Middlesbrough F.C. — BrandWiki

Middlesbrough F.C.

clubname	Middlesbrough
nickname	The Boro, Teesiders Smoggies (supporters)
alt	Middlesbrough Football Club crest
fullname	Middlesbrough Football Club
founded	20
ground	Riverside Stadium
stadium	Riverside Stadium
capacity	33,746

chairman	Steve Gibson

mgrtitle	Head coach

manager	Kim Hellberg

pattern la1	_middlesbrough2526h

pattern b1	_middlesbrough2526h

pattern ra1	_feyenoord2526h

pattern sh1	_middlesbrough2526h

pattern so1	_redtopl

leftarm1	FF0000

body1	FF0000

rightarm1	FF0000

shorts1	FF0000

socks1	FF0000

pattern b2	_middlesbrough2526a

pattern sh2	_middlesbrough2526a

pattern so2	_middlesbrough2526al

leftarm2	000000

body2	000000

rightarm2	000000

shorts2	000000

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current	2025–26 Middlesbrough F.C. season

website	https://mfc.co.uk

Middlesbrough Football Club is a professional association football club based in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire. They compete in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Nicknamed the Boro, they were formed in 1876 and are the 12th oldest football league club in England and Wales. The club have played at the Riverside Stadium since 1995,[1] having previously played at Ayresome Park for 92 years, from 1903 to 1995.

Middlesbrough were one of the founding members of the Premier League 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 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 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 led by board member and later chairman Steve Gibson. A remarkable recovery 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 and League Cup in 1997[2][3] while also being relegated following a controversial 3-point deduction,[4] and losing another League Cup final the following season. Under Steve McClaren, the club won the League Cup in 2004, its first major silverware, and reached the 2006 UEFA Cup final. 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 in England), the Tees Valley, and the county of North Yorkshire (the largest county in England by area[5]). The club has regional rivalries with the two closest major clubs, Newcastle United (the Tyne–Tees derby) and Sunderland (the Tees–Wear derby).[6]

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.[7] The various crests throughout the club's history, the most recent of which was adopted in 2007,[8] incorporate a lion rampant.

History

Formation and early years (1876–1914)

Middlesbrough were formed in 1876, and won the FA Amateur Cup in 1895 and again in 1898. The club turned professional in 1889, but reverted to amateur status in 1892.[9] They turned professional permanently in 1899.[10] After three seasons, they won promotion to the First Division, where they would remain for the next 22 years.[9]

In 1903, the club moved to Ayresome Park, their home for the next 92 years. In 1905, the club sanctioned the transfer of Alf Common for £1,000, a record fee.[11] In the same year, Tim Williamson became the first Middlesbrough player to play international football.

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.[80] Previous kits included a white shirt with a red and white polka dotted collar from around 1889.[80] 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.[81] 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.[81] 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,[82]

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 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 ground in 1882, home at the time of Middlesbrough Cricket Club. 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, they had to move to a new ground in 1903, Ayresome Park.[27] 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. 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.[92] Since the 1990s, the club trains at a £7 million complex at

Supporters

Middlesbrough's average historic attendance is the 16th highest of all the clubs in England and Wales.[101]

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%.[102] A survey at the start of the 2007–08 season found Middlesbrough supporters were the seventh-loudest set of fans in the Premier League.[103] Middlesbrough Official Supporters Club, which features its own team in the local football league,[104] 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.[104]

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.[109] 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.[110] Boro TV ran through NTL cable television until July 2005.[111] The club then began to show match highlights through a subscription-based scheme on its official website.[112]

Middlesbrough's official

Community

Middlesbrough Football Club in the Community (MFCIC) was founded in 1996 by club chairman Steve Gibson[116] and is one of the largest community-based football schemes in the United Kingdom.[117] 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.[118] 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. In March 2008, plans were announced by the Premier League to roll out the scheme nationally amongst all Premier League clubs.[119]

Non-playing staff

[124]

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.[126][127]

Players

Current squad

[128]

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.[129]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 George Camsell
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 George Hardwick
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Wilf Mannion
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Brian Clough
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 John Hickton
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Willie Maddren
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Tony Mowbray
🇮🇪 Bernie Slaven

Honours

Source:[9][16][25]

Middlesbrough Women

Middlesbrough Women is the women's team affiliated to Middlesbrough. Founded as Cleveland Spartans in 1976, they became officially affiliated with the men's team in 2023,[74] and currently play in the FA Women's National League North, the third level of English women's football.

References and notes

External links

Official websites

News sites

MFC.co.uk – official club website
Middlesbrough at The Football League's official website

Middlesbrough news from Sky Sports

References

Boro FC club info gazettelive.co.uk, retrieved 27 May 2008^
Rob Stewart. Middlesbrough 1996/97: rucks, relegation, cup finals... and training at a prison FourFourTwo, 30 January 2017, retrieved 5 September 2022^
Anthony Vickers. Middlesbrough's surreal draining 'Dream Time' 96/97 season still shapes fans' emotions

Ups and downs (1914–1966)

Before league football resumed, Middlesbrough won the Northern Victory League,[15] 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.[16] Three seasons later, they won the Division Two title. During that season, debutant George Camsell, who had signed from Third Division North 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.[17] Middlesbrough's tenure back in the top flight lasted only one season, and the club were relegated.[15] They were promoted at the first attempt in 1928–29, winning another Second Division title.[15] The club remained in the First Division until 1954.

The decade before the Second World War saw the emergence of Wilf Mannion and George Hardwick, both of whom would go on to become England 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.[9] 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 FA Cup. 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, who scored 204 goals in 222 games, before he left for Sunderland.[18]

On 6 May 1950 Middlesbrough were represented by a Black player for the first time, Jamaican-born Lindy Delapenha 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 left for Mansfield Town after the 1957–58 season.[19] 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 for the first time in their history in 1966.[15]

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

New manager Stan Anderson returned the club to the second flight at the first attempt.[9] 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.[9]

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 and Bobby Murdoch, and including a young Graeme Souness, 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).[9][20] After a very promising start to their first campaign back in the first division Bob Paisley, 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.[20][21]

In 1979, John Neal made the club's first international signing, with Boško Janković arriving from Željezničar Sarajevo.[9]

The club experienced severe financial difficulties during the mid-1980s.[22] Middlesbrough were dropping down the table, and finished 19th in the 1984–85 season.[15] In April 1986, the club had to borrow £30,000 from the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) to pay wages.[9] The final game of the season saw Middlesbrough relegated to the Third Division again.[9] That summer, the club called in the Provisional Liquidator, and, shortly afterwards, the club was wound up and the gates to Ayresome Park were padlocked.[9] Without the £350,000 capital required for Football League registration, a new rule, the club risked folding permanently.[23] 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

Over the next two seasons, Middlesbrough gained successive promotions into Division Two and then into Division One,[15] 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 next season however, they came straight back down to Division Two, and with it came the then British transfer record move of Gary Pallister to Manchester United for £2.3 million.[26] Following promotion again, Middlesbrough became one of the founding members of the FA Premier League when it was launched in the 1992–93 season.[27]

Bryan Robson years (1994–2001)

Player-manager Bryan Robson, from Manchester United, took charge in 1994.[28] Following promotion to the Premier League Middlesbrough made high-profile purchases like Brazilian international Juninho[27] and previous season's Champions League final goalscorer and Italian international Fabrizio Ravanelli. 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.[29] 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 and FA Cup 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.[25]

Despite losing high-profile players Ravanelli 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 In December 1998 during which they took a 3–0 lead; it was Manchester United's only home defeat during their treble-winning season. Middlesbrough continued to stay secure in mid-table the following season, due mainly to the goals of Hamilton Ricard and the signings of prominent players such as Paul Ince 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 in April was the team's best result. The trend of buying high profile 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.[30]

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.[31]

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 2–1 in the League Cup final.[32] The League Cup win also ensured that Middlesbrough would qualify for Europe – the UEFA Cup – for the first time – the following season, where they reached the last 16 of the competition.[33][34] UEFA Cup qualification was achieved for the second consecutive year after a 1–1 away draw with Manchester City 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.[35]

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 at Villa Park. The club also reached the 2006 UEFA Cup final following two miraculous last minute comebacks from 3–0 down on aggregate in the quarter and semi finals against FC Basel and Steaua Bucharest respectively,[36][37] however ultimately fell short losing 4–0 to Sevilla in the final in Eindhoven.[38] McClaren's teams featured local youth players such as Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson and James Morrison[39] as well as experienced international players such as forward trio Yakubu, Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink,[40] and midfielder

Following the European Cup final loss, McClaren left to manage the England national team, and captain Gareth Southgate took over as manager. Despite not having the coaching qualifications, he was allowed by the Premier League board to continue after receiving special dispensation.[42] 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 side Cardiff City, 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.[43] The club was relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2008–09 season[44] in 19th place.

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.[56] Monk left in December, with Middlesbrough ninth in the Championship,[57][58] and Tony Pulis was appointed as his replacement.[59] Pulis led the side to finish 5th in the table, however, they lost in the play-off semi-finals to Aston Villa.[60] In the following season, a poor finish to the season caused them to finish 7th and miss out on the play-offs by one point.[61]

When Pulis's contract was not extended,[62] he was replaced by former Middlesbrough defender and first team coach, Jonathan Woodgate on 14 June 2019 on a three-year contract.[63] Woodgate was sacked with the club only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference with eight games left of the 2019–20 season,[64] and Neil Warnock was appointed as his replacement on the same day.[65] Warnock ensured survival from relegation, securing safety on the final day of the season and a 17th-place finish.[66][67] On 6 November 2021, Middlesbrough parted company with Warnock, who was replaced by Chris Wilder the following day.[68][69]

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.[71][72][73] On 26 May 2023, the club officially became affiliated with the women's team.[74] In the 2023–24 season, Middlesbrough reached the semi-finals of the League Cup for the first time since 2004.[75] Despite defeating Chelsea in the first leg, Middlesbrough lost 6–2 on aggregate.[76] Carrick was dismissed in June 2025 with Rob Edwards replacing him.[77] However, after a promising start to the season that saw the club enter the automatic promotion spaces, Edwards suddenly left in November 2025 to take the

On 24 November 2025 Kim Hellberg was named as the successor to Rob Edwards.[78]

Middlesbrough F.C.

History

Formation and early years (1876–1914)

Colours and crest

Stadiums

Supporters

Media relations

Community

Non-playing staff

Corporate hierarchy

Coaching staff

Academy coaching staff

Managerial history

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Out on loan

Reserves and Academy

Notable players

Middlesbrough Legends

Honours

Middlesbrough Women

References and notes

External links

References

Ups and downs (1914–1966)

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

Bryan Robson years (1994–2001)

Venture into Europe (2001–2009)

Decline, brief revival and relegation (2009–2017)

Return to the Championship (2017–present)

Kit information

European Football

Top appearances

Top goalscorers

Player of the Year award winners

Football League 100 Legends

English Football Hall of Fame

Scottish Football Hall of Fame