WBAWest Bromwich Albion

Club history

West Bromwich Albion was founded in 1878 by workers at George Salter's spring works in West Bromwich, initially playing as West Bromwich Strollers before adopting the Albion name in 1880 to distinguish the club from other local sides. Albion were one of twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888, and their crest has long featured a throstle (song thrush) in a cage, giving rise to the historic nickname "the Throstles." The now-more-common nickname "the Baggies" emerged later, likely in the early 20th century, though its precise origin is disputed -- theories point to the baggy shorts worn by players, the bags used by gatemen to carry matchday takings, or the loose kit of a goalkeeper of the era.

The club has played in navy-blue-and-white stripes for most of its history and has called The Hawthorns home since 1900, one of English football's highest-altitude grounds. Albion's major honours include one League Championship, in 1919-20, and five FA Cups (1888, 1892, 1931, 1954 and 1968), plus a League Cup in 1966, giving the club a reputation as one of England's great cup sides through the late Victorian and mid-20th-century periods.

Albion enjoyed a strong top-flight spell in the 1970s and returned for eight consecutive Premier League seasons between 2010 and 2018 under owner Jeremy Peace before relegation and subsequent Championship mid-table stability. The Black Country derby against Wolverhampton Wanderers, rooted in the industrial rivalry between the neighbouring towns, is considered among the fiercest in English football.

Sources

• Wikipedia
• West Bromwich Albion Official Site - Club History

English Top-Flight Champions won (1)

• 1919-20

Runner-up finishes (2)

• 1924-25
• 1953-54

See the full english top-flight champions list for the winner each of these years.