25 Clubs With Most Seasons In English Top Flight Football
17. West Ham United
Total Seasons – 63
Current League – Premier League
The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. They play at the London Stadium, having moved from their former home, the Boleyn Ground, in 2016. Three West Ham players were members of the 1966 World Cup final-winning England team: captain Bobby Moore and goalscorers Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters.
West Ham have been winners of the FA Cup three times; in 1964, 1975 and 1980, and have also been runners-up twice; in 1923 and 2006. The club have reached two major European finals, winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965 and finishing runners-up in the same competition in 1976. West Ham also won the Intertoto Cup in 1999.
16. Derby County
Total Seasons – 65
Current League – Championship
Derby County FC was founded in 1884 by William Morley as an offshoot of Derbyshire County Cricket Club. They are notable for being one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888. Derby County is one of only 10 clubs to have competed in every season of the English football league system.
Its competitive peak came in the 1970s when it twice won the First Division and competed in major European competitions on four occasions, reaching the European Cup semi-finals as well as winning several minor trophies.
15. Sheffield Wednesday
Total Seasons – 66
Current League – Championship
Sheffield Wednesday were formed in 1867 as an offshoot of The Wednesday Cricket Club. They went by the name of the Wednesday Football Club until changing to their current name in 1929. The club is one of the oldest football clubs in the world and the third-oldest professional association football club in England.
They have won four league titles, three FA Cups, one League Cup and one FA Community Shield. Wednesday have also competed in UEFA cup competitions on four occasions, reaching the quarter-finals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1963.
14. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Total Seasons – 66
Current League – Premier League
Wolves were formed as St. Luke’s F.C. in 1877, later merging with the football section of a local cricket club called Blakenhall Wanderers to form Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1879. They have played at Molineux Stadium since 1889. They were also one of the founding members of the football league in 1888.
Wolves have been champions of England thrice and have won the FA Cup four times and the League cup twice. Wolves were the first side to win all four divisions of the English professional game and have won every competition currently contested in English domestic football.
13. Blackburn Rovers
Total Seasons – 72
Current League – Championship
Rovers were established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888 and the Premier League in 1992. In 1890, Rovers moved to Ewood Park, and have been playing there ever since. They have a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Burnley, with whom they contest the East Lancashire derby.
Blackburn Rovers have been English champions three times, and have won six FA Cups, one Football League Cup and one Full Members’ Cup. The club has spent most of its existence in the top flight of English football.
12. Bolton Wanderers
Total Seasons – 73
Current League – League Two
Bolton were formed as Christ Church Football Club in 1874, it adopted its current name in 1877. They hold the unique record of spending most seasons in the top division without winning the title. The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895. In 1997, Bolton moved to the Reebok Stadium. The stadium was renamed the Macron Stadium in 2014 and the University of Bolton Stadium in 2018.
They finished third in the First Division in 1891–92, 1920–21 and 1924–25. Bolton won the FA Cup three times in the 1920s, and again in 1958.
11. West Bromwich Albion
Total Seasons – 82
Current League – Premier League
The Baggies were formed in 1878 and has played at their home ground, The Hawthorns, since 1900. They were one of the 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888. The club has spent the majority of its existence in the top tier of English football, whereas of 2020–21 it has played for 82 seasons.
The club has been champions of England once, in 1919–20, and has been runners-up twice. Albion teams have reached ten FA Cup finals and won the Cup on five occasions. They also won the League Cup in 1966.