Stoke City FC based in Stoke-on-Trent, England, was founded in 1863.  They are thought to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts County.  They were originally named Stoke Ramblers, when pupils of Charterhouse School formed a football club while apprentices at the North Staffordshire Railway works in Stoke-on-Trent. In 1878, the club merged with Stoke Victoria Cricket Club, and became Stoke Football Club. Stoke was one of the twelve founding members of The Football League when it was introduced in 1888. The club struggled in their first two seasons, 1888-89 and 1889-90, finishing bottom on both occasions. Stoke failed to secure re-election to the league at the end of its second season, instead being replaced by Sunderland. As a consequence, Stoke started 1890–91 in the Football Alliance; they finished the season as champions. The Football League was expanded to include fourteen clubs in 1891–92, which ensured Stoke were re-elected to the league, where they remained for the rest of the decade.  Stoke suffered financial problems around 1900 which ultimately led to the loss of the club's Football League status in 1908.  The club moved to the Birmingham & District League after its demotion. In 1909, Stoke opted to field two teams, one in the Birmingham & District League and the other in the Southern League (West Division); Stoke won the latter in their first year in the competition. In 1915, having finished as champions of the Southern League Second Division, Stoke were elected back into the Football League for the third time but, with all professional football suspended for the duration of the Great War, it was not until 1919 that they played their first fixture. Stoke were promoted to Division One for the first time in 1922 only to be relegated the following season. In 1926, now known as Stoke City, the club dropped into Division Three (North) but bounced back as champions in 1927. 

In 1933 Stoke won the Second Division championship to return to the First Division, with Stanley Matthews playing a staring role. By the end of the decade, with Matthews at its heart, Stoke has a strong side that was widely expected to win honours but the Second World War intervened. The side that reassembled for the 1946-47 season comprised most of the pre-war squad, albeit six years older. They came within one win of clinching the championship but lost their final match at Sheffield United. Even worse, Matthews left in May to join Blackpool.  By 1953, City had dropped into Division Two: crowds dwindled and the club seemed to be going nowhere. In 1961, Matthews’ return saw a revival and Stoke won the Second Division championship in their centenary season. The club remained in the First Division for nearly two decades and won their first major honour, beating Chelsea 2-1 to capture the League Cup in 1972. For the next few seasons, Stoke challenged for the championship (finishing fifth in 1974 and 1975) and enjoyed two European campaigns but in 1977 they were relegated. In 1979 they were back in the First Division but it was a struggle to retain their place: they were relegated in 1985 to Division Two and then in 1990 they dropped into Division Three. In 1993 they won the new Division Two (previously Division Three) championship and reached the play-offs in 1996. Relegated again in 1998, Stoke came through the play-offs to return to Division One in 2002 and in 2008 they were promoted to the Premier League after a gap of 23 years. They reached their first major final, the FA Cup, against Manchester City in 2010-11 losing 1-0. After a decade in the Premiership, Stoke were relegated at the end of the 2017-18 season and remain in the Championship.