Also known as Saints, Southampton FC is a club based out to Southampton, Hampshire in England. They are one of those clubs who haven’t looked back since 2012, playing in the top-tier of the English Premier League.
Currently, Southampton plays at St. Mary’s stadium which is their home ground since 2001. Before 2001, Southampton FC were playing at The Dell. The club is found wearing red and white stripes as their home jersey.
History:
The club was initially founded on 21st November 1885 at St.Mary’s Church, The club was propounded by the members of St. MAry’s Church of Englan Young Men’s Association.
Originally known as St. Mary’s Young Men’s Association FC, the club renamed themselves into St. Mary’s FC in 1887-88. When they joined the Southern League in 1894, St.Mary’s FC was renamed into Southampton St.Mary’s FC. If the reports dated back to the late 19th century are to believe, Southampton FC were initially playing their games at The Common but was always interrupted by the locals as they used their right to roam in a bad way. However, the important fixtures like cup games were played at County Cricket Ground or Antelope Cricket Ground which is in St Mary’s Round.
After the World War I ended in 1919, Southampton joined the newly formed Football League Third Division in 1920 which split into South and North sections. The 1921–22 season ended in victory for the Saints with promotion. This marked the beginning of 31-year-stay in the Second Division of English domestic League.
Club Ownership/Management:
Southampton FC started enduring the difficulties when they lost an FA Cup final in 2003 and were relegated to the second tier, i.e League One in 2009. With the relegation, the financial difficulties hovered around the club. However, Markus Liebherr bought the club in 2010 who substantially funded the club to return back to the top-tier. It just took two years for Saints to return to the Premier League. Currently, the club is owned by a Gao Jisheng, a Chinese private firm owner having 80 percent of the stakes in the club.
Coaching Staff and Management
| Position | Name |
| First Team Manager | Ralph Hasenhüttl |
| First Team Assistant Coach | Richard Kitzbichler |
| First Team Goalkeeping Coach | Andrew Sparkes |
| Head of Sports Science | Alek Gross |
| First Team Kit Officer | Jamie Ireland |
| Kit & Equipment Manager | Mark Forbes |
Medical staff
| Position | Name |
| First Team Sports Scientist | Bill Styles |
| First Team Club Doctor | Dr. Ingio Sarriegui |
| First Team Physiotherapist | Steve Wright |
| First Team Physiotherapist | Steve Sparks |
| First Team Strength & Conditioning Coach | Kevin Mulholland |
| Head of Sports Science | Alek Gross |
First Team Players:
| Name | Position | Age |
|
Angus Gunn
|
Goalkeepers | 24 |
| Alex McCarthy | Goalkeepers | 30 |
| Jannik Vestergaard | Defenders | 27 |
| Jan Bednarek | Defenders | 23 |
| Jack Stephens | Defenders | 26 |
| Kevin Danso | Defenders | 21 |
| Ryan Bertrand | Defenders | 30 |
| Sam McQueen | Defenders | 25 |
| Yan Valery | Defenders | 20 |
| Oriol Romeu | Midfielders | 28 |
| James Ward-Prowse | Midfielders | 25 |
| Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg | Midfielders | 24 |
| Stuart Armstrong | Midfielders | 27 |
| Nathan Redmond | Attacker | 25 |
| Moussa Djenepo | Attacker | 21 |
| Sofiane Boufal | Attacker | 26 |
| Danny Ings | Attacker | 27 |
| Che Adams | Attacker | 23 |
| Shane Long | Attacker | 33 |
| Michael Obafemi | Attacker | 19 |
Honours:
- Football League Division One / Premier League
- Runners-up: 1983–84
- Football League Division Two / Football League Championship
- Runners-up: 1965–66, 1977–78, 2011–12
- FA Cup
- Winners: 1975–76
- Runners-up: 1899–1900, 1901–02, 2002–03
