EFL Championship · Championship · Preston, Lancashire, England · Deepdale
Preston North End Football Club
The original Invincibles and the first ever Football League champions, Preston North End are one of English football's founding institutions, carrying a weight of history that few clubs can match from their home at Deepdale, the oldest continuously used football ground in the world.
1880–1961
The Original Invincibles
Football League founders, the first champions, and the Tom Finney era
Preston North End were founded in 1880 and became one of the twelve founding members of the Football League in 1888. In the league's inaugural season, 1888-89, Preston achieved something truly extraordinary: they won the championship without losing a single match, going unbeaten in all 22 league games. They also won the FA Cup without conceding a goal, completing the first ever league and cup Double. The team, managed by William Sudell, were christened "The Invincibles" - a title that would not be earned again until Arsenal's unbeaten season in 2003-04.
Preston won the league again in 1889-90 and remained a force in the early decades of English football. The club's greatest individual player was Sir Tom Finney, who played 473 games and scored 210 goals between 1946 and 1960. Finney was voted Footballer of the Year twice and is widely regarded as one of the finest English players of all time. A one-club man, he turned down lucrative offers from Italian clubs out of loyalty to Preston and the city he loved.
Key Facts
- Founding members of the Football League in 1888
- Won the first ever Football League title in 1888-89 unbeaten - 'The Invincibles'
- Completed the first ever league and cup Double in 1889
- Sir Tom Finney scored 210 goals in 473 appearances (1946-1960)
2000–Present
Championship Regulars
Play-off heartbreak and the search for the Premier League
Preston's modern era has been defined by life in the Championship and the tantalising but unfulfilled promise of a return to the top flight. Under David Moyes, Preston won promotion from the Second Division in 2000 and reached the Championship play-off final in 2001, where they lost to Bolton Wanderers. It was the closest the club had come to the top flight since the 1960s.
The Lilywhites have been a consistent Championship presence since, with occasional dips into League One followed by swift returns. Alex Neil guided Preston to the play-offs in 2018-19, while Ryan Lowe and his successors have continued to keep the club competitive in a division where financial disparities make survival itself an achievement. The club's approach has been characterised by financial discipline, strong Academy output, and an identity rooted in the working-class traditions of Lancashire football. Deepdale, with the Sir Tom Finney Stand and the iconic "Splash" statue outside, remains a ground where history is not just remembered but actively felt.
Key Facts
- Reached the Championship play-off final in 2001 under David Moyes
- Consistent Championship presence throughout the 2000s and 2010s
- National Football Museum housed at Deepdale from 2001 to 2012
- Club operates on one of the Championship's more modest budgets