The 1992–93 FA Premier League was the inaugural season of the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, the top division of
English football. The season began on 15 August 1992 and ended on 11 May 1993. The league was made up of the 22 clubs that broke away from the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
at the end of the
1991–92 season. The new league was backed up by a five-year, £304 million deal with
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...
to televise Premier League matches. In concept, the Premier League was identical to the old First Division of the Football League, which was now reduced to three divisions.
Overview
Background
In May 1992, the breakaway league signed a broadcasting rights contract with
Sky
The sky is an unobstructed view upward from the planetary surface, surface of the Earth. It includes the atmosphere of Earth, atmosphere and outer space. It may also be considered a place between the ground and outer space, thus distinct from ...
and the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
valued at £304 million, the largest such agreement in the history of British sport. The league's executive committee was unable, however, to secure title sponsorship for the new competition after eight clubs blocked a proposed £13 million deal with brewers
Bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Wood
* Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
. Nonetheless, clubs began to utilise their dramatically increased wealth to fund a series of high-profile
transfers.
Although the idea of a super league had been mentioned by football's governing bodies and evaluated by the media since the mid-1980s, plans for a new Premier League of 22 clubs were first unveiled by the
Football Association
A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...
in October 1990, and included in the Football Association's ''Blueprint for the Future of Football'', published in June 1991. The majority of
First Division clubs, particularly long-established top clubs including
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 ...
and
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, were in favour of a breakaway from the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...
, although Football League president Bill Fox criticised the planned Premier League as an attempt by the Football Association to "hijack" the First Division.
Shortly before the season began, newly promoted
Blackburn Rovers signed
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
's 21-year-old
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
international striker
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
for a new British record fee variously reported as £3.3 million, £3.4 million, or £3.6 million. Several other players moved for fees of £2 million or more, including
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 ...
's
David Rocastle, who joined
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
,
Dean Saunders, who moved from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
to
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
, and
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team tha ...
, who left
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
for
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
.
The structure of the new league was identical to that of the previous season's
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
, comprising 22 teams, with each playing the other 21 twice for a total of 42 matches.
Ipswich Town and
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
had been promoted from the old
Second Division as champions and runners-up respectively, and
Blackburn Rovers took the third promotion place after winning the 1991–92 Second Division
play-off
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...
.
Season summary
The first Premier League title went to
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, the club's first title in 26 years. Their title was achieved with a 10-point lead over runners-up
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
, after overcoming a slow start to the season which had seen them slip to mid table, with the signing of
French striker
Eric Cantona in late November proving to be the catalyst for their improved form which saw them lose just two league games after his arrival.
Norwich City
Norwich City Football Club is a professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was founded in 1902. Since 1935, Norwich have played their h ...
led the table for most of the first half of the season, but their challenge faded in the final weeks of the campaign, and were out of contention with three games remaining, after they lost 3–1 to Ipswich Town. Norwich did however finish in third place, achieving European qualification in
Mike Walker's debut season as manager; with a goal difference of −4, this is the highest Premier League finish by a team with a negative goal difference. Blackburn, in the top division for the first time in almost 30 years, finished in fourth place. They briefly led the league early in the season, but suffered a shortage of goals after
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
, who had scored 16 times before the turn of the year, suffered a torn cruciate ligament and missed the second half of the season. The title race was largely between the clubs who finished in the top four after early challenges from the likes of
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 ...
,
Coventry City, and
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
were not sustained.
Nottingham Forest's league form had suffered through the sale of key players including
Des Walker and
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team tha ...
, and they were bottom of the Premier League for the majority of the season. Their relegation was confirmed in early May when they lost to
Sheffield United, and manager
Brian Clough announced his retirement after 18 years as manager, which had yielded one league title, two
European Cups and four
League Cups. Next to go were newly promoted
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
, who fell from mid-table at Christmas to go down in second from bottom place. Last to go down were
Crystal Palace, who failed to win their final game of the season which would have instead consigned
Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional association football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2025–26 EFL League Two, 2025–26 season, the team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the Eng ...
to the final relegation place - Oldham's survival was secured with a thrilling 4–3 win over
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
.
Title holders
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
finished 17th, which was the lowest finish from a defending league champion since
Ipswich Town finished 17th in
1962–63 after having won the title in
1961–62, and the lowest any top tier champions have so far finished in the Premier League. Leeds failed to win an away game in the league. The lowest a defending champion has finished since then has been 12th (
Leicester City in
2016–17, having won the title in
2015–16).
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, who had been the English league’s dominant force of the previous two decades with an honours list including 11 league titles between 1973 and 1990, finished a disappointing sixth, and had been in the bottom half of the table as late as March.
In total 1,222 goals were scored, which until the
2023-24 Premier League, stood as a Premier League record, mainly due to significantly larger number of games from
1995–96 season onward. The top scorer in the new Premier League was
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team tha ...
, who found the net for
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
in their opening game of the season before being sold to
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
, scoring a further 21 goals for the
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...
side in the league.
PFA Player of the Year was
Paul McGrath of
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
.
FWA Player of the Year was
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland Waddle (born 14 December 1960) is an English former professional football player and manager. He had a spell as Burnley manager during the 1997–98 season, but has not returned to coaching since. Largely since retiring he h ...
, who helped
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
achieve runners-up spot in both of the cups after ending his three-year spell in
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
PFA Young Player of the Year was
Ryan Giggs, who won the award for the second year running, and also picked up a league title medal with Manchester United.
On 26 January, Wimbledon hosted Everton at
Selhurst Park
Selhurst Park is a football stadium in Selhurst, in the London Borough of Croydon, England, which is the home ground of Premier League club Crystal Palace. The stadium was designed by Archibald Leitch and opened in 1924. It has hosted interna ...
in front of a crowd of just over 3,000. More than 30 years on, this remains the lowest attendance recorded at a Premier League match. Despite their frequently low attendances, Wimbledon managed to climb clear of the relegation battle during the second half of the season to finish 12th.
Teams
Twenty-two teams competed in the league – the top nineteen teams from the
First Division and the three teams promoted from the
Second Division. The promoted teams were
Ipswich Town,
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
and
Blackburn Rovers, returning to the top flight after an absence of six, three and twenty-six years respectively. They replaced
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club from Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The club currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Nicknamed "The Hatters", L ...
,
Notts County
Notts County Football Club is a professional association football, football club in Nottingham, England, which competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of Football in England, English football, following promotion and relegation, promotion ...
and
West Ham United
West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...
, who were relegated to the
First Division, ending Luton Town's ten-year spell in the top flight, whilst both Notts County and West Ham United were relegated after only one year in the top flight.
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and kits
(as of 9 May 1993)
Managerial changes
League table
Results
Season statistics
Top scorers

The top goalscorer in the Premier League's inaugural season was
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham (born 2 April 1966) is an English football manager and former player. He played as a forward, mostly as a second striker, in a 24-year professional career. Sheringham was part of the Manchester United team tha ...
, who scored one goal for Nottingham Forest before his early-season transfer followed by 21 for Tottenham Hotspur for a total of 22.
Alan Shearer had scored 16 goals by Christmas before suffering a season-ending injury.
Hat-tricks

:Note: (H) – Home; (A) – Away
Historic goals
First ever Premier League goal was scored by
Sheffield United's
Brian Deane against
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
on 15 August 1992. Goal number 100 was scored by
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
's
Eric Cantona against
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...
on 25 August 1992. Later in the season, a 1000th goal milestone was reached, when
Mike Newell scored away at
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
for
Blackburn Rovers on 7 April 1993.
Top assists
Clean sheets
Discipline
Player
* Most yellow cards: 8
**
Iain Dowie (Southampton)
**
Terry Hurlock (Southampton)
**
Vinnie Jones
Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is an English actor, presenter, and former professional footballer.
Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, C ...
(Wimbledon)
**
Jamie Pollock (Middlesbrough)
**
Neil Ruddock
Neil "Razor" Ruddock (born 9 May 1968) is an English former professional footballer and television personality who is a club director at Enfield.
As a player he was a central defender from 1986 to 2003, and was voted the 17th "hardest footbal ...
(Tottenham Hotspur)
**
Lawrie Sanchez (Wimbledon)
**
Dennis Wise (Chelsea)
* Most red cards: 2
**
Brian McAllister (Wimbledon)
**
Neville Southall
Neville Southall (born 16 September 1958) is a Welsh Manager (association football), football manager and former international association football, footballer. He has been described as one of the best Goalkeeper (association football), goalk ...
(Everton)
Club
* Most yellow cards: 58
**Sheffield United
* Fewest yellow cards: 23
**Aston Villa
**Norwich City
* Most red cards: 5
**Wimbledon
* Fewest red cards: 0
**Aston Villa
**Leeds United
**Manchester United
**Norwich City
**Oldham Athletic
**Queens Park Rangers
Annual awards

The
Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) presented its annual
Players' Player of the Year award to
Paul McGrath, a veteran
central defender
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
who contributed to Aston Villa's second-place finish in the Premier League. Manchester United's
Paul Ince
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince (; born 21 October 1967) is an English professional football manager and former player who was most recently manager of Reading. A midfielder, Ince played professionally from 1986 to 2007, starting his career with West ...
came second and Blackburn's
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer (born 13 August 1970) is an English Association football, football pundit and former professional player who played as a striker (association football), striker. Widely regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of t ...
third.
The
Young Player of the Year award was given to
Ryan Giggs, the 19-year-old Manchester United left winger who had also won the award in the previous season. Giggs, who finished ahead of Tottenham's
Nick Barmby and Nottingham Forest's
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...
, became the first player to win the award more than once.
The
Football Writers' Association (the FWA) chose
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland Waddle (born 14 December 1960) is an English former professional football player and manager. He had a spell as Burnley manager during the 1997–98 season, but has not returned to coaching since. Largely since retiring he h ...
as its
Footballer of the Year.
Waddle, who made his return to English football with Sheffield Wednesday after three years in France with
Olympique Marseille
Olympique de Marseille (, ; , ), also known simply as Marseille, or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional football club based in Marseille which competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football. Founded in 1899, OM has ...
, became the first Wednesday player to win the award in its 45-year history. McGrath and Giggs finished in second and joint third place respectively in the writers' poll.
The PFA also selected eleven players to form its
Team of the Year. The team included four Manchester United players (Giggs, Ince,
Peter Schmeichel and
Gary Pallister) and two from Leeds United (
Tony Dorigo and
Gary Speed). The other members of the team were McGrath, Keane, Shearer,
David Bardsley (Queens Park Rangers) and
Ian Wright (Arsenal).
The Manager of the Year award, chosen by a panel representing football's governing body, the media, and fans, was given to Manchester United manager
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...
.
The newly formed
League Managers Association
The League Managers Association (LMA) is the trade union for Premier League, EFL and national team managers in English association football. The LMA awards the LMA Manager of the Year award annually.
History
The union was founded in 1919 as ...
also presented its own
Manager of the Year award for the first time, specifically designed to recognise "the manager who made best use of the resources available to him". This award went to
Dave Bassett of Sheffield United.
Attendances
Liverpool FC
Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has ...
drew the highest average home attendance in the first edition of the Premier League.
See also
*
1992–93 in English football
The 1992–93 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England. The season saw the Premier League in its first season, replacing Division One of the Football League as the top league in England. Every team in the Premier League p ...
References
External links
League and cup results for all the 1992/93 Premier Division clubsat footballsite
at Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:1992-93 FA Premier League
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png, From top left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth after it was launched in 1990; American jets fly over burning oil fields in the 1991 Gulf War; the Oslo Accords on 13 September 1993; the World ...
Eng