Derby

Pride Park Stadium holds 33,597 and gives Derby County a modern home a good distance in style from the ground the club spent most of its life on, though the club itself goes back further than the venue does. Derby were formed in 1884, a William Morley project that started out as the football offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club before absorbing Derby Midland in 1891 and becoming the city's only professional side.

The Rams took the league title twice, in 1971-72 and 1974-75, and the FA Cup once, in 1946, beating Charlton Athletic 4-1 in the final. Before that came three losing finals — 1898, 1899 and 1903 — spread across a spell when reaching Wembley came easier than winning there. The nickname ties back to the old Derbyshire militia, and the East Midlands derby against Nottingham Forest remains the fixture the club is measured against.

The last two decades have been rougher than the trophy cabinet suggests. Derby were sold for £3 in 2003 after dropping out of the Premier League. Administration cost them 10 points and relegation to League One in 2009, and a second administration in 2022 saw them docked 12 points and sent down to League Two. The club has never won the League Cup.