Welcome to the Soccer Tavern, where we’re discussing the history, culture, and philosophy of the beautiful game. My name is Dave and we’re talking about Huddersfield Town A.F.C.’s history in this video. Pull up a seat and let’s start the discussion.
Huddersfield Town A.F.C., which stands for Association Football Club, is located in the northeastern part of the town of Huddersfield. Huddersfield is located in West Yorkshire in the northern part of England in the United Kingdom. The club currently play in the Premier League (the video was recorded in February 2018 when the club was still in the Premier League) and its home ground is called John Smith’s Stadium, which opened in 1994 and holds 24,500 people.
Origin
Huddersfield Town’s history begins in 1906 at a meeting in the Imperial Hotel in Huddersfield. There members of the Huddersfield & District Football Association and other interested parties discussed starting a professional soccer club in the town. Over the course of the next 2 years, local soccer enthusiasts acquired land for a ground in Leeds Road, and finally after a meeting in the Albert Hotel in June 1908, the local woollen manufacturer and main benefactor for the club, Mr. J Hilton Crowther, invested capital in the club, allowing them to form as Huddersfield Town AFC.
Nicknames
The club has a bunch of nicknames I’d like to highlight here.
Addressing the old nicknames first:
- The club’s first ever kit color was red and earned them the nickname of Scarlet Runners.
- The club’s original and current home ground is directly next to the river Colne, and the club was nicknamed the Colnesiders.
- And the club entered the Football League in 1910, which was later than a lot of clubs and earned them the nickname of the Babes for a bit because they were new.
Now their more current nicknames are The Town and The Terriers
- The Town is self-explanatory as it comes from the club’s official name.
- The Terriers nickname was first introduced by the promotions manager named Bill Brooke for the 1969-1970 season. It came from the club’s terrier-like qualities of fitness and tenacity at that time. Also of note for the Terrier nickname, the very first Yorkshire Terrier to be registered with the Kennel Club in 1880 was named Huddersfield Ben. See how it all ties together?
Crest
The club’s current crest has been used since 2002, but can trace its roots throughout the club’s history.
The club’s first crest was inspired by the coat of arms for the Ramsden family who previously owned the land that Huddersfield is located on today.
Today’s crest is a redesign of that Ramsden family crest and incorporates other elements from the club’s history. The 3 stars at the top of the crest represent Huddersfield’s 3 consecutive first division titles from 1924-1926. At the top of the shield is a Yorkshire terrier – a reference to the club’s nickname adopted in 1969 – with the dogs paw on a soccer ball. The knight’s helmet that the dog is standing on and the decorative blue and white leaves on the side of the crest both come from the Ramsden’s family coat of arms.
Right underneath the knight’s helmet are blue and white vertical stripes, which are the club’s colors that they’ve been playing in for about a century. Directly under that is a black Chevron representing the river Colne (Kone) – the local river – with 2 white roses in the middle of the Chevron. The white roses of Yorkshire represent Yorkshire pride. And the tower in the crest is the Victoria Tower or Jubilee Tower. It’s one of the most recognizable local landmarks. And obviously the text of Huddersfield Town in the scroll is a reference to the club’s name.
Additionally, sometimes the club will have the Latin phrase of ‘Juvat impigros Deo’, meaning ‘God aids the diligent’ which comes from the Ramsden’s family motto.
Important Events
I’d like to discuss 2 important events in the club’s history in this section.
On April 12, 1926 Huddersfield Town became the first English club ever to record 3 consecutive first division titles. They beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0 on this day to secure the title with 2 matches remaining. The club set many records that season including most away goals scored (42) and most undefeated consecutive away games (18). While 3 other clubs have equaled Huddersfield’s record of 3 consecutive first division titles, no club has been able to beat this record.
The other event I’d like to discuss is a recent one. On Monday May 29, 2017, Huddersfield beat Reading FC in dramatic fashion of the Championship (2nd division) playoff final. The match ended 0-0 with Reading taking a 3-1 lead in penalties before Huddersfield made a dramatic comeback and prevailed 4-3. The result saw the club qualify for the Premier League for the first time in their history. Their last top flight action took place in 1972, a full 20 years before the Premier League was created.
Supporters
There is no official nickname for supporters but most people generally go by Town supporters. The most famous fan is Sir Patrick Stewart who most people know as professor X from X-Men films or Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek.
Noteworthy Players
Denis Law is likely Huddersfield’s most talented player ever. He made his debut as a 16 year-old and starred for a few years before he was sold for a then record British fee to Manchester City. He went on to have a world-class career and is in both the English and Scottish Football Hall of Fames.
Other players of note are Andy Booth, Frank Worthington and Ray Wilson who all had great careers with the club and deserve mention but none can really match the talent or career of Denis Law.
Noteworthy Managers
I’d like to discuss 2 managers in this section: Herbert Chapman and Bill Shankly.
Herbert Chapman joined Huddersfield in 1920 and took over as manager in the spring of 1921. He went on to win 2 first division titles and an FA cup before departing for Arsenal in 1925. At Arsenal he revolutionized the manager position and was an absolute visionary in a lot of what he did. Though most people remember him for his time at Arsenal, he led Huddersfield during the greatest period in the club’s history.
The other manager, Bill Shankly, was appointed Huddersfield manager in November 1956 with the club having been relegated the season before. Shankly led the team to 3 consecutive mid-tables finishes in the 2nd division before Liverpool tempted him away from Huddersfield in December 1959. He has a place in Huddersfield history as the man who unearthed and developed the prodigious talent of 16 year-old Denis Law. Shankly went on to become a legendary manager with Liverpool.
Both managers went on to become more famous with other clubs but certainly made their mark in Huddersfield history.
Rivals
The Terriers have no rivals currently in the Premier League with the club’s main rivals being Leeds United and Bradford City.
Matches between these 3 clubs are called West Yorkshire Derbies due to all 3 clubs playing in… surprise… West Yorkshire.
The rivalry with Leeds has only heated up in recent years. Huddersfield enjoyed their greatest successes in the 1920s while Leeds’ greatest times came in the 1960s and ’70s. Only recently have the two clubs been in the same lower divisions consistently. There’s a natural rivalry due to the proximity of the two clubs and fanbases.
The rivalry with Bradford City is a bit more robust. Both Huddersfield and Bradford have been in the lower divisions of the English league for decades with the exception of Huddersfield’s recent promotion to the Premier League. One of the most notable matches between the clubs happened on February 1, 1997. Huddersfield defender Kevin Gray, broke the leg of Bradford City striker Gordon Watson with a horrific sliding tackle. Watson never really recovered and actually won a lawsuit against Gray for damages as a result of this negligent tackle worth £900K. This certainly helped stoke the rivalry flames which still continue.
Stats & Records
The stats and records we’re about to discuss are as of February 2018 when I am recording this video.
Huddersfield have spent 31 seasons in the top flight in their history.
The club has 4 major trophies including:
- 3 first division titles
- 1 FA Cup
The club’s record first team league appearance holder is Billy Smith with 520 appearances.
The club’s record goal scorer is George Brown with 159 goals.
The Terriers’ record transfer purchase was Alex Pritchard from Norwich City on January 12, 2018 for about £12M initially with potential £2M in add-ons.
And Huddersfield’s record transfer sale was Jordan Rhodes to Blackburn Rovers in August of 2012 for about £8M.
One last interesting fact about the club: Huddersfield’s home ground has blue and claret seats. The blue is for the soccer club and the claret is for the Rugby team that also shares the stadium.
So there you have it… a bit of history on Huddersfield Town Association Football Club. Let’s continue the discussion in the comments section below this video.
Thanks for stopping by the Soccer Tavern. Hope to see you again sometime soon. Cheers.
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