Bolton Wanderers FC, is an English football club from the town of Bolton in Greater Manchester.  The club was founded by members of the Christ Church Sunday School in 1874.  Originally known as Christ Church FC, the club changed its name to Bolton Wanderers in 1877. Bolton was one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888. Having remained in the Football League since its formation, Bolton has the distinction of having spent the highest number of seasons in the top flight without winning the title (73) . The club had a number of homes until they settled at Burnden Park in 1895 (hence the name the Wanderers).  Bolton were beaten finalists in the FA Cup in 1894 and 1904 before defeating West Ham 2-0 in the first final held at Wembley in 1923.  They became the most successful cup side of the twenties, winning the trophy again in 1926 and 1929, beating Manchester City and Portsmouth respectively.  From 1935 to 1964, Bolton enjoyed an uninterrupted stay in the top flight – regarded by fans as a golden era, spearheaded in the 1950s by Nat Lofthouse. They lost the 1953 Stanley Matthews Final, but won the cup in 1958.  The club's career since then has been a remarkable story of repeated decline and recovery. After losing their First Division place in 1964, Wanderers dropped into the Third Division in 1971. Two years later they were promoted as champions and in 1978 they won the Second Division to return to the top flight. Unable to sustain their success, the club were relegated again in 1980 and over the next seven years they dropped all the way down to Division Four. At this, the club's lowest point, a partnership was forged with the international sports goods manufacturer, Reebok, which has proved to be one of the most enduring in the game. With Reebok's support, the club acquired a brand new stadium, the Reebok Stadium adjacent to the M61 and began a steady climb back up the leagues that would lead them all the way back to the Premier Division in 1995 under the management of Bruce Rioch.  

Relegated the following year, they returned to the Premiership at the first attempt but once again their stay was short lived and they were relegated on goal difference at the end of 1997–98. In 2000–01 Bolton were promoted back to the Premier League under Sam Allardyce where they remained for a decade.  In 2005 Bolton finished sixth in the league, earning qualification for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history.  The club struggled after the departure of Allardyce in 2007, and was relegated on the last day of the 2011-12 season. By December 2015, Bolton, were £172.9 million in debt, were handed a winding-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs over unpaid taxes, and a transfer embargo for the following month's window. On 9 April 2016, Bolton lost 4–1 away at Derby County to confirm their relegation to the third tier for the first time since 1993. Despite ongoing financial issues, the club was promoted at the end of the 2016-17 season. Financial troubles continued and saw the club enter administration in May 2019 after relegation back into the third tier was confirmed. Facing possible EFL expulsion and probable extinction, the club was acquired by new owners on 28 August 2019. Relegated to the fourth tier in 2020, they won promotion out of League Two in the 2020–21 season and won the EFL Trophy in the 2022–23 season.