Barnsley F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Barnsley Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Reds, The Tykes, The Colliers, | |||
| Founded | 1887 | |||
| Ground | Oakwell | |||
| Capacity | 23,287 | |||
| Owner | BFC Investment Company Ltd | |||
| Chairman | Neerav Parekh | |||
| Head coach | Conor Hourihane | |||
| League | Championship | |||
| 2018–19 | League One, 2nd of 24 (promoted) | |||
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Barnsley Football Club is a professional football team from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. They are often called "the Colliers." The club plays in League One, which is the third level of English football.
Barnsley FC was started in 1887 by Reverend Tiverton Preedy. They moved to their home ground, Oakwell, the next year. The team first wore blue, but changed to red and white in 1904. Barnsley joined the Football League in 1898. They won the FA Cup in 1912, beating West Bromwich Albion.
The club has spent more seasons and played more games in the second level of English football than any other team. Their main rivals are other Yorkshire clubs like Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Leeds United, Huddersfield Town, and Rotherham United.
Contents
History of Barnsley FC
Early Days and FA Cup Wins
Barnsley Football Club began in 1887 as Barnsley St Peter's. They played in local leagues before joining the Football League in 1898. In their early years, they faced money problems.
In 1910, Barnsley reached the FA Cup final but lost to Newcastle United. Two years later, in 1912, they made it to the final again. This time, they won the trophy by beating West Bromwich Albion 1–0. This was a huge moment for the club.
After World War I, the league changed. Barnsley hoped to move up to the top division, the First Division. They had finished third in the Second Division. However, the league voted to promote Arsenal instead, even though Arsenal finished lower. This decision was very controversial.
Moving Through the Divisions
Barnsley almost reached the First Division again in 1922, missing out by a small margin. In the 1930s and 1940s, the club often moved between the Second and Third Divisions.
Famous players like Danny Blanchflower and Tommy Taylor played for Barnsley in the 1940s and 1950s. They later became big stars for other clubs. Tommy Taylor sadly died in the Munich air disaster in 1958.
In 1965, Barnsley dropped to the Fourth Division for the first time. They earned promotion three years later. They went down to the Fourth Division again in 1972 and stayed there for seven seasons. By the 1980s, they became a strong team in the Second Division.
Reaching the Premier League
In the 1994–95 season, Danny Wilson became the manager. After a few seasons, Barnsley finished second in the First Division in 1997. This meant they were automatically promoted to the Premier League for the first time in their history!
Barnsley only stayed in the Premier League for one season. However, they had a great run in the FA Cup, reaching the quarter-finals and even beating Manchester United. After this, Danny Wilson left, and John Hendrie took over as manager.
In 2000, Barnsley reached the play-off final for promotion but lost to Ipswich Town. This was the last play-off final played at the old Wembley.
Ups and Downs in the 21st Century
In 2002, the team faced serious financial problems. Luckily, the mayor of Barnsley, Peter Doyle, helped save the club.
In 2006, Barnsley won the League One play-off final against Swansea City in a penalty shootout. This win promoted them to the Championship.
The team had an amazing run in the FA Cup in 2008. They beat Premier League giants Liverpool and defending champions Chelsea. They reached the semi-finals but lost to Cardiff City.
In 2016, Barnsley won the Football League Trophy and then gained promotion back to the Championship through the play-offs. Later that year, a coach was involved in a problem and left the club.
New Owners and Modern Approach
In December 2017, new owners took over most of the club. This group included investors like Chien Lee, Neerav Parekh, and Billy Beane. They focused on finding young talent using data, a bit like the "Moneyball" idea from baseball.
Under new coaches like Daniel Stendel and Gerhard Struber, Barnsley were promoted back to the Championship in 2019. They managed to stay in the Championship in 2020. In 2021, under manager Valérien Ismaël, Barnsley finished fifth in the Championship and made it to the play-offs. This was a big achievement for a team with a young squad and smaller budget.
However, Barnsley were relegated from the Championship in 2022. In 2023, the EFL (English Football League) charged Barnsley and some former owners with breaking rules about club ownership.
Home Ground: Oakwell
Barnsley's home stadium is called Oakwell. The name comes from an old well and oak tree that used to be on the land. Oakwell is a big sports area in Barnsley. It's used for the main team's games, as well as for training and youth teams.
The stadium and the land around it used to belong to Barnsley FC. But in 2002, when the club had financial difficulties, the local council bought the main stadium. This helped the club pay its debts and keep playing in the Football League. Oakwell can hold 23,287 fans.
Team Rivals
Barnsley has several rivalries with other football clubs in Yorkshire. A survey in 2019 showed that Barnsley fans see Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, and Leeds United as their biggest rivals. Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United are also considered rivals.
Team Colours and Kits
Kit Makers and Sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1976–1977 | Litesome | — |
| 1977–1979 | Admiral | |
| 1979–1980 | Umbro | |
| 1980–1981 | Taits | |
| 1981–1984 | Hayselden | |
| 1984–1986 | Brooklands Hotel | |
| 1986–1988 | Lowfields | Sandal Bayern |
| 1988–1989 | Intersport | Lyons Cakes |
| 1989–1991 | Beaver International | Shaw Carpets |
| 1991–1993 | Gola | Hayselden |
| 1993–1994 | Pelada | |
| 1994–1995 | ORA | |
| 1995–2000 | Admiral | |
| 2000–2001 | Big Thing | |
| 2001–2002 | iSoft | |
| 2002–2003 | Red Flag | |
| 2003–2004 | Vodka Kick | |
| 2004–2005 | Koala | |
| 2005–2007 | Jako | Barnsley Building Society |
| 2007–2008 | Surridge | Wake Smith |
| 2008–2011 | Lotto | Barnsley Building Society |
| 2011–2014 | Nike | C.K. Beckett |
| 2014–2015 | Avec | |
| 2015–2019 | Puma | |
| 2019–2022 | The Investment Room | |
| 2022–2023 | Various | |
| 2023–2024 | US Mobile |
Home Kit
Barnsley has mostly worn red shirts for their home games. In their very early days (1887–1901), they might have worn blue or chocolate and white stripes. But since 1901, red has been their main colour.
Their red shirts often have white or black trim. The design changes each season. In the 1989–90 season, their shirt had white stars on a red background, which some people remember as a unique design. Logos from kit makers were added in 1976, and shirt sponsors appeared in 1980.
Away Kit
The club's away kit is worn for games away from home or in cup matches if their home colours clash with the other team. The away kit changes every season but usually matches the style of the home kit with different colours.
White is the most common colour for their away shirts. However, they have also used blue, yellow, black, dark green, and even black and blue stripes. A memorable away kit was in the 2001–02 season. It was yellow and blue, like the Brazil team's kit.
Players
Current Squad
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Players on Loan
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Under-21s Squad
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Under-18s Squad
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Club Staff
Ownership and Board
Barnsley FC is owned by several people and groups. The main owner is Neerav Parekh. The Cryne family, who used to own the club, still have a share.
- Neerav Parekh 63.92%
- Cryne family 21.30%
- Julie Anne Quay and Matt Edmonds 11.50%
- Chien Lee 2.30%
- Pacific Media Group 0.98%
The club's board members help make important decisions:
- Chairman: Neerav Parekh
- Directors: Jean Cryne, Julie Anne Quay, James Cryne
- Chief Executive Officer: Jon Flatman
- Finance and Operations Director: Robert Zuk
- Sporting Director: Mladen Sormaz
First-Team Staff
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Conor Hourihane |
| Assistant Head Coach | Richard Keogh |
| First-Team Coach | Tom Harban |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Scott Flinders |
| Head of Performance | Danny Nye |
| Physical Performance Coach | Luke Jelly |
| Head of Medical | Daniel Turner |
| Physiotherapist | Sarah de Mello |
| Club Doctor | Dr John Harban |
| Dr David Arundel | |
| Performance Analyst | Tom Yeomans |
| Ed Davies | |
| Head of Football Operations and Club Secretary | Ann Hough |
| Academy Manager | Bobby Hassell |
| U-21 Manager | |
| U-18 Manager | Nicky Eaden |
Managers Through the Years
| Barnsley F.C. managers from 1898 to present | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Club Records
- Biggest League Win: 9–0
- against Loughborough, 28 January 1899
- against Accrington Stanley, 3 February 1934
- Biggest Cup Win: 6–0 against Blackpool, FA Cup, 20 January 1910
- Biggest League Loss: 9–0 against Notts County, 19 January 1927
- Biggest Cup Loss:
- 8–1 against Derby County, FA Cup, 30 January 1897
- 7–0 against Manchester United, EFL Cup, 17 September 2024
- Most Games Played: Barry Murphy, 569 games
- Most Goals Scored for the Club: Ernie Hine, 131 goals
- Most League Goals in a Season: Cecil McCormack, 33 goals in 1950–51
- Most International Games Played (while at Barnsley): Gerry Taggart, 35 games for Northern Ireland
- Highest Transfer Fee Received: £5,000,000 from Swansea City for Alfie Mawson (2017)
- Highest Transfer Fee Paid: £1,500,000 for Georgi Hristov (1997) and Mike Sheron (1999)
- Record Attendance at a Game: 40,255 fans against Stoke City, FA Cup, 15 February 1936
- Youngest Player in Football League History: Reuben Noble-Lazarus, 15 years and 45 days old
- Oldest Player: Mike Pollitt, 41 years, 5 months and 30 days old
- Most Goals in One Game: 5 goals, achieved by several players including Frank Eaton and Cecil McCormack.
Cup Achievements
Barnsley St. Peter's FC
- Best FA Cup Result: Reached the 1st round in 1894–95 and 1896–97.
Barnsley FC
- Best FA Cup Result: Winners in 1911–12; Runners-up in 1909–10.
- Best EFL Cup Result: Reached the Quarter-finals in 1981–82.
- Best EFL Trophy Result: Winners in 2015–16.
- Best Anglo-Italian Cup Result: Played in the Group stage in 1992–93 and 1993–94.
Player of the Season Awards
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Honours and Trophies
League Titles
- First Division (Second Tier)
- Runners-up: 1996–97
- Third Division North / Third Division / League One (Third Tier)
- Champions: 1933–34, 1938–39, 1954–55
- Runners-up: 1980–81, 2018–19
- Play-off winners: 2006, 2016
- Fourth Division (Fourth Tier)
- 2nd place promotion: 1967–68
- 4th place promotion: 1978–79
Cup Titles
- FA Cup
- Winners: 1911–12
- Runners-up: 1909–10
- Football League Trophy
- Winners: 2015–16
See also
In Spanish: Barnsley Football Club para niños
