Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur logo Full Name: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
City: London
Founded: 1882
Stadium: White Hart Lane (36,237)
Colors: Dark Blue, White
Previous Name: Hotspur FC (1882-84)
Nicknames: Spurs, Lillywhites, Yids
Rivals: Arsenal

Tottenham Hotspur were formed in 1882 by members of a Tottenham area grammar school and cricket club. Their original name was simply Hotspur Football Club. The Hotspur name is taken from Harry Hotspur, an English nobleman of the 14th century and later a major character in Shakespeare's Henry IV. Two years later they added Tottenham to their name, Tottenham being the neighborhood of North London where they are based.

In 1896 Spurs (short for Hotspur in case you had any doubt) joined the Southern League where they stayed for 12 years before entering the Football League in 1908. During their stay in the Southern League Spurs won the league title in 1900. Half a century later Tottenham Hotspur became the first English club in the twentieth century to win the League and FA cup double.

White Hart Lane:

The stadium is located on White Hart Lane in Tottenham.

Previous stadiums: Tottenham Marshes (1882-88), Northumberland Park (1888-99).

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Major Trophies:

First Tier League Titles:

Football League First Division (1951, 61)

Second Tier League Titles:

Football League Second Division (1920, 50)

Non-League Titles:

Southern League (1900)
Western League (1904)

Cup Titles:

FA Cup (1901, 21, 61, 62, 67, 81, 82, 91)
Football League Cup (1971, 73, 99, 2008)
Charity Shield (1921, 51, 61, 62, 67*, 81*, 91*)

International Titles

European Cup Winner's Cup (1963)
UEFA Cup (1972, 84)
Anglo-Italian Cup (1971)

Titles marked with * were shared with another club.

Nicknames:

The cockerel on the club's emblem is a reference to their Spurs name - the cockerel bird was often used in cock fights and fitted with spurs. Spurs, fairly obviously, is simply a derivation of the name Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lilywhites nickname is a reference to their all-white uniforms.

The Yids nicknames is a reference to Yiddish, the language theoretically spoken by the rather large Jewish fan base of Spurs. Yids was used as an insult by fans of rivals Arsenal but has been turned on its head and used as a badge of pride by Spurs fans.

Rivals:

Tottenham Hotspur's biggest rivalry is with neighbors Arsenal. The rivalry with Arsenal is known as the North London derby - the two clubs' stadiums are located just a few miles apart in North London.