league and lost the
FA Cup Final.
In March 1928, an international match between
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
featured five Town players.
Tom Wilson,
Bob Kelly, Billy Smith, and
Roy Goodall
Frederick Roy Goodall (31 December 1902 – 19 January 1982) was a professional footballer, who played for Huddersfield Town for 16 years and played 25 games for England, 12 as captain.
Goodall would have captained England in the first ever Wor ...
started for England;
Alex Jackson played for Scotland. Jackson scored a
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 ...
as Scotland, later nicknamed "The
Wembley Wizards", defeated England 5–1.
Huddersfield's ageing squad was not adequately replaced.
A deterioration of their league position followed, although they finished runners-up in
1933–34, and two more
FA Cup Finals were reached under new manager Clem Stephenson.
Town were defeated in
1930
Events
January
* January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...
by Chapman's Arsenal, and in
1938
Events
January
* January 1
** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...
by
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...
after
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
, which was the first FA Cup Final to be broadcast on television. A record home attendance of 67,037 was achieved in 1932 during an FA Cup sixth round tie against Arsenal.
Decline and recovery (1945–1992)
![Denis Law](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Denis_Law.jpg)
Town were relegated for the first time in the
1951–52 season.
Stockport County manager
Andy Beattie was appointed in April 1952, and managed Stockport and Huddersfield in three divisions in the same month. He also had two horseshoes nailed to his office wall for luck.
The team finished second in 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
1952–53 and made an immediate return. They finished in third place in their first season back in the top flight. After Town were relegated in
1955–56, Beattie resigned as manager in November 1956, and
Bill Shankly
William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish football player and manager, who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool. Shankly brought success to Liverpool, gaining promotion to the First Division and winnin ...
succeeded him.
In December 1957, the team led 5–1 with 30 minutes remaining against
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 C ...
, but lost
7–6. Shankly left in December 1959 to manage
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 popul ...
.
Floodlights
A floodlight is a broad-beamed, gas discharge lamp#High-intensity discharge lamps, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is Night game, being held during low-li ...
were installed at Leeds Road in 1961, which were financed by the British record transfer fee of £55,000 of
Denis Law
Denis Law (born 24 February 1940) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. His career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchester City ...
to
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, and became known as the "Denis Law Lights".
Huddersfield continued to play in the second tier during the 1960s.
They reached the semi-final of the League Cup in
1967–68, but lost on aggregate to Arsenal. In 1969, the club adopted the nickname "The Terriers".
Town won the Second Division in
1969–70 under the guidance of
Ian Greaves
Ian Denzil Greaves (26 May 1932 – 2 January 2009) was an English association football, football player and manager. He was born in Crompton Urban District, Crompton, Lancashire. He won a Football League Championship, League Championship meda ...
. The team stayed up in their first season back in the first tier, but were relegated in
1971–72, which was followed by another relegation to the
Third Division
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
for the first time the season after. Huddersfield were relegated to the
Fourth Division
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
for the first time in
1974–75.
Former Town manager
Tom Johnston returned to the club as
general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
in 1975. The club later returned to all-blue shirts that he had introduced in the mid-1960s. Johnston replaced
Bobby Collins as manager in December 1975. During the
1976–77 season,
John Haselden
John James Haselden (3 August 1943 – 30 March 2020) was an English professional footballer, manager and physiotherapist. As a player, he was a central defender.
Playing career
Haselden played the professional game for 13 years and played for ...
became the manager with Johnston returning to his previous role. This, however, did not last, as Johnston demoted Haselden in September 1977 and gave himself the job. He managed Town to their lowest ever league position of 11th at the end of the
1977–78 season.
A recovery started under manager
Mick Buxton
Michael James Buxton (born 29 May 1943) is a former footballer and football manager in England. He has managed Huddersfield Town, Scunthorpe United and Sunderland.
Playing career
During his playing career, Buxton played in the Football League ...
, who was appointed in 1978. Huddersfield won the Fourth Division in
1979–80, scoring 101 goals in the process. Town finished just outside the promotion places the following season. The team won promotion to the Second Division in
1982–83 by a third-place finish. Due to Huddersfield languishing at the bottom of the division, declining home attendances, and the resulting financial pressure, Buxton was sacked in December 1986.
Steve Smith succeeded him, and became the first (and as of , only) permanent manager in the club's history to hail from Huddersfield. The team stayed up by three points that season, but were relegated back to the third tier in
1987–88. Town only won six matches, conceded 100 goals, and lost 10–1 against
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
. Huddersfield reached the
1991–92 Third Division play-offs, but lost the semi-final against
Peterborough United by an aggregate score of 4–3.
New stadium, on the brink of extinction, and a return to the top flight (1992–present)
![HTFCPlaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/HTFCPlaque.JPG)
The team avoided relegation to the Third Division (renamed from the Fourth Division after the introduction of 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 Foo ...
) in
1992–93, following a run of only three defeats in their last 17 league games, to finish in 15th place. Manager
Neil Warnock
Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English former football manager and player. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed sixteen different clubs from the Premier League to ...
took over from
Ian Ross for the
1993–94 season. Town reached the
1994 Football League Trophy Final
The 1994 Autoglass Trophy Final was the 11th final of the domestic football cup competition for teams from Second Division and Third Division for the Football League Trophy. The Final was played at Wembley Stadium, London on 24 April 1994. The ...
, but lost against
Swansea City
Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
on
penalties
Penalty or The Penalty may refer to:
Sports
* Penalty (golf)
* Penalty (gridiron football)
* Penalty (ice hockey)
* Penalty (rugby)
* Penalty (rugby union)
* Penalty kick (association football)
* Penalty shoot-out (association football)
* Penalty ...
.
Huddersfield Town played their final match at Leeds Road on 30 April 1994, beating
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
2–1, which was watched by a near capacity crowd of 16,195. They moved into the new
Kirklees Stadium (then named as the
Alfred McAlpine Stadium) for the
1994–95 season.
During the first season at the new stadium, Huddersfield were promoted to the second tier via the play-offs after a
2–1 win against
Bristol Rovers at
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 ...
. Warnock left the club that summer, and was replaced by
Brian Horton, who guided the Town to an eighth place finish the following season.
Horton was sacked in October 1997, with Huddersfield without a win in their first nine games. Former Huddersfield player
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...
was given the job. They only scored one point in Jackson's first five games, but Huddersfield finally won in their 15th match, by beating
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
3–1. Unbeaten runs mixed with winless runs followed, and Town managed to stay up by a 16th-place finish.
In January 1999, the club was bought by local businessman Barry Rubery, who targeted to 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 Foo ...
.
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger Bruce (born 31 December 1960) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a centre-back. He most recently managed West Bromwich Albion F.C., West Br ...
succeeded Jackson in May 1999. Huddersfield topped the table in December, but their form plummeted after striker
Marcus Stewart
William Marcus Paul Stewart (''né'' Tubbs; born 8 November 1972) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward from 1991 until 2011. He is currently Head of Player Development at Yeovil Town.
Stewart played over 500 gam ...
was sold in the January
transfer window
A transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other playing staff into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA. "Transfer win ...
to First Division rivals
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 ...
. They finished the season in eighth place, just outside the
play-offs
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 ...
. Bruce was sacked in October 2000. Rubery accused Bruce of "wasting £3m", arguing that the money would have been "spent more wisely by a more experienced manager without an ego to feed". He was replaced by
Lou Macari
Luigi Macari (born 7 June 1949) is a Scottish former footballer and manager. He began his playing career at Celtic where he was one of the Quality Street Gang, the outstanding reserve team that emerged in the late 1960s that also included Kenny ...
, who was unable to halt the slide as relegation to the third tier followed at the end of the season. Huddersfield reached the play-offs in
2001–02, but lost 2–1 to
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
in the semi-final.
Around this time, the club had debts of 20 million pounds following relegation and the collapse of
ITV Digital. The players went months without being paid, and manager
Mick Wadsworth was sacked in January 2003, only to be reinstated because the club did not have any money for his pay-off.
Wadsworth was eventually sacked in March and replaced by
Mel Machin
Melvyn Machin (born 16 April 1945) is an English former football player and manager.
A midfielder, he started his career at Port Vale in 1962, before he moved on to Gillingham four years later. He made his name at the club from 1966 to 1970, b ...
, who oversaw relegation to the fourth tier. The club was put into
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
, but
Ken Davy
Kenneth Ernest Davy (born 1941) is an English businessman. He is the owner and chairman of the rugby league club Huddersfield Giants and former chairman of football club Huddersfield Town. He was also the Conservative Party candidate for Huddersf ...
bought the club in the summer of 2003 and rescued Town from liquidation. Manager Peter Jackson only had four senior players on the books before the beginning of the
2003–04 season,
after which many youngsters from the academy setup were added. Huddersfield finished in a surprising fourth place, and defeated
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
in the
play-off Final
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 ...
to return to the third tier.
![David Wagner 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/David_Wagner_2018.jpg)
The team reached the play-offs in
2005–06, but were eliminated by
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
in the semi-final, after further seasons in
League One followed.
Dean Hoyle
Dean Hoyle (born 16 April 1967) is the founder and former owner of Card Factory and the chairman of Championship side Huddersfield Town. In 2015, Hoyle became chairman and majority shareholder of British discount retailer, The Works.
According ...
took over as chairman, and majority
shareholder
A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal own ...
, of the club in June 2009. Town reached the play-offs in
2009–10 under manager
Lee Clark, but lost against
Millwall in the semi-final. The team again qualified for the play-offs the following season, however, Peterborough United were victorious in the
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
.
Huddersfield set a Football League record of 43 matches unbeaten (not including the play-off matches), which was previously set by Nottingham Forest, in November 2011. Clark was sacked in February 2012 following a 1–0 home defeat to
Sheffield United, and was replaced by former Leeds United manager
Simon Grayson. He led Town to the
play-off Final
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 ...
against Sheffield United. The game finished 0–0 after
extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
, before Huddersfield were victorious after 22 penalties (8–7).
Despite this success, Grayson was sacked in January 2013, being succeeded by
Mark Robins
Mark Gordon Robins (born 22 December 1969) is an English football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Coventry City in the EFL Championship. As a player, he was a striker and is best known for his time in the Premier League ...
. Huddersfield avoided relegation on the last day, after a draw with Barnsley. German
Borussia Dortmund II
Borussia Dortmund II are the reserve team of Borussia Dortmund. They play in the 3. Liga, at Stadion Rote Erde. Until 2005, the team played as Borussia Dortmund Amateure.
History From Kreisliga to Oberliga (Until 1997)
The second team of Boruss ...
coach
David Wagner became the first person born outside the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
to manage the club in November 2015. He implemented the "''
Gegenpressing''" style of play. In
2016–17, Town finished fifth with a negative goal difference, and qualified for the play-offs. After defeating
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
on penalties in the semi-final, they faced
Reading
Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch.
For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...
in the
Final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
. Another penalty shoot-out followed, and Huddersfield were again victorious. Promotion to the Premier League meant a return to the first tier for the first time since 1972. Huddersfield also became the second club, after Blackpool, to have won all three divisional play-offs.
The team finished 16th and stayed up on their return, but were relegated after a 20th-place finish in
2018–19.
Wagner left the club by mutual consent in January 2019, and was replaced by Borussia Dortmund II manager
Jan Siewert
Jan Siewert (; born 23 August 1982) is a German professional football manager and former player who played as a defensive midfielder. He became the Academy Manager at Mainz 05 in July 2020.
Playing career
Born in Mayen, Siewert played as a defen ...
, but Town were relegated in March with six matches remaining. The team amassed only three wins and 16 points by the end of the season.
Chairman Hoyle announced his departure in May 2019, selling the club to businessman Phil Hodgkinson, relinquishing the post due to poor health. Siewert was replaced by
Lincoln City manager
Danny Cowley
Danny Cowley (born 22 October 1978) is an English professional football coach who was most recently manager of EFL League One side Portsmouth.
He has previously managed Concord Rangers, Braintree Town, Lincoln City, Huddersfield Town and P ...
in September of that year, who guided the club to survival in the Championship before being sacked. Leeds United assistant coach
Carlos Corberán
Carlos Corberán Vallet (born 7 April 1983) is a Spanish football coach who is currently head coach of EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.
Previously the head coach of Doxa and Ermis in the Cypriot First Division, Corberán was first ...
was appointed as the club's new head coach in July 2020.
Huddersfield finished third in the
EFL Championship
The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
and met fourth placed Nottingham Forest in the
2022 EFL Championship play-off Final at Wembley, losing 1–0 in controversial circumstances; Town were denied two penalty claims by
referee
A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
Jonathan Moss in his last game before retirement. In the first instance, the
video assistant referee
The video assistant referee (VAR) is a match official in association football who reviews decisions made by the referee.
The assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) is a current or former referee appointed to assist the VAR in the video ope ...
failed to overturn Moss's decision despite apparent contact between Forest's
Jack Colback
Jack Raymond Colback (born 24 October 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Nottingham Forest.
Colback began his career at Sunderland in 2008, having graduated from their academy, and broke int ...
and Huddersfield's
Harry Toffolo.
Corberán left in July 2022, shortly before the start of 2022–23 Championship season. Within one month he joined
Olympiacos
Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós ( el, Ολυμπιακός Σύνδεσμος Φιλάθλων Πειραιώς, Olympic Club of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number ...
in Greece. After the disappointment of the playoff final, many Huddersfield fans felt aggrieved because Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest are both owned by Greek businessman
Evangelos Marinakis
Evangelos Marinakis ( el, Ευάγγελος (Βαγγέλης) Μαρινάκης, born 30 July 1967) is a Greek media mogul, shipowner, lyricist and member of the Piraeus city council. He is the owner of the football clubs Olympiacos in Greece ...
. Former Town player
Danny Schofield
Daniel James Schofield (born 10 April 1980) is an English former footballer and manager who is currently head coach of EFL League Two club Doncaster Rovers.
Playing career Huddersfield Town
Schofield was signed by Huddersfield Town from Brod ...
was appointed as the new head coach, but he was sacked 10 weeks later after a poor start to the new season, to be replaced by
Hertha BSC
Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...
assistant coach
Mark Fotheringham.
Badge and colours
The club spent over eight years debating what colour the
kit
Kit may refer to:
Places
*Kitt, Indiana, US, formerly Kit
* Kit, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province
* Kit Hill, Cornwall, England
People
* Kit (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Kit (surname)
Animals
* Young animals:
...
should be, with suggestions ranging from
salmon pink to plain white or all-blue to white with blue
yoke
A yoke is a wooden beam sometimes used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, us ...
.
Eventually, in 1916, the club adopted the striped blue and white jersey that remains to this day.
The club badge is based on the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
of Huddersfield.
Town first used a badge on its shirts for the 1920 FA Cup Final based on the Huddersfield coat of arms.
It appeared again with a
Yorkshire Rose
The White Rose of York (Latinised as ''rosa alba'', blazoned as ''a rose argent'') is a white heraldic rose which was adopted in the 14th century as a heraldic badge of the royal House of York. In modern times it is used more broadly as a sy ...
for the 1922 FA Cup Final and again for the finals of 1928, 1930 and 1938. The club's main colours of blue and white are evident throughout the badge both in the
mantling and in the shield, in the form of stripes. Two Yorkshire Roses and
Castle Hill form part of the history of the club and the area.
Town stuck with the same principal design (blue and white stripes) until 1966, when Scottish manager Tom Johnston introduced all-blue shirts. A new badge was also adopted that year, when the vertical
monogram
A monogram is a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters or other graphemes to form one symbol. Monograms are often made by combining the initials of an individual or a company, used as recognizable symbols or logos. A series o ...
"HTFC" adorned the all-blue shirts. When the club adopted the nickname "The
Terriers" for the 1969–70 season, the blue and white stripes returned and with it a red terrier with the words "The Terriers".
After relegation to the Fourth Division, Huddersfield returned to all-blue shirts and the vertical monogram crest with the return of Tom Johnston in 1975. Stripes returned in the 1977–78 season and have been the club's home kit ever since. In 1980, Town adopted what remains their badge today. It combined elements of the old town coat of arms with modern motifs, such as blue and white stripes and a terrier with a football.
In 2000, Huddersfield changed its badge to a circular design, but that was never popular with the fans, and soon returned to the heraldic-style badge.
The badge was further redeveloped with a small adaptation in 2005. The club took the decision to remove "A.F.C." from the text, leaving only the wording "Huddersfield Town". This eased problems with embroidery on shirts and club merchandise, and also gave the printwork a standard look.
The club adopted a Terriers logo in 2018. It was used solely on the strip and did not replace the heraldic crest, which continued to appear on all official media and documents.
In 2019, Town agreed to have
Paddy Power shirt sponsorship in a striking beauty queen style diagonal sash design. Within days, the club were contacted by
The Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
for their "observations" about the kit. Shortly after, it was revealed that the shirt was a
prank envisioned by Paddy Power, and that the club would play in shirts without a sponsor. as part of their "Save Our Shirt" campaign.
Huddersfield returned to a updated version of their heraldic-style crest in 2019. The three stars (representing their hat-trick of league titles in the 1920s) were moved inside the shield. Furthermore, a single Yorkshire Rose was placed at the top of the blue and white stripes, above the three stars. The shield was also modernized by moving away from the more rounded version. The Terrier was incorporated into the crest, at the top of the shield, and the club's founding date was introduced on either side of Castle Hill.
Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors
Source:
Stadium
![Galpharm Stadium - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Galpharm_Stadium_-_geograph.org.uk_-_312658.jpg)
*
Leeds Road
Leeds Road was a association football, football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 in English football, 1994–95 season. It was the home of ...
(1908–1994)
*
Kirklees Stadium (1994–present)
**Named "''Alfred McAlpine Stadium''" (1994–2004)
**Named "''Galpharm Stadium''" (2004–2012)
**Named "''John Smith's Stadium''" (2012–present)
Huddersfield were the first team to have played at each of the
four professional levels of English football at two different grounds.
Supporters and rivalries
Since 1920, Huddersfield's club song has been "Smile A While". The anthem was created by G. W. Chappell of
Longwood, Huddersfield, before the 1920 FA Cup Final against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
. It was an adapted version of the popular First World War song "
Till We Meet Again". Chappell's creation was originally called "The Town Anthem", and was sung by Town supporters ahead of the Final. The anthem is still sung by Huddersfield supporters at home matches.
In 2014, a group of Town fans formed a collective called "North Stand Loyal". Its aim was "to improve the atmosphere around the stadium on matchdays", and the members were "inspired by fan groups of continental Europe and other parts of the world". In 2017, the group renamed themselves "Cowshed Loyal". The group is located in the South Stand, which is shared with away fans.
The club also has various overseas
supporters' groups
A supporters' group or supporters' club is an independent fan club or campaign group in sport, mostly association football.
Supporters' groups in continental Europe are generally known as ultras, which derives from the Latin word ultrā, mea ...
, with clubs in Australia, Canada, Northern Ireland, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Singapore, Slovakia, and United States. Notable fans over the years have included
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...
, who was born in the town, and actor
Sir Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...
, who became president of the
Huddersfield Town Academy in 2010.
Huddersfield Town's main rivals are considered to be
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
clubs
Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
and
Leeds United.
Town hold the better head-to-head record against City; 21 matches have been won, 17 drawn, and 14 lost. Including games against United's predecessor team
Leeds City
Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. It was dissolved in 1919 due to financial irregularities, after which Leeds United was established as a replacement.
History
The club was ...
, Huddersfield have won 36 of the 90 derbies between the two sides, with 20 draws and 34 Leeds wins.
There are smaller rivalries with
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham.
In N ...
clubs
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...
and
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...
, and there is a
Roses rivalry
The term "Roses rivalry" can refer to sporting rivalries between teams from the English counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The name of the rivalry is derived from the historic Wars of the Roses which was fought between the House of Lancaster a ...
with
Oldham Athletic.
Huddersfield also have a rivalry with
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East of England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and North ...
club
Peterborough United, largely fuelled by the play-off meetings in 1992 and 2011.
Players
First-team squad
Huddersfield Town B
Out on loan
Notable former players
Full internationals
Only players who have gained
caps while at the club are included.
;
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
*
Jason Davidson
Jason Alan Davidson (born 29 June 1991) is an Australian professional Soccer player who plays as a defender for Belgian club Eupen.
Club career Hume City
On 26 January 2009, he signed with Victorian Premier League club Hume City, becoming the ...
*
Aaron Mooy
Aaron Frank Mooy (; ; born 15 September 1990) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Scottish Premiership club Celtic and the Australia national team.
Born in Sydney, Mooy played youth football for the N ...
;
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north ...
*
Steve Mounié
Steve Michel Mounié (born 29 September 1994) is a Beninese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Brest, whom he captains, and the Benin national team.
Club career Montpellier
Mounié is a Montpellier HSC youth acade ...
;
Bermuda
)
, anthem = "God Save the King"
, song_type = National song
, song = " Hail to Bermuda"
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, mapsize2 =
, map_caption2 =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name =
, e ...
*
Nahki Wells
Nahki Michael Wells (born 1 June 1990) is a Bermudian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bristol City and the Bermuda national team.
Wells began his career in his native Bermuda, playing for Dandy Town Hornets and Bermu ...
;
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
*
David Edgar
;
Curaçao
Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
*
Juninho Bacuna
Juninho Bacuna (born 7 August 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for club Birmingham City. He began his career in his native Netherlands with Groningen before moving to English football with Huddersfield Town. ...
;
DR Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
*
Elias Kachunga
;
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
*
Mathias Jørgensen
Mathias Jattah-Njie Jørgensen (; born 23 April 1990), also known by his mononymous nickname Zanka, is a Danish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Brentford and the Denmark national team.
Jørgensen began his career a ...
;
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
*
Ramadan Sobhi
Ramadan Sobhi Ramadan Ahmed ( ar, رمضان صبحي رمضان أحمد; born 23 January 1997) is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Pyramids FC and the Egypt national team.
Sobhi began his career with the leading ...
;
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
*
Pat Beasley
Albert "Pat" Beasley (16 July 1913 – 27 February 1986) was an England international footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League. He also became a manager.
Football career
Born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, Beasley be ...
*
George Brown George Brown may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* George Loring Brown (1814–1889), American landscape painter
* George Douglas Brown (1869–1902), Scottish novelist
* George Williams Brown (1894–1963), Canadian historian and editor
* G ...
*
Fred Bullock
Frederick Edwin Bullock (1 July 1886 – 14 November 1922) was an English professional Association football, footballer, best remembered for his 11-year spell with Huddersfield Town A.F.C., Huddersfield Town, before, during and after the First ...
*
Austen Campbell
Austen "Aussie" Fenwick Campbell (5 May 1901 – 8 September 1981) was an England international footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are ...
*
Jack Cock
John Gilbert Cock MM MID (14 November 1893 – 19 April 1966) was an English footballer who played for various English club sides as a centre forward. He also had the distinction of being the first Cornishman to play for the England nationa ...
*
Roy Goodall
Frederick Roy Goodall (31 December 1902 – 19 January 1982) was a professional footballer, who played for Huddersfield Town for 16 years and played 25 games for England, 12 as captain.
Goodall would have captained England in the first ever Wor ...
*
Harold Hassall
Harold William Hassall (4 March 1929 – 30 January 2015) was a professional footballer, who played as a forward for Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers in the 1940s and 1950s.
Harold was one of four Hassall brothers. He lived relatively n ...
*
Bob Kelly
*
Bill McGarry
William Harry McGarry (10 June 1927 – 15 March 2005) was an England international association footballer and manager who spent 40 years in the professional game. He had a reputation for toughness, both as a player and as a manager.
A right- ...
*
Vic Metcalfe
Victor Metcalfe (3 February 1922 – 6 April 2003) was a professional footballer who was born in Barrow-in-Furness where his father played rugby league for Barrow.
Life and career
Metcalfe was though a product of West Riding schools football ...
*
Michael O'Grady
Michael O'Grady (born 11 October 1942) is an English former professional footballer born in Leeds, who played two games for the England national team, scoring three goals.
*
Billy Smith
*
Ron Staniforth
Ronald Staniforth (13 April 1924 – 5 October 1988) was an English footballer, described as a tall, cultured full-back. His attacking excursions down the right wing sometimes caused concern to his team's supporters but probably more to his oppon ...
*
Clem Stephenson
Clement Stephenson (6 February 1890 – 24 October 1961) was an English footballer whose 20-year career at Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town included success in both the FA Cup and League Championship. Stephenson's place in history as an inside ...
*
Ted Taylor
*
Hugh Turner
*
Sam Wadsworth
Samuel John Wadsworth (13 September 1896 – 1 September 1961) was an English professional footballer who played as a left back for Darwen, Blackburn Rovers, Nelson, Huddersfield Town, Burnley and Lytham. He won 9 England caps between April 1922 ...
*
Ken Willingham
Charles Kenneth Willingham (1 December 1912 – May 1975) was a professional footballer, born in Sheffield. As a school boy he captained the Yorkshire Schools' team and won the half-mile county running championship.
Football career
After playin ...
*
Ray Wilson
*
Tom Wilson
*
Alf Young
Alfred Young (4 November 1905 in Sunderland – 30 August 1977) was a professional footballer who played as a defender for Huddersfield Town between 1927 and 1945. He also played for Durham City and York City.
He played for England nine tim ...
;
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
*
Rolando Aarons
Rolando Aarons (born 16 November 1995) is a Jamaican professional footballer who plays as a winger for Championship club Huddersfield Town and the Jamaica national team. He has had previous loan spells with Hellas Verona in Italy, Slovan Libe ...
*
Jermaine Beckford
Jermaine Paul Alexander Beckford (born 9 December 1983) is an English Football pundit and former professional footballer who played as a striker. He began his career as a trainee at Chelsea, and played for Wealdstone, Uxbridge, Leeds United, ...
*
Theo Robinson
;
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
*
Yuta Nakayama
;
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
*
Florent Hadergjonaj
Florent Hadergjonaj (; born 31 July 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Süper Lig club Kasımpaşa. Born in Switzerland, he represents the Kosovo national team. He previously represented Switzerland at youth and s ...
;
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
*
Danel Sinani
Danel Sinani ( sr-Cyrl, Данел Синани; born 5 April 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL Championship club Wigan Athletic, on loan from Norwich City. Born in Belgrade to Gorani parents, he plays for the Lu ...
;
Montserrat
Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...
*
Junior Mendes
Albert Junior Hillyard Andrew Mendes (born 15 September 1976) is an English-born Montserratian former professional footballer and sports scientist who works a fitness coach for Scottish Premiership side St. Mirren.
As a player he was a strik ...
;
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
*
Terence Kongolo
Terence Kongolo (born 14 February 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Ligue 2 club Le Havre, on loan from club Fulham. A product of the Feyenoord youth system, he made his Eredivisie debut for them during the 2011 ...
;
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
*/
Harry Baird
*/
Laurie Cumming
Laurence Stanley Slater Cumming (10 April 1905 – 19 November 1980) was a professional footballer and journalist, born in Derry, Ireland. Cumming played for Alloa Athletic, Huddersfield Town, Oldham Athletic, Southampton, Queen of the South, S ...
*/
Peter Doherty
*/
Charlie Gallogly
Charles Gallogly (16 June 1919 – 12 January 1993) was an Irish professional footballer who played as a fullback for Huddersfield Town, Watford and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic.
In 1950 he was awarded two caps for Northern Ireland
N ...
*/
Bill Hayes
*/
James Macauley
James Lowry Macauley (born 24 November 1889 – 8 October 1945), also known as Jim, was a professional footballer, who played for Rangers, Huddersfield Town and Preston North End. He also played football for Ireland, scoring one goal. He play ...
*/
Johnny McKenna
Johnny McKenna (6 June 1926 – 1980) was a professional footballer who played mainly for Huddersfield Town during the 1940s and 1950s. He also gained 7 caps for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= ...
*
Jimmy Nicholson
*
Oliver Norwood
Oliver James Norwood (born 12 April 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Championship club Sheffield United.
Norwood began his career with Manchester United, and had loan spells at Carlisle United, Scunthorpe United ...
*
Martin Paterson
Martin Andrew Paterson (born 10 May 1987) is a former professional footballer and assistant head coach of club Barnsley.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, he played as a forward he began his career with Stoke City, making his senior debut in April 200 ...
*
Brodie Spencer
Brodie Spencer (born 6 May 2004) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays for Huddersfield Town.
Club career
Spencer signed for Huddersfield Town in 2020 from Cliftonville, joining their B Team.
International career
Brodie Spencer ...
;
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
*
Mick Fairclough
Michael Joseph Fairclough (born 22 October 1952, in Annagassan) was an Irish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Drogheda United, Dundalk and Huddersfield Town.
Mick started his football career with Drogheda Youths an ...
*/
Bill Hayes
*
Kevin Kilbane
Kevin Daniel Kilbane (; born 1 February 1977) is a former professional footballer who played as a left winger or full back. Kilbane won 110 caps for the Republic of Ireland national team, fourth behind only Robbie Keane, Shay Given and John O' ...
*
Mick Meagan
Michael Kevin Meagan (29 May 1934 – 27 November 2022) was an Irish professional footballer. He was the first manager of the Republic of Ireland national team to be given total control over selecting players.
Early days
Meagan grew up in Dub ...
*
Pat Saward
Patrick Saward (17 August 1928 – 20 September 2002) was a professional association football, footballer in the English Football League, English football League and for the Republic of Ireland national football team, Republic of Ireland. He d ...
;
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
*
Paul Dixon
*
Joe Harper
Joseph Montgomery Harper (born 11 January 1948) is a Scottish former footballer, mainly remembered for his two spells with Aberdeen, during which he won the three main domestic trophies once each and became the club's record goalscorer with 20 ...
*
Alex Jackson
*
Denis Law
Denis Law (born 24 February 1940) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. His career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchester City ...
*
Jordan Rhodes
Jordan Luke Rhodes (born 5 February 1990) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Championship club Huddersfield Town and the Scottish national team.
He started his career at Ipswich Town and after loan spells at Oxf ...
*
David Steele
*
Jimmy Watson
;
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
*
Giosue Bellagambi
Giosue Ebong Bellagambi (born 8 November 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for the English club Huddersfield Town, but is on loan at Salford City. Born in England, he plays for the Uganda national team.
Club career
B ...
;
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
*
John Thorrington
*
Danny Williams
;
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
*
Marcus Browning
Marcus Trevor Browning (born 22 April 1971) is a football coach and former player who played as a midfielder. Born in England, he made five appearances for the Wales national team.
Club career
Browning was born in Bristol and began his career ...
*
Dai Evans
David "Dai" Evans (1872 – 29 January 1912) was a Welsh international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Penygraig and international rugby for Wales.
Evans was born in Maenclochog, Pembrokeshire, but came to the Rhondda Valley to ...
*
Emyr Huws
Emyr Wyn Huws (born 30 September 1993) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the Wales national team.
He came through the youth systems of Swansea City and Manchester City before turning professional with the latte ...
*
Steve Jenkins
Stephen Robert Jenkins (born 16 July 1972) is a former Wales international footballer. A full back, he won 16 Welsh caps between 1995 and 2001.
He began his career at Swansea, where he was a part of the team that won the 1994 Football League T ...
*
Joey Jones
*
Dick Krzywicki
Dick Krzywicki (born Ryszard Lech Krzywicki; 2 February 1947 in Penley, Flintshire) is a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. He was born to Polish parents.
During his career he played for West Bromwich Albion, Huddersf ...
*
Wilf Lewis
Wilfred Leslie "Wilf" Lewis (1 July 1903 – 1976) was a former footballer, who played for Swansea Town, Huddersfield Town, Derby County and Yeovil and Petters United. He also played international football for Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) ...
*
Joel Lynch
Joel John Lynch (born 3 October 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Crawley Town. He has also represented the Wales national team. He previously played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Nottingham Forest, Huddersfiel ...
*
Charlie Morris
*
Jazz Richards
Ashley Darel Jazz Richards (born 12 April 1991) is a Welsh footballer who plays as a full-back for Cymru Premier club Haverfordwest County.
A versatile player who is also capable of playing at left-back and as a midfielder, Richards began his ...
*
Iwan Roberts
Iwan Wyn Roberts (born 26 June 1968) is a Welsh former professional footballer, who played as a striker from 1986 to 2005 for a number of clubs and the Welsh national team
)
, Association = Football Association of Wales (FAW)
, C ...
*
Sorba Thomas
Benjamin Sorba William Thomas (born 25 January 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Blackburn Rovers on loan from Huddersfield Town and the Wales national team.
Club career Boreham Wood
A youth product of West Ham Unite ...
English Football Hall of Fame members
Several ex-players/managers associated with Huddersfield Town are represented in the
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum in Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and man ...
, which was created in 2002, as a celebration of those who have made an outstanding contribution to the game. To be considered for induction players/managers must be 30 years of age or older and have played/managed for at least five years in England.
*
Herbert Chapman
*
Peter Doherty
*
Denis Law
Denis Law (born 24 February 1940) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. His career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchester City ...
*
Bill Shankly
William Shankly (2 September 1913 – 29 September 1981) was a Scottish football player and manager, who is best known for his time as manager of Liverpool. Shankly brought success to Liverpool, gaining promotion to the First Division and winnin ...
*
Clem Stephenson
Clement Stephenson (6 February 1890 – 24 October 1961) was an English footballer whose 20-year career at Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town included success in both the FA Cup and League Championship. Stephenson's place in history as an inside ...
*
Ray Wilson
Football League 100 Legends
The
Football League 100 Legends
The Football League 100 Legends is a list of 100 great association football players who played part or all of their professional career in English Football League and Premier League football. The players were selected in 1998 by a panel of journa ...
is a list of "100 legendary football players" produced by the Football League in 1998, to celebrate the 100th season of league football. Three former Huddersfield players made the list.
*
Clem Stephenson
Clement Stephenson (6 February 1890 – 24 October 1961) was an English footballer whose 20-year career at Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town included success in both the FA Cup and League Championship. Stephenson's place in history as an inside ...
*
Peter Doherty
*
Denis Law
Denis Law (born 24 February 1940) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a forward. His career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchester City ...
Player of the Year (Hargreaves Memorial Trophy)
:''As voted for by members of the official Huddersfield Town Supporters Club.''
Club management
Club officials
Source:
First team technical staff
Source:
Managerial history
Honours and achievements
In 1926, Huddersfield Town became the first English team to win the First Division title in three consecutive seasons, a feat not surpassed to this day, although it has been equalled by
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
,
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 popul ...
, and on two occasions by
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
.
Huddersfield Town were the second team, after
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
, to have won all three divisional
play-offs
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 ...
.
The club's honours include the following:
League
*
First Division (first tier)
** Champions:
1923–24,
1924–25,
1925–26
** Runners-up:
1926–27,
1927–28,
1933–34
*
Second Division / Championship (second tier)
** Champions:
1969–70
** 2nd place promotion:
1919–20,
1952–53
**
Play-off winners:
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
*
Third Division / Division Two / League One (third tier)
** 3rd place promotion:
1982–83
**
Play-off winners:
1995
File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
,
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
*
Fourth Division / Division Three (fourth tier)
** Champions:
1979–80
**
Play-off winners:
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
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:
1921–22
** Runners-up:
1919–20,
1927–28,
1929–30,
1937–38
*
FA Charity Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...
** Winners:
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
*
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 Leag ...
** Runners-up:
1993–94
Notes
Sources
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
*
Supporters TrustHTAFC PatronsHuddersfield Town blog
{{Authority control
1908 establishments in England
Association football clubs established in 1908
Sports clubs in Huddersfield
Football clubs in West Yorkshire
Football clubs in England
North Eastern League
Midland Football League (1889)
English Football League clubs
Premier League clubs
FA Cup winners