Tottenham Hotspur

Lore & Background

Founded in 1882, Tottenham Hotspur's emblem is a cockerel standing upon a football, with the Latin motto Audere est Facere ("to dare is to do"). The team have traditionally worn white shirts and navy blue shorts as their home kit since the 1898–99 season. Their training ground is on Hotspur Way in Bulls Cross, Enfield. After its inception, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the first time in 1901, the only non-League club to do so since the formation of the Football League in 1888. Tottenham was the first club in the 20th century to achieve the League and FA Cup Double, winning both competitions in the 1960–61 season. After successfully defending the FA Cup in 1962, in 1963 they became the first British club to win a UEFA club competition – the European Cup Winners' Cup. They were also the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup in 1972, becoming the first British club to win two different major European trophies. They collected at least one major trophy in each of the six decades from the 1950s to 2000s, an achievement matched only by Manchester United.

In Their Own Story

The turning point arrived in early April when a West Ham victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers pushed Tottenham into the relegation zone for the first time since January 2009. Roberto De Zerbi was hired as permanent manager on 12 March but began with a 1–0 defeat at Sunderland. Salvation only came in the final six matches, where De Zerbi guided the team to eleven points. The season culminated on the final day: Tottenham needed a win against Everton and hope for a West Ham loss against Leeds United. In a tense finale, João Palhinha scored the decisive goal in the 43rd minute from a corner. Tottenham won 1–0, while West Ham lost their crucial match, escaping relegation by just two points. The season ended with Spurs avoiding a historic drop to the Championship for the first time in 49 years, but at the cost of finishing 17th and missing European football entirely.

Reader's Guide

In domestic football, Spurs have won two league titles, eight FA Cups, four League Cups, and seven FA Community Shields. In European football, they have won one European Cup Winners' Cup and three UEFA Cup/Europa League titles. Tottenham were also runners-up in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. They have a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Arsenal, with whom they contest the North London derby, as well as a contested rivalry with Chelsea. Tottenham is owned by ENIC Group, which purchased the club in 2001. The club was estimated to be worth £2.6 billion ($3.2 billion) in 2024, and it was the ninth-highest-earning football club in the world, with an annual revenue for season 2024–25 of €672.6M (£585.56M), as ranked by accountancy firm Deloitte.

Did You Know?

• Originally named Hotspur Football Club, the club was formed on 5 September 1882 by a group of schoolboys led by Bobby Buckle.
• The club turned professional on 20 December 1895.
• Tottenham became the first British club to win a UEFA club competition – the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1963.
• The club's nickname 'Spurs' and 'the Lilywhites' are both used.