Middlesbrough Football Club ( ) is a professional

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club based in

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 ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, England. They compete 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 ...

, the second level of the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...

. Nicknamed the Boro, they were formed in 1876 and are the 11th oldest football league club in England and Wales. The club have played at the Riverside Stadium since 1995, having previously played at

Ayresome Park Ayresome Park was a football stadium in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Middlesbrough F.C. from its construction in time for the 1903–04 season, until the Riverside Stadium opened in 1995. It was demolished in 1997 and r ...

for 92 years, from 1903 to 1995. Middlesbrough were one of the founding members 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, and have spent all but two seasons of their entire history as a professional club competing within the top two tiers of English football. Their highest league finish to date was third place in the top flight in the 1913–14 season. The outbreak of 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 ...

stunted their push for a first top division title, though the club pushed again during the inter-war years, finishing fourth in the 1938–39 season before 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 opposin ...

halted the English leagues and again prevented a push for a first title. The club came within minutes of folding in 1986 before they were saved by a

consortium A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...

led by board member and later chairman Steve Gibson. A remarkable

recovery Recovery or Recover may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * Recovery (novel), ''Recovery'' (novel), a Star Wars e-book * Recovery Version, a translation of the Bible with footnotes published by Living Stream Ministry Film and television * R ...

saw the club immediately earn back to back promotions to the top division in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons. The club were runners-up in 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 ...

and League Cup in 1997 while also being relegated following a controversial 3-point deduction, and losing another League Cup

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 ...

the following season. Under Steve McClaren, the club won the League Cup 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 ...

, its first major silverware, and reached the

2006 UEFA Cup final The 2006 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, Netherlands on 10 May 2006 as the culmination of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. The match was contested by Middlesbrough of England and Sevilla of Spain. Both s ...

. The club has played one Premier League season since relegation in 2009. Middlesbrough is the only major professional football club in the greater Teesside area (the 14th biggest

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

in England), the

Tees Valley Tees Valley is a mayoral combined authority and Local enterprise partnership area in northern England, around the River Tees. The area is not a geographical valley. The LEP was established in 2011 and the combined authority was establish ...

, and the county of

(the largest county in England by area). The club has regional rivalries with the two closest major clubs,

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 ...

(the

Tyne–Tees derby The Tyne–Tees derby is a term used by some for a football match between Newcastle United and Middlesbrough. There is a distance of 42 miles between both teams. The fixture had increased importance in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as the onl ...

) and

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

(the

Tees–Wear derby The Tees–Wear derby is a football local derby contested between Middlesbrough F.C. and Sunderland A.F.C. who are separated by 2 rivers and 30 miles, in the North East of England. Broadly, Sunderland fans based in the City of Sunderland and fur ...

). The club's traditional kit is red with white detailing, often in the form of a white chest band. The home shorts and sock colours have interchangeably been shifted between red and white, complementing the red shirt that was adopted in 1899. The various crests throughout the club's history, the most recent of which was adopted in 2007, incorporate a lion rampant.

History

Formation and early years (1876–1914)

Middlesbrough were formed in 1876, and won the

FA Amateur Cup The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status. History Following the legalisation of professionalism within footba ...

in 1895 and again in 1898. The club turned professional in 1889, but reverted to amateur status in 1892. They turned professional permanently in 1899. After three seasons, they won promotion to the First Division, where they would remain for the next . In 1903, the club moved to

, their home for the next . In 1905, the club sanctioned the transfer of Alf Common for £1,000, a record fee. In the same year,

Tim Williamson Reginald Garnet "Tim" Williamson (6 June 1884 – 1 August 1943) was an English football player who made 602 appearances as a goalkeeper for Middlesbrough, scoring two goals, as well as 7 appearances for England. Playing career While he was y ...

became the first Middlesbrough player to play international football. Over these early years in the top flight, their form fluctuated greatly, rising to sixth in 1907–08 before dropping to 17th two seasons later. The club rose to their highest league finish to date, third, in 1913–14. The

soon intervened, and football was suspended.

Ups and downs (1914–1966)

Before league football resumed, Middlesbrough won the Northern Victory League, but the team were unable to maintain their previous form and finished the 1919–20 season in mid-table. They remained in the First Division for the next few seasons, but were relegated in 1923–24 after finishing bottom, 10 points adrift of their nearest rivals. Three seasons later, they won the

Division Two NCL Division Two The NCL or National Conference League Division Two (known as the Kingstone Press NCL Division Two) League winners {, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" , - , colspan=4 style="text-align:center;" , NCL DIVISION TWO , ...

title. During that season, debutant George Camsell, who had signed from

Third Division North The Third Division North of the Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to ...

side Durham City the previous season, finished with a record 59 league goals, which included nine hat-tricks. He would continue as top scorer for each of the next 10 seasons. Middlesbrough's tenure back in the top flight lasted only one season, and the club were relegated. They were promoted at the first attempt in 1928–29, winning another Second Division title. The club remained in the First Division until 1954. George Hardwick (1956)

The decade before the

saw the emergence of

Wilf Mannion Wilfrid James Mannion (16 May 1918 – 14 April 2000) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward, making over 350 senior appearances for Middlesbrough. He also played international football for England. With his blonde ...

and

George Hardwick George Francis Moutry Hardwick (2 February 1920 – 19 April 2004) was an English footballer, manager and coach. During his time as an active player, he was a left-sided defender for Middlesbrough. He was also a member of the England national f ...

, both of whom would go on to become

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 ...

internationals in the years ahead. Middlesbrough climbed to fourth in the last full season before the war, and were expected to challenge for the title the following season, but the war intervened. After the war, the club was unable to recover the form of the previous seasons before the war, hovering around mid-table and exiting in the early rounds of the

. Soon after the war, the team began to falter, and were relegated in 1953–54. This was the start of a 20-year spell outside the top division, but this was the spell too that saw the emergence of one of the club's top goalscorers,

Brian Clough Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Englis ...

, who scored 204 goals in 222 games, before he left for

. On 6 May 1950 they were represented by a Black player for the first time, Jamaican-born

Lindy Delapenha Lloyd Lindbergh "Lindy" Delapenha (5 May 1927 – 26 January 2017) was a Jamaican footballer and sports journalist. He was the first Jamaican to play professional football in England. Between 1948 and 1960, he played league football for Portsmou ...

making his debut in an away game against Fulham on that date. In total he went on to make 270 appearances, scoring 92 goals, before he felt for

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 ...

after the 1957/58 season. Over that period, Middlesbrough maintained reasonable progress in the Second Division, but were never serious contenders for promotion. After a fourth-place finish in 1962–63, the club endured a steady decline and were relegated 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 in their history in 1966.

Resurgence, 'Charlton's Champions', and financial crisis (1966–1994)

New manager

Stan Anderson Stanley Anderson (27 February 1933 – 10 June 2018) was an English football player and manager. The only player ever to have played for and captained all the big 3 NE teams, Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Playing career Anderson se ...

returned the club to the second flight at the first attempt. Middlesbrough would not finish below ninth during the next six seasons in the Second Division, finishing 4th (just outside the top three promotion winning places at the time) on three of those occasions. In 1973, Jack Charlton took over as manager and guided the team back to the top flight. A team led on the pitch by

Willie Maddren William Dixon Maddren (11 January 1951 – 30 August 2000) was an English professional football player and manager. A one-club man, he made all his professional club appearances for Middlesbrough between 1968 and 1979, and went on to manage ...

and

Bobby Murdoch Robert White Murdoch (17 August 1944 – 15 May 2001) was a Scottish professional footballer, who played for Celtic, Middlesbrough and Scotland. Murdoch was one of the Lisbon Lions, the Celtic team who won the European Cup in 1967. He later man ...

, and including a young

Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, and current TV pundit. A midfielder, Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s, player-manager of Ranger ...

, ensured promotion as early as 23 March 1974, and with eight games of the season left, they became runaway champions, finishing with a league record 65 points (based on the 2 points for a win format). After a very promising start to their first campaign back in the first division

Bob Paisley Robert Paisley OBE (23 January 1919 – 14 February 1996) was an English professional football manager and player who played as a wing-half. He spent almost 50 years with Liverpool and is regarded, due to his achievements with the club, ...

, manager of eventual runners up Liverpool, tipped Middlesbrough as favourites to win the league, however they ultimately fell short finishing seventh. Middlesbrough won their first silverware as a professional side in the 1975–76 season, lifting the Anglo-Scottish Cup in its inaugural season after a two-legged final win over

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

. In 1979, John Neal made the clubs first international signing, with Boško Janković arriving from Željezničar Sarajevo. The club experienced severe financial difficulties during the mid-1980s. Middlesbrough were dropping down the table, and finished 19th in the 1984–85 season. In April 1986, the club had to borrow £30,000 from the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) to pay wages. The final game of the season saw Middlesbrough relegated to the Third Division again. That summer, the club called in the

Provisional Liquidator Provisional liquidation is a process which exists as part of the corporate insolvency laws of a number of common law jurisdictions whereby after the lodging of a petition for the winding-up of a company by the court, but before the court hears and ...

, and, shortly afterwards, the club was wound up and the gates to Ayresome Park were padlocked. Without the £350,000 capital required for

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 ...

registration, a new rule, the club risked folding permanently. Steve Gibson, however, a member of the board at the time, brought together a consortium, and with 10 minutes to spare before the deadline they completed their registration with the Football League for the 1986–87 season. Following the registration came both a change of club crest and a change of the official company name to Middlesbrough Football and Athletic Club (1986) Ltd. Over the next two seasons, Middlesbrough gained successive promotions into Division Two and then into Division One, the latter being the first and only time a second-tier side directly relegated a first tier side through the

English Football League play-offs The English Football League play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the four association football teams finishing immediately below the automatic promotion places in the second, third and fourth tiers of the English football league ...

. The next season however, they came straight back down to Division Two, and with it came the then British transfer record move of

Gary Pallister Gary Andrew Pallister (born 30 June 1965) is an English former professional footballer and sports television pundit. As a player, he was a defender from 1984 to 2001 and is most noted for his nine-year spell at Manchester United from 1989 unt ...

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 ...

for £2.3 million. Following promotion again, Middlesbrough became one of the founding members of the

FA 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 ...

when it was launched in the 1992–93 season.

Bryan Robson years (1994–2001)

Player-manager

Bryan Robson Bryan Robson OBE (born 11 January 1957) is an English football manager and former player. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion in 1972, where he amassed over 200 appearances and was club captain before moving to Manchester United in ...

, from Manchester United, took charge in 1994. Following promotion to the Premier League Middlesbrough made high-profile purchases like Brazilian international Juninho. A difficult 1996–97 season, however, was compounded by a deduction of three points imposed just after Christmas as punishment for the club's failure to fulfil a fixture against Blackburn Rovers, which ultimately resulted in relegation. Without the points deduction imposed by the FA Premier League despite the club having taken advice from the Premier League themselves prior to calling off the match, the club would have had enough points to avoid the drop. At the same time, the club reached both the

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

and

finals for the first time, but lost both games. Despite being in the second tier, they were again runners-up in the League Cup final the next year. MIddlesbrough FC League Performance

Despite losing high-profile players

Fabrizio Ravanelli Fabrizio Ravanelli (; born 11 December 1968) is an Italian football manager and former international player. A former striker, Ravanelli started and ended his playing career at hometown club Perugia Calcio, and also played for Middlesbrough, J ...

and Juninho due to relegation, Middlesbrough were promoted back to the Premier League at the first attempt, in 1998. The following season saw them settle well and they had a 12-game unbeaten run midway through 1998–99, including a 3–2 win at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

in January during which they took a 3–0 lead; it was Manchester United's only home defeat during their

treble Treble may refer to: In music: *Treble (sound), tones of high frequency or range, the counterpart of bass *Treble voice, a choirboy or choirgirl singing in the soprano range *Treble (musical group), a three-piece girl group from the Netherlands *T ...

-winning

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

. Middlesbrough continued to stay secure in mid-table the following season, thanks mainly to the goals of

Hamilton Ricard Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

and the signings of prominent players such as

Paul Ince Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of EFL Championship side Reading. A former midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1982 to 2007, star ...

and Christian Ziege. In 2000–01, they had a brief relegation scare that was solved with the arrival of Terry Venables as co-manager, and a 3–0 win away at

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 ...

in April was the team's best result. The trend of buying European-based players continued with the acquisitions of Christian Karembeu and Alen Bokšić. Bryan Robson left the club before the start of 2001–02 season, having served as manager for seven years.

Return to top flight and venture into Europe (2001–2009)

After Venables decided not to take on the role of full time manager, in June 2001 Manchester United assistant coach Steve McClaren was appointed to replace Robson. In his first season, McClaren led Middlesbrough to a respectable 12th place league finish and an FA Cup semi final, narrowly losing 1–0 to Arsenal. A slight improvement in the league saw the club finish 11th the following season. The 2003–04 season saw the club again finish 11th in the league, but much more significantly win a first major trophy by beating

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

2–1 in the League Cup final. The League Cup win also ensured that Middlesbrough would qualify for Europe – 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 Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

– for the first time, where they reached the last 16 of the competition. UEFA Cup qualification was achieved for the second consecutive year after a 1–1 away draw with

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 ...

on the final game of the season. The match concluded with a dramatic last minute late penalty save by goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer which saw Middlesbrough finish above City in 7th place and qualify for Europe again. Middlesbrough enjoyed one of its most successful cup campaigns to date in the 2005-2006 season. Domestically the club reached the League Cup quarter final and the FA Cup semi final, losing out to a late goal in a 1–0 loss to

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancien ...

Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...

. The club also reached the

following two miraculous last minute comebacks from 3–0 down on aggregate in the quarter and semi finals against

FC Basel Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel, FCB, or just Basel, is a Swiss football club based in Basel, in the Canton of Basel-Stadt. Formed in 1893, the club has been Swiss national champions 20 times, Swiss Cup winners 13 times, and ...

and Steaua Bucharest respectively, however ultimately fell short losing 4–0 to Sevilla in the final in

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022, McClaren's teams featured local youth players such as Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson and James Morrison as well as experienced international players such as forward trio

Yakubu Yakubu is an English transliteration of a West African name and is a cognate of Jacob and James. Notable people with the name include: ;Given name * Yakubu (born 1982 as Yakubu Ayegbeni), Nigerian footballer * Yakubu (Gobir ruler), historical ruler ...

, Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and midfielder

Gaizka Mendieta Gaizka Mendieta Zabala (, ; born 27 March 1974) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A versatile player, with good technique, offensive capabilities and tackling skills, who was capable of creating goals both ...

. Middlesbrough fielded the youngest starting 11 (average age 20) in the final Premier League game in the 2005–06 season, against

. Nine players were teenagers – all English – and two more came on as substitutes. Following the European Cup final loss, McClaren left to manage the England national team, and captain

Gareth Southgate Gareth Southgate (born 3 September 1970) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a defender and midfielder. He has been the manager of the England national team since 2016. Southgate won the League Cup w ...

took over as manager. Despite not having the coaching qualifications, he was allowed by the Premier League board to continue after receiving special dispensation. Southgate led the club to a 12th-placed finish and an FA Cup quarter final in his first season as manager. In the subsequent 2007-2008 season, Middlesbrough again made the FA Cup quarter final, but despite being 2nd favourites to win the cup ahead of their quarter final home tie to Championship

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 ...

, Middlesbrough lost the tie and eventually finished 13th in the league, beating Manchester City 8–1 on the final day. In January 2008, the club broke its record transfer fee, paying £13.6 million for Brazilian international striker Afonso Alves. The club was relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2008–09 season in 19th place.

Decline, brief revival and relegation (2009–2017)

Middlesbrough sacked

as manager in October 2009, when Southgate's team were one point from leading the Championship, and replaced him with

Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. He has since managed Cove ...

. At the time of Southgate's dismissal, Boro were fourth in the Championship but their form under Strachan declined and they finished mid-table. On 18 October 2010, Strachan resigned and was later replaced by Tony Mowbray. Following a poor run of form at the start of the 2013–14 campaign, Mowbray left the club with immediate effect on 21 October. Aitor Karanka, a former assistant coach at

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

José Mourinho José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the British ...

, became the new Middlesbrough manager. He became the first non-British manager at the club, and led Boro to a 12th-place finish. In Karanka's first full season in charge, Middlesbrough finished fourth and thus qualified for the

2015 Football League play-offs The Football League play-offs for the 2014–15 season (referred to as the Sky Bet Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) began in May 2015 with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-offs began at the semi-final stage with ...

. After defeating

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 ...

5–1 on aggregate in the semi-final, the club lost 2–0 to Norwich City at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

in the

. The next season, Middlesbrough were promoted back to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship in 2015–16, drawing 1–1 with Brighton & Hove Albion on the final day of the season. Middlesbrough sacked Karanka in March 2017 following a poor run of form, and the team were relegated in 19th place, after just one season back in the top flight. The team won only 5 league games, and scored 27 goals, the lowest in the league.

Return to the Championship (2017–present)

The club appointed former Leeds United manager Garry Monk as manager in the off-season. Expectations at the club were high, having spent close to £50 million in the transfer window on player purchases, in order to mount an immediate promotion challenge back to the Premier League. Monk left in December, with Middlesbrough ninth in the Championship, and Tony Pulis was appointed as his replacement. Pulis led the side to finish 5th in the table, however, they lost in the play-off semi-finals to Aston Villa. In the following season, Pulis looked to secure the play-offs once again, but a poor finish to the season caused them to finish 7th and miss out on the play-offs by one point. When Pulis's contract was not extended, he was replaced by former Middlesbrough defender and first team coach,

Jonathan Woodgate Jonathan Simon Woodgate (born 22 January 1980) is an English football manager and former player who is currently the First Team Coach at EFL Championship club, Middlesbrough. Woodgate began his career at Middlesbrough but moved to Leeds United ...

on 14 June 2019 on a three-year contract. Woodgate was sacked with the club only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference with eight games left of the 2019–20 season, and

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 ...

was appointed as his replacement on the same day. Warnock ensured survival from relegation, securing safety on the final day of the season and a 17th-place finish. On 6 November 2021, Middlesbrough parted company with Warnock, who was replaced by

Chris Wilder Christopher John Wilder (born 23 September 1967) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as a right-back. He was most recently the manager of club Middlesbrough ...

the following day. After 11 months in charge, Wilder was sacked with the club in 22nd position. Former Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick was appointed as his successor and led Boro to a fourth-place finish, but lost in the play-off semi-finals against Coventry City. On 26 May 2023, the club officially became affiliated with the women's team. In the 2023–24 season, Middlesbrough reached the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time since 2004. Despite defeating Chelsea in the first leg, Middlesbrough would lose 6–2 on aggregate.

Colours and crest

Middlesbrough's original home kit upon election to the Football League in 1899 was a white home shirt with red shorts, and they did not adopt their colours of blue and white until later that season. Previous kits included a white shirt with a red and white

polka dot Red polka dots on a yellow background Girl wearing polka dot dress Polish ceramics German ceramics Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of large filled circles of the same size. Polka dots are commonly seen on children's clothing, ...

ted collar from around 1889. The Middlesbrough kit has remained broadly the same since 1899; a red shirt with white detailing, with shorts and socks of either red or white. The distinctive broad white stripe across the chest was introduced by Jack Charlton in 1973 (following an attempt to change the home shirt to a Leeds United-style white shirt), and brought back for a one-off in 1997–98, and, then again, for the 2000–01 and 2004–05 seasons due to popular demand. The club subsequently announced in December 2007 that the club would allow fans to decide via an online and text vote whether the white band should return for the following season. On 8 January 2008, the club announced that, with 77.4% of voters voting in its favour, the white band would return to the home kit, and that fans would choose the final shirt appearance from a selection of three designs, of which the winner was announced on 7 May 2008. The Middlesbrough crest has gone through four changes since the formation of the club. Initially, the badge was simply the town of Middlesbrough's crest with a red lion instead of a blue lion in order to fit in with the club's colours. Following the adoption of the white band on the shirts in 1973, only the red lion remained with the letters "M.F.C" underneath in red. This was further adapted following the reformation of the club in 1986 to a circular crest with the lion in the middle and the words "Middlesbrough Football Club 1986" around the circle in order to reflect this new era. In 2007, Middlesbrough changed their crest again, this time with the lion inside a shield and the words "Middlesbrough Football Club 1876" underneath. The club's chairman Steve Gibson stated that the intention was to reflect the club's long history and not just their post-liquidation status.

Kit information

Middlesbrough's first sponsor in 1980 was Datsun Cleveland on a two-year deal. Further two-year deals continued until Dickens was the sponsor for the 1994–95 season only. From 1995 to 2002, the club was sponsored by mobile phone service

Cellnet O₂ UK (legally incorporated as Telefonica UK Limited, stylized as O₂) is a British telecommunications services provider, headquartered in Slough, England. It operates under the O2 brand. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint ventu ...

, followed by two years with mobile retailer

Dial-a-Phone Dialaphone (Dial-A-Phone, Dial A Phone) was an independent mobile phone retailer in the United Kingdom. It was established in February 1995 as a direct marketer and supplier of mobile phones and mobile phone accessories. The e-commerce website ...

. Online casino 888.com (2004–07) and satellite navigation company Garmin (2007–10) followed. In 2010–11, the club had several temporary sponsors including pawnbrokers Ramsdens, who then became permanent sponsors and signed a five-year deal in 2013. At its end,

32Red 32Red is a British online casino company licensed in Gibraltar. Overview Users of the website are able to play over 500 casino games including blackjack and roulette, along with sports betting and poker. The games at 32Red are provided by lea ...

became the sponsors. Early in Ramsdens' sponsorship in March 2011, the company ceded its advertising space to Marie Curie Cancer Care for two games. Italian manufacturers

Erreà Erreà () is an Italian sports equipment company supplier. Erreà was the first Italian sportswear company to be accredited with the Oeko-tex standard certification, which assures that garments textiles are free from harmful chemicals. Backgrou ...

made Middlesbrough's kits from 1994 to 2009, when the role was taken up by

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

, who had previously made the kits from 1979 to 1983. Danish company Hummel, which had made the kits from 1984 to 1987 during the club's winding up and rebirth, secured the contract again in 2018. Erreà returned in 2022.

Stadiums

After formation in 1876, and with the club still amateurs, Middlesbrough's first two years of football were played at Albert Park in Middlesbrough. After seeing the damage being caused by players and supporters, the Park Committee ordered the club to find an alternate venue. The club moved to Breckon Hill, behind the former

Middlesbrough College Middlesbrough College, located on one campus at Middlehaven, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, is the largest college on Teesside. Admissions It provides predominantly further education, but also selected higher education provision, a ...

longlands site, after agreeing to rent the land from its owner. However, two years later in 1880, the owner increased the rent and the club decided to move. They moved into the

Linthorpe Road Linthorpe Road was a cricket and football ground in Middlesbrough in England. It was the home ground of Middlesbrough Cricket Club and Middlesbrough F.C. History Linthorpe Road opened as a cricket ground in 1875, and football began to be pl ...

ground in 1882, home at the time of

Middlesbrough Cricket Club Middlesbrough Cricket Club plays at Acklam Park in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. The club currently plays in the North Yorkshire and South Durham Cricket League (NYSD). It currently has multiple teams: 1st XI, 2nd XI, 3 XI, under 19, ...

. The cricket club departed in 1893–94 to move to the Breckon Hill field, and Middlesbrough Football Club became sole users of the ground. With the club's growing size, and entry 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 ...

, they had to move to a new ground in 1903,

. It was designed by Archibald Leitch and would be the club's home for the next 92 years, having also been chosen as one of the stadia for the

1966 FIFA World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 July to 30 July 1966. The England national football team defeated West Germany 4-2 in the ...

. Following the Taylor Report in 1990, the ground either needed modernising or the club needed a new stadium. The club decided on the latter, and moved out at the end of the 1994–95 season. Ayresome Park was used as a training ground during 1995–96, before it was demolished in 1997 and a housing estate built in its place. Since the 1990s, the club trains at a £7 million complex at

Rockliffe Park Rockliffe Park near Hurworth, County Durham, is Middlesbrough Football Club's training facility and sports complex. History of Rockliffe Park Early years (1863-1996) In 1863, Arthur Backhouse (a member of the Quaker banking family of Darlington ...

, in Hurworth, on the outskirts of

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. The Riverside Stadium, named by the supporters of the club after a vote, became the club's home in 1995. It was the first stadium to be built in line with the Taylor Report's recommendations on all-seater stadiums for clubs in the top two divisions of the

. It was originally a 30,000-seater stadium, constructed at a cost of £16 million, before it was expanded in 1998 to a capacity of 35,100 for an extra £5 million. Since then, several reorganisations of the Riverside Stadium have taken place. At the start of the 2013–14 season, away fans were moved from behind the goal in the South stand to the South East corner, while home fans were situated behind both goals to help create a better atmosphere inside the stadium. A giant TV screen was also installed at the back of the South-East corner, replacing the older style scoreboards attached to the North and South stand roofs. For the start of the 2016–17 season (and a return to the Premier League), the club had to improve the stadium's broadcasting facilities and floodlighting in order to meet Premier League requirements. The club also took this opportunity to move the main camera gantry to the back of the East stand, so that it faced the main West stand. As of the 2017–18 season, the stadium capacity is 34,742.

Supporters

Middlesbrough's average historic attendance is the 16th highest of all the clubs in England and Wales. Traditionally, supporters come from Middlesbrough itself and towns in the immediate area. As of May 2001, Middlesbrough had one of the highest proportions in Britain of locally-born season ticket holders at 80%, and one of the highest proportions of female fans at 20%. A survey at the start of the 2007–08 season found Middlesbrough supporters were the seventh-loudest set of fans in the Premier League. Middlesbrough Official Supporters Club, which features its own team in the local football league, has links with supporters' clubs across the globe. The largest supporters' clubs include the Official Supporters' Club, the Middlesbrough Disabled Supporters' Association, Yarm Reds, Red Faction and Middlesbrough Supporters South. For Middlesbrough supporters, their main rivals are

(with whom they contest the

), followed by

(with whom they contest the

), and also, according to a planetfootball.com's 2004 survey, Leeds United. The nickname ''

Smoggie Smoggie or Smoggy is a nickname given to people from Teesside, Northern England, as well as the local accent and dialect. It originated with visiting football supporters and is a contraction of 'smog monster'. History Originally, this was a te ...

s'' was first used as a derogatory term by opposing supporters; it relates to the industrial air pollution – smog – that used to hang over the town, but it was later used by Middlesbrough fans in a somewhat self-deprecating manner, before finally being adopted as a badge of pride by supporters of the club. An example of this can be seen on the banners carried to away games stating "Smoggies on Tour". Middlesbrough fans received praise from

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

Chief Executive

Lars-Christer Olsson Lars-Christer Olsson (born 1950) from Sweden was UEFA chief executive from 7 November 2003 until he resigned on 1 February 2007. He was succeeded by Gianni Infantino from Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but ...

after their behaviour during the

2005–06 UEFA Cup The 2005–06 UEFA Cup, the 35th edition of the UEFA Cup, was won by Sevilla, beating Middlesbrough in the final. It was the first victory for Sevilla in a European competition, and the first appearance by Middlesbrough in a European final. The ...

campaign. He commented that: Middlesbrough fans also received praise from Cleveland Police for their behaviour in previous rounds, particularly in the light of aggravation prior to and during the match at

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

Media relations

Middlesbrough was the first football club in the world to launch its own TV channel – Boro TV. The first broadcasts were tied to the club's first ever major cup final appearance in 1997, a full year ahead of Manchester United's MUTV, which still claims to be the first in the world. The channel was the brainchild of then NTL marketing director, Peter Wilcock. The programme became synonymous with former Middlesbrough player Bernie Slaven and radio commentator Alastair Brownlee, who proved to be as popular on TV as they were on radio. Its programmes were not live initially but were pre-recorded and hosted by local radio/TV broadcaster & Boro fan, Dave Roberts. In August 2001, Boro TV claimed another first when it became the first English football club to broadcast time-delayed full-match footage of their league games on its own channel. Boro TV ran through NTL cable television until July 2005. The club then began to show match highlights through a subscription-based scheme on its official website. Middlesbrough's official matchday programme, ''Redsquare'', was ''Programme Monthly's'' 2006–07 Programme of the Year. There are numerous other

fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by fan (person), enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) ...

s available, most notably ''Fly Me to the Moon'', formed in September 1988 following Bruce Rioch's quote to Tony Mowbray, stating "If I had to go to the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

I'd want him by my side".

Community

Middlesbrough Football Club in the Community (MFCIC) was founded in 1996 by club chairman Steve Gibson and is one of the largest community-based football schemes in the United Kingdom. It is run separately from the football club, but receives support from both the club in terms of providing players, staff, stadium facilities and PR for articles in the matchday programme and other publications, as well as support from other local organisations. In 2012, MFCIC was relaunched as MFC Foundation. The Foundation aims to use the club's profile to deliver sport, health, education and inclusion projects in vulnerable and disadvantaged communities across Teesside. Since 1996, the Foundation has delivered 20,000 qualifications, engaged over 500,000 people and invested £25 million in local communities to tackle inequality and disadvantage. Since 2002, the club and MFCIC have also run the Middlesbrough Enterprise Academy, a scheme which helps local children improve their entrepreneurial skills and increase their awareness of business planning and finance. In March 2008, plans were announced by the Premier League to roll out the scheme nationally amongst all Premier League clubs. It was announced in December 2007 that Middlesbrough football club had carried out more community work during 2006–07 than any other

club, rising from second place the previous year, with the club making 318 appearances – almost twice the Premier League average of 162. They were in the top two for community appearances again in 2007–08, with 374 – a 17% increase on the previous season. Middlesbrough's mascot is Roary the Lion. The club runs Roary's Children's Charity Fund, which purchases items for local children's charities. In 2009, steel producer

Corus Group Corus may refer to: Places *Çörüş, Gazipaşa, a village in Antalya Province, Turkey Facilities and structures * Corus Quay, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; an office tower Fictional locations * Corus, a fictional world that is the setting for the ...

announced the possibility that it would mothball its Teesside plant, with up to 4,000 employees and contractors facing redundancy, after a consortium of steel magnates walked away from a 10-year deal. Middlesbrough Football Club helped with the "Save Our Steel" campaign by hosting dozens of steel workers and their families as they marched around the ground, promoted the campaign via the stadium's PA system, scoreboards and in matchday programmes, while players wore T-shirts during warm-ups promoting the campaign. Chairman Steve Gibson said:

European Football

Non-playing staff

Corporate hierarchy

Coaching staff

Academy coaching staff

Managerial history

The following are all the full-time Middlesbrough managers since the club turned professional in 1899.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Reserves and Academy

Notable players

Middlesbrough Legends

These 10 players were voted for by fans as part of a campaign with the '' Evening Gazette''. * George Camsell *

John Hickton John Hickton (born 24 September 1944) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League as a striker for Sheffield Wednesday, Middlesbrough and Hull City, and in the North American Soccer League for Fort Lauderdal ...

* Tony Mowbray * Bernie Slaven * Juninho *

Top appearances

These players made more than 430 appearances during their time at the club. The number in brackets indicates the number of appearances in all competitions. *

''(602)'' * Gordon Jones ''(532)'' *

''(499)'' * John Craggs ''(487)'' *

Jim Platt James Archibald Platt (born 26 January 1952) is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for Northern Ireland. Playing career During his career, Platt won 23 caps for Northern Ireland, an amount largely restricted due to the presence of ...

''(481)'' * George Camsell ''(453)'' * Jacky Carr ''(449)'' * Mark Schwarzer ''(446)'' * David Armstrong ''(431)''

Top goalscorers

These players scored more than 140 goals during their time with the club. The number in brackets indicates the number of goals scored in all competitions. * George Camsell ''(345)'' * George Elliott ''(213)'' *

''(204)'' *

''(193)'' *

Micky Fenton Michael Fenton (30 October 1913 – 5 February 2003) was an England international footballer for Middlesbrough either side of World War II. A forward, he scored 162 goals in 269 appearances in all competitions. Early and personal life Michael ...

''(162)'' * Bernie Slaven ''(146)'' *

Alan Peacock Alan Peacock (born 29 October 1937 in Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire) is an English former footballer. He spent the majority of his career at Middlesbrough, also playing for Leeds United and Plymouth Argyle. He joined Middlesbrough i ...

''(141)''

Player of the Year award winners

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 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 ...

players produced by

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 1998, to celebrate the 100th season of League football.

* Alf Common * George Camsell * Steve Bloomer *

* Nobby Stiles *

Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is described by the National Football Museum as "widely recognised as the most naturally talente ...

English Football Hall of Fame

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 ...

is housed at

The National Football Museum The National Football Museum is England's national museum of football. It is based in the Urbis building in Manchester city centre, and preserves, conserves and displays important collections of football memorabilia. The museum was originally ...

in Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of top English footballers and footballers who have played in England. These players appeared for or managed Middlesbrough at some point in their careers. *

''(2002 inductee)'' *

''(2002 inductee)'' * Viv Anderson ''(2004 inductee)'' *

''(2004 inductee)'' * Jack Charlton ''(2005 inductee)'' *

''(2007 inductee)'' * Nobby Stiles ''(2007 inductee)'' * Terry Venables ''(2007 inductee)'' * Steve Bloomer ''(2008 inductee)'' *

Malcolm Allison Malcolm Alexander Allison (5 September 1927 – 14 October 2010) was an English football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Mal", he was one of English football's most flamboyant and intriguing characters because of his panache, fedora and ...

''(2009 inductee)'' *

Raich Carter Horatio Stratton "Raich" Carter (21 December 1913 – 9 October 1994) was an English sportsman who played football for Sunderland, Derby County and Hull City, as well as representing England on thirteen occasions. He also played first-class cri ...

''(2013 inductee)'' *

''(2021 inductee)''

Scottish Football Hall of Fame

The following former Middlesbrough players and managers have been inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. *

''(2004 inductee)'' *

''(2007 inductee)''

Honours

Source: League *

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 ...

/ First Division / Championship (level 2) **Champions: 1926–27, 1928–29, 1973–74, 1994–95 **Runners-up: 1991–92, 1997–98, 2015–16 **Play-off winners:

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

(level 3) **Runners-up: 1966–67, 1986–87 *

Northern League Northern League may refer to: Sport Baseball * Northern League (baseball, 1902–71), a name used by several minor leagues that operated in the upper midwestern U.S. and Manitoba from 1902 to 1971 * Northern League (baseball, 1993–2010), an indep ...

**Champions: 1893–94, 1894–95, 1896–97 Cup *

**Runners-up: 1996–97 * League Cup **Winners: 2003–04 **Runners-up: 1996–97, 1997–98 *

Full Members' Cup The Full Members' Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992. Th ...

**Runners-up: 1989–90 *

**Winners: 1894–95, 1897–98 *

**Runners-up: 2005–06 * Anglo-Scottish Cup **Winners: 1975–76 *

North Riding Senior Cup The North Riding Senior Cup is the county cup in the North Riding of Yorkshire. It is administered by the North Riding County FA. According to the current rules of the competition, it is open to all clubs whose first affiliation is with the NRCF ...

**Winners on 55 occasions since 1882 *

Kirin Cup The is an association football tournament organised in Japan by the Kirin Brewery Company. The host, Japan, is a participant in every edition. The tournament was founded in 1978 then known as Japan Cup (International competition which national ...

**Winners:

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

Middlesbrough Women

Middlesbrough Women is the women's football club affiliated to Middlesbrough. Founded as Cleveland Spartans in 1976, they became officially affiliated with the men's team in 2023, and currently play in the

FA Women's National League Division One North FA, Fa or fa may refer to: People * Fa of Xia, King of China 1747–1728 BC * Fa Ngum (1316–1393), founder and ruler of the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang Places * Fa, Aude, a commune of the Aude ' in France * Falmouth Academy, a private colle ...

, the fourth level of English women's football.

References and notes

External links

Official websites
MFC.co.uk
– official club website
Middlesbrough
at

's official website News sites *
Middlesbrough news
from

Sky Sports Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...

{{Authority control Football clubs in England Sport in Middlesbrough Premier League clubs Association football clubs established in 1876 Football clubs in North Yorkshire EFL Cup winners English Football League clubs 1876 establishments in England Northern Football League Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom