Stoke

Stoke City Football Club is a football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Stoke is the second-oldest Football League club in the world as it was founded in 1863. The club plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football.

The club’s nickname is The Potters (after the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent) and its home kit consists of a red & white vertical-striped shirt with white shorts and white socks. The club is currently owned by Kidsgrove Road Limited, a subsidiary of Bet365, with Peter Coates as the club's chairman. It was owned by Stoke Holding, from 1999 to 2006, which was in turn owned by a consortium of Icelandic businessmen. Coates completed his takeover on May 22 2006.

Stoke play their home fixtures at the Britannia Stadium, a 28,000 all-seater stadium. The stadium was opened in 1997; prior to this date Stoke had played at the Victoria Ground, which had been their home ground since 1878.

Stoke have not participated in the top flight, the Premier League, since the 1984-85 season when they were relegated with a total of 17 points, which would be a record low tally for twenty-one years. Stoke's first major trophy was won in the 1972 League Cup Final, when Stoke beat Chelsea F.C. 2-1 with goals from Terry Conroy, now charity patron of a Staffordshire mobility products specialist - but also employed at the club, and George Eastham who now lives in South Africa. The club have won the Football League Trophy on two occasions, firstly in 1992 and then in 2000.