Rotherham United F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Rotherham United Football Club | |||
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| Nickname(s) | The Millers | |||
| Founded | 27 May 1925 | |||
| Ground | New York Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 12,021 | |||
| Chairman | Tony Stewart | |||
| Manager | Steve Evans | |||
| League | League One | |||
| 2018–19 | Championship, 22nd of 24 (relegated) | |||
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Rotherham United Football Club, often called The Millers, is a professional association football team. They are based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. For the 2024–25 season, the team will play in EFL League One. This is after they moved down from the EFL Championship last season.
The club's first colours were yellow and black. But around 1930, they changed to red and white. Since 2012, they have played their home games at the New York Stadium. Before that, they briefly played at the Don Valley Stadium from 2008. Their original home was Millmoor.
Rotherham United was formed in 1925. This happened when two local clubs, Rotherham County and Rotherham Town, joined together. They immediately became part of the Football League. The team won the Third Division North championship in 1950–51. They also reached the first-ever League Cup final in 1961. They lost to Aston Villa with a total score of 3–2.
After playing in the Second Division for seventeen seasons, they moved down in 1968 and 1973. They got promoted from the Fourth Division in 1974–75. Then, they won the Third Division title in 1980–81. After moving down again in 1983 and 1988, Rotherham won the Fourth Division title in 1988–89. They had to win another promotion in 1991–92 after being relegated the season before. In 1996, they won the Football League Trophy final. They beat Shrewsbury Town 2–1.
Under manager Ronnie Moore, Rotherham earned two promotions in a row in 1999–2000 and 2000–01. They stayed in the second tier for four seasons. However, they were relegated twice in three years by 2007. The club again achieved back-to-back promotions. This time it was under Steve Evans. They gained automatic promotion from League Two in 2012–13. They also won promotion from League One through the play-offs in 2013–14. The club has moved between the Championship and League One for six seasons in a row. This was from 2016–17 to 2021–22. During this time, they won the play-offs in 2018 and the 2022 EFL Trophy final.
Contents
Club History
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| The first Rotherham United kit (1925) |
The club's story began in 1877. It was first known as Thornhill Football Club. Later, it became Thornhill United. For many years, Rotherham Town was the top team in the area. They played in the Football League for three seasons. Meanwhile, Thornhill United was still in a local league.
Around 1900, Rotherham Town left the Football League and stopped playing. A new club with the same name later joined the Midland League. Thornhill's team got better. In 1905, they changed their name to Rotherham County. They became the main club in town. For a while, both clubs played in the Midland League. In 1911–12, Rotherham County finished first and Rotherham Town second.
Rotherham County joined the Football League's second division in 1919. Rotherham Town did not get into the third division. By 1925, Rotherham County was not doing well. It was clear that the town could not support two professional clubs. So, in May 1925, the two clubs merged. They formed Rotherham United. Soon after, the new club was re-elected to the Football League.
Early Years and Success
The team started wearing red and white around 1930. Before that, they played in amber and black. After World War II, things got much better for the Millers. They won the Football League Third Division North Cup in 1946. They beat Chester 5–4 in total. Then, they finished second three times in a row from 1947 to 1949. In 1951, they became champions of Division Three (North).
Rotherham reached their highest league position ever in 1955. They finished third in the Football League Second Division. They almost made it to the top league. They had the same points as the champions, Birmingham City, and second-place Luton Town. But they missed out because of goal average. That season, they had big wins, including 6–1 against Liverpool.
In 1961, the Millers beat Aston Villa 2–0 at Millmoor. This was in the first game of the first-ever League Cup final. But they lost the second game 3–0 at Villa Park. The second game was played later because Villa had many other games. The club stayed in Division Two until 1968. Then, they moved down to Division Four in 1973. In 1975, they were promoted back to the Third Division. They finished third in the Fourth Division.
The Millers won the Division Three title in the 1980–81 season. They almost got a second promotion in a row. They finished seventh in the second tier (then Division 2) in 1981–82. They have not finished that high since. That season, Rotherham also had their highest-scoring wins against Chelsea. They beat them 6–0 at home and 4–1 away.
Ups and Downs in the 1990s
In the 1990s, Rotherham moved up and down between the Football League's lowest two divisions. They went down to the Fourth Division in 1991. This was just two years after being promoted. But they got back to the third tier in 1992. This division was renamed Division Two in 1992–93 because the FA Premier League started. They stayed at this level for five years. They were never close to promotion. Then, they were relegated in 1997.
In 1996, Rotherham United played at Wembley for the first time. They beat Shrewsbury 2–1 to win the Football League Trophy. Nigel Jemson scored both goals for Rotherham. Over 20,000 Rotherham United fans came to support them. In 1997, after moving down to Division Three, Ronnie Moore became manager. His first season ended in the middle of the table. In his second season, they lost in the play-off semi-finals on penalties to Leyton Orient.
In 1999–2000, Rotherham finished second in Division Three. This earned them promotion to Division Two. There, they also finished second and won a second promotion in a row.
Challenges and Comebacks
Rotherham stayed in Division One for four seasons. After moving down to League One in 2005, Mick Harford became manager. But he was fired after 17 games without a win. Youth team coach Alan Knill took his place. In early 2006, the club faced money problems. A group of local business people stepped in at the last moment to save them.
The final game of the 2005–06 season was against Milton Keynes Dons. It was a game where the winner would stay up. A 0–0 draw kept Rotherham in the league. Rotherham United started their next season in League One with a 10-point penalty. This was because of the financial agreement that saved the club. The club started to make up the points. But they lost key players in January. This made relegation likely. Knill was fired on March 1, and Mark Robins became temporary manager.
Robins became the permanent manager on April 6, 2007. But he could not save Rotherham from moving down. The Millers were in the promotion spots for most of the 2007–08 season. But in March 2008, it was announced that Rotherham had financial problems again. They were given another 10-point penalty. Local businessman Tony Stewart became chairman for the 2008–09 season. He helped the club get out of its financial trouble. This led to a 17-point penalty.
The Millers then had to leave Millmoor, their home for over 100 years. This was due to disagreements with the landlords. They moved to the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield. The Millers had a good season under the new leadership. They overcame the point penalty and were close to a play-off spot. Rotherham also did well in two cup competitions. They reached the Football League Trophy Northern Final and the League Cup last 16. They beat teams from higher leagues, like Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester City, and Leeds United.
New Stadium and Recent Success
Mark Robins kept most of the team from the 2008–09 season. He also added strong players like Nicky Law and Adam Le Fondre. The 2009–10 season started well. But Robins left for rival team Barnsley in September. Rotherham was at the top of the league then. Former manager Ronnie Moore returned. He led the club to their first play-off final and first game at the new Wembley Stadium. They lost 3–2. In March 2011, Moore left Rotherham. Andy Scott replaced him. Scott was fired in March 2012.
Steve Evans took over. In the first season at the New York Stadium, he won promotion. They finished second in League Two. In the 2013–14 League One season, Rotherham reached the League One play-offs. They beat Preston North End in the semi-finals. This set up another play-off final at Wembley Stadium in four years. In the final against Leyton Orient, the game went to a penalty shoot-out. Two saves from Adam Collin secured a second promotion in a row for the club.
In the 2014–15 Championship season, Rotherham's first after nine years away, they faced a challenge. They got a point penalty for playing a player who was not allowed. This put them back into a fight to avoid moving down. They secured safety in the second-to-last game. They won 2–1 at home against Reading. Before the 2015–16 season, Rotherham sold key players. Evans left the club in September. Neil Redfearn became the new manager. He was fired in February 2016 after losing six of eight games. Neil Warnock became manager for the rest of the season. The club stayed up, finishing 21st. Warnock left in May 2016.
Alan Stubbs became the new Rotherham boss in June 2016. But he was fired in October. Rotherham replaced Stubbs with Kenny Jackett. He was then replaced by Paul Warne. Rotherham finished last that season and moved down to League One. They finished with only 24 points. This is the lowest points total in a single season in the second division of English football.
Rotherham returned to the Championship on their first try. They beat Shrewsbury in the 2018 play-off final. Rotherham moved down from the Championship the next season. In the 2019–20 season, Rotherham were promoted by points per game. They finished second behind Coventry City. They moved back to League One at the end of the 2020–21 season. This happened after a late goal against Cardiff City.
In the 2021–22 season, the Millers were promoted back to the Championship. They finished second. They beat Gillingham 2–0 on the last day. The club also won the 2021–22 EFL Trophy at Wembley Stadium. They beat Sutton United 4–2 after extra time. In the 2022–23 season, manager Paul Warne left for Derby County. Exeter City boss Matt Taylor replaced him. At the end of the 2023–24 season, Rotherham moved down to League One again.
Team Kit and Sponsors
Since 2015, a local company called AESSEAL owns the naming rights for the stadium.
The club's main sponsors are IPM Group and Asura. Their names are on all the playing kits. The training clothes have a different sponsor, Guardian Electrical. All the team's clothing is made by Puma. Puma has worked with the club for over 10 years.
Home Stadiums
The club's old home was Millmoor in Rotherham. The team played there from 1907 to 2008. One side of the ground has an unfinished Main Stand. It was hoped this stand would be finished by 2006–07. But it was not ready when the ground stopped being used in 2008. The Millmoor Lane Stand has covered and open seating. Both ends used to be standing areas. They have now been made into all-seated areas. The ground also has very tall floodlights, about 124 feet high. The club left Millmoor in 2008 because of issues with the owners.
While a new stadium was being built in Rotherham, the club moved. They played at the Don Valley Stadium in nearby Sheffield. This was for four seasons, from 2008–09 to 2011–12.
In January 2010, the club announced their new stadium. It was later named the AESSEAL New York Stadium. It was built where the old Guest and Chrimes factory used to be. Work on the site began in February 2010. Construction started in June 2011. The first game at the stadium was a friendly match. Rotherham played against Barnsley on July 21, 2012. The Millers won 2–1. Jacob Mellis of Barnsley scored the first goal in the stadium. David Noble scored Rotherham's first goal there. The New York Stadium hosted its first league game on August 18, 2012. Rotherham beat Burton Albion 3–0. Daniel Nardiello scored the first official goal at the ground.
Club Supporters
In the TV show ChuckleVision, there are often jokes about the club. The Chuckle Brothers support Rotherham United in real life. In one episode, Paul and Barry play for Rotherham. Paul scores an own-goal but thinks it's a real goal. He celebrates with Barry.
Club Records and Statistics
- Highest league finish: 3rd, 1954–55 Football League Second Division
- Best FA Cup performance: Fifth round, 1952–53, 1967–68
- Record league victory: 8–0 against Oldham Athletic, Millmoor, Division 3 North, May 26, 1947
- Record cup victory: 6–0 against Spennymoor United, FA Cup second round, December 17, 1977; 6–0 against Wolverhampton Wanderers, FA Cup first round, November 16, 1985; 6–0 against King's Lynn, FA Cup second round, December 6, 1997
- Record defeat: 1–11 against Bradford City, Division 3 North, August 25, 1928
- Record home attendance at Millmoor: 25,170 against Sheffield United, Football League Second Division, December 13, 1952
- Record home attendance at Don Valley Stadium: 7,082 against Aldershot Town, Football League Two play-offs, May 19, 2010
- Record home attendance at the New York Stadium: 11,758 against Sheffield United, Football League One, September 7, 2013
- Most played opponents in league and cup matches: Lincoln City (94), Doncaster Rovers (84), Crewe Alexandra (79), Bradford City (78), York City (78)
- Opponents with most victories against in league and cup matches: Lincoln City (49), Doncaster Rovers (40), Bradford City (37), Rochdale (36), Chester City (35)
- Opponents with most defeats against in league and cup matches: Chesterfield (41), Wrexham (31), Darlington (30), Walsall (29), Crewe Alexandra (29), Huddersfield Town (29)
- Opponents with most draws against in league and cup matches: Swansea City (25), Doncaster Rovers (22), Lincoln City (21), Walsall (21), Crewe Alexandra (20), York City (20)
- Record league points: 91, Division 2, 2000–01
- Record league goals: 114, Division 3 (N), 1946–47
- Record league goal-scorer: Gladstone Guest, 130 league goals, between 1946 and 1956
- Record cup goal-scorer: Alan Crawford, 18 goals, between 1974 and 1979
- Highest league scorer in a season: Wally Ardron, 38 goals, 1946/47
- Most goals in one match: Jack Shaw, 5 goals against Darlington, FA Cup, November 25, 1950, won 7–2
- Most internationally capped player: Kári Árnason (36 caps for Iceland)
- Record appearances: Danny Williams, 461 league matches, 39 cup matches, 621 in total
- Youngest player: Kevin Eley, 16 years 71 days, May 15, 1984
- Record transfer fee: £1,000,000 for Sam Nombe from Exeter City
- Record fee received: £1,600,000 from Cardiff City for Danny Ward
- Record gate receipts: £106,182 against Southampton, FA Cup third round, January 16, 2002
Current Players
First-Team Squad
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Players on Loan
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Club Management
Coaching Staff
- Manager: Steve Evans
- Assistant Manager: Paul Raynor
- First Team Coach: Gary Mills
- First Team Fitness & Development Coach: Joe Skarz
- Goalkeeping Coach: Ian Pledger
- Senior Performance Coach: Brent Dickinson
- First Team Physiotherapy: James Starmore
- Head of Talent ID: Rob Scott
- Lead Technical Scouts: Warren Spalding and Lewis Scott
- Academy Manager: Richard Hairyes
- Academy Head of Coaching: John Williams
- Development Phase Lead Coach: Gavin Atherton
- Foundation Phase Lead Coach: Dave Atkinson
- Head of Academy Physiotherapy: Adrian Littlejohn
- Head of Academy Recruitment: Scott Duncanson
Managerial History
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Billy Heald | August 1, 1925 | March 1, 1929 | 165 | 55 | 38 | 72 | 33.33 | |
| Stan Davies |  |
March 1, 1929 | May 31, 1930 | 59 | 18 | 12 | 29 | 30.51 |
| Billy Heald | August 1, 1930 | December 31, 1933 | 150 | 49 | 27 | 74 | 32.67 | |
| Reg Freeman |  |
January 1, 1934 | August 1, 1952 | 523 | 252 | 97 | 174 | 48.18 |
| Andy Smailes | |
August 1, 1952 | October 31, 1958 | 278 | 109 | 50 | 119 | 39.21 |
| Tom Johnston |  |
December 1, 1958 | July 1, 1962 | 174 | 63 | 47 | 64 | 36.21 |
| Danny Williams | |
July 1, 1962 | February 1, 1965 | 125 | 53 | 21 | 51 | 42.40 |
| Jack Mansell | |
August 1, 1965 | May 31, 1967 | 96 | 34 | 27 | 35 | 35.42 |
| Tommy Docherty | |
November 1, 1967 | November 30, 1968 | 52 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 30.77 |
| Jim McAnearney | |
December 1, 1968 | May 1, 1973 | 240 | 92 | 66 | 82 | 38.33 |
| Jimmy McGuigan | |
May 1, 1973 | November 13, 1979 | 341 | 131 | 91 | 119 | 38.42 |
| Ian Porterfield | |
December 30, 1979 | June 6, 1981 | 71 | 32 | 21 | 18 | 45.07 |
| Emlyn Hughes | |
July 1, 1981 | March 21, 1983 | 84 | 31 | 21 | 32 | 36.90 |
| George Kerr | |
March 21, 1983 | May 31, 1985 | 124 | 44 | 30 | 50 | 35.48 |
| Norman Hunter | |
June 18, 1985 | December 9, 1987 | 137 | 43 | 41 | 53 | 31.39 |
| John Breckin | |
December 9, 1987 | December 23, 1987 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Dave Cusack | |
December 23, 1987 | April 1, 1988 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 29.41 |
| Billy McEwan | |
April 1, 1988 | January 1, 1991 | 147 | 54 | 42 | 51 | 36.73 |
| Phil Henson | |
January 1, 1991 | September 14, 1994 | 199 | 75 | 55 | 69 | 37.69 |
| John McGovern / Archie Gemmill | |
September 14, 1994 | July 31, 1996 | 104 | 36 | 31 | 37 | 34.62 |
| Danny Bergara |  |
August 1, 1996 | May 24, 1997 | 50 | 7 | 14 | 29 | 14.00 |
| Ronnie Moore | |
May 24, 1997 | January 31, 2005 | 398 | 143 | 121 | 134 | 35.93 |
| Alan Knill (Caretaker) | |
January 31, 2005 | April 7, 2005 | 74 | 20 | 19 | 35 | 27.03 |
| Mick Harford | |
April 7, 2005 | December 10, 2005 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 19.23 |
| Alan Knill | |
December 10, 2005 | March 1, 2007 | 64 | 18 | 17 | 29 | 28.13 |
| Mark Robins | |
March 1, 2007 | September 9, 2009 | 129 | 56 | 30 | 43 | 43.41 |
| Steve Thornber (Caretaker) | |
September 9, 2009 | September 26, 2009 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Ronnie Moore | |
September 26, 2009 | March 21, 2011 | 87 | 36 | 21 | 30 | 41.38 |
| Andy Liddell (Caretaker) | |
March 25, 2011 | April 15, 2011 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.00 |
| Andy Scott | |
April 16, 2011 | March 17, 2012 | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 32.61 |
| Darren Patterson (Caretaker) |  |
March 19, 2012 | April 11, 2012 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 80.00 |
| Steve Evans | |
April 9, 2012 | September 28, 2015 | 173 | 72 | 45 | 56 | 41.62 |
| Eric Black (Caretaker) | |
October 1, 2015 | October 9, 2015 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Neil Redfearn | |
October 9, 2015 | February 8, 2016 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 23.81 |
| Neil Warnock | |
February 11, 2016 | May 18, 2016 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 37.50 |
| Alan Stubbs | |
June 1, 2016 | October 19, 2016 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 7.14 |
| Paul Warne (Caretaker) | |
October 19, 2016 | October 21, 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Kenny Jackett | |
October 21, 2016 | November 28, 2016 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.00 |
| Paul Warne | |
November 28, 2016 | September 22, 2022 | 176 | 63 | 37 | 76 | 35.80 |
| Richard Wood / Lee Peltier (Caretaker) | |
September 22, 2022 | October 4, 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| Matt Taylor | |
October 4, 2022 | November 13, 2023 | 55 | 10 | 18 | 27 | 18.18 |
| Wayne Carlisle (Caretaker) | |
November 13, 2023 | December 11, 2023 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Leam Richardson | |
December 11, 2023 | April 17, 2024 | 24 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 8.33 |
| Steve Evans | |
April 17, 2024 | Present | 17 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 41.18 |
Board of Directors and Ownership
- Chairman: Tony Stewart
- Vice-chairman: Richard Stewart
- Chief Executive: Paul Douglas
- Operations Director: Julie Hunt
- Commercial Director: Steve Coakley
- Financial Director: Karen Thomas
Club Honours
League
- Third Division North / Third Division / Second Division / League One (level 3)
- Champions: 1950–51, 1980–81
- 2nd place promotion: 2000–01, 2019–20, 2021–22
- Play-off winners: 2014, 2018
- Fourth Division / Third Division / League Two (level 4)
- Champions: 1988–89
- 2nd place promotion: 1991–92, 1999–2000, 2012–13
- 3rd place promotion: 1974–75
Cup
- Football League Cup
- Runners-up: 1960–61
- Football League Trophy / EFL Trophy
- Winners: 1995–96, 2021–22
- Football League Third Division North Cup
- Winners: 1945–46
See also
In Spanish: Rotherham United Football Club para niños
