Portal:Yorkshire/Selected article/9
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Middlesbrough Football Club, also known as The Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Premier League. Formed in 1876, they have played at the 35,100 capacity Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889. They were founding members of the Premier League in 1992.
The club's highest league finish to date was third in the 1913–14 season and they have only spent two seasons outside of the Football League's top two divisions. The club came close to folding in 1986 after experiencing severe financial difficulties before the club was saved by a consortium led by then board member and current chairman Steve Gibson. Middlesbrough were controversially deducted three points for failing to fulfill a fixture against Blackburn Rovers during the 1996-97 Premier League season and were subsequently relegated. They were promoted the following season and have since spent the last nine consecutive seasons in the top division. Middlesbrough won the League Cup in 2004, the club's first and only major trophy.
The club's traditional kit is red with white detailing. A white band across the chest, initially introduced in the 1970s, has returned following a vote by the fans. The various crests throughout the club history, the most recent of which was adopted in May 2007, incorporate a lion rampant. (read more . . . )