The1963–64 season was the 84th season of competitivefootball inEngland, from August 1963 to May 1964.
Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition
Liverpool clinched the First Division title just two seasons after winning promotion, finishing four points ahead of runners-up Manchester United while defending champions Everton finished third.
Tottenham Hotspur managed to finish fourth despite not winning any silverware and being without many key players for much of the season due to injury, while captainDanny Blanchflower announced his retirement from playing just before the season's end. Tragedy then struck the club after the season was over, when forward John White was struck by lightning and killed on aNorth London golf course.
Chelsea enjoyed a strong return to the First Division by finishing fifth, while Leicester City finally got their hands on a major trophy by winning the League Cup.
WithAlf Ramsey having now left Ipswich Town to manage the England team, Ipswich Town struggled badly under his successorJackie Milburn, and went down in bottom place having conceded 121 goals just two seasons after being league champions. Bolton Wanderers, who had gradually faded away since the retirement of centre-forwardNat Lofthouse in 1960, also went down.
Fulham's 10-1 win over Ipswich Town on Boxing Day remains the most recent time a team has score 10 or more goals in a single game in top-flight English football.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool(C) | 42 | 26 | 5 | 11 | 92 | 45 | 2.044 | 57 | Qualification for theEuropean Cup preliminary round |
| 2 | Manchester United | 42 | 23 | 7 | 12 | 90 | 62 | 1.452 | 53 | Qualification for theInter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 3 | Everton | 42 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 84 | 64 | 1.313 | 52 | |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 42 | 22 | 7 | 13 | 97 | 81 | 1.198 | 51 | |
| 5 | Chelsea | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 72 | 56 | 1.286 | 50 | |
| 6 | Sheffield Wednesday | 42 | 19 | 11 | 12 | 84 | 67 | 1.254 | 49 | |
| 7 | Blackburn Rovers | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 89 | 65 | 1.369 | 46 | |
| 8 | Arsenal | 42 | 17 | 11 | 14 | 90 | 82 | 1.098 | 45 | |
| 9 | Burnley | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 71 | 64 | 1.109 | 44 | |
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 70 | 61 | 1.148 | 43 | |
| 11 | Leicester City | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 61 | 58 | 1.052 | 43 | |
| 12 | Sheffield United | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 61 | 64 | 0.953 | 43 | |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 64 | 68 | 0.941 | 41 | |
| 14 | West Ham United | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 69 | 74 | 0.932 | 40 | Qualification for theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 15 | Fulham | 42 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 58 | 65 | 0.892 | 39 | |
| 16 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 42 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 70 | 80 | 0.875 | 39 | |
| 17 | Stoke City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 77 | 78 | 0.987 | 38 | |
| 18 | Blackpool | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 52 | 73 | 0.712 | 35 | |
| 19 | Aston Villa | 42 | 11 | 12 | 19 | 62 | 71 | 0.873 | 34 | |
| 20 | Birmingham City | 42 | 11 | 7 | 24 | 54 | 92 | 0.587 | 29 | |
| 21 | Bolton Wanderers(R) | 42 | 10 | 8 | 24 | 48 | 80 | 0.600 | 28 | Relegation to theSecond Division |
| 22 | Ipswich Town(R) | 42 | 9 | 7 | 26 | 56 | 121 | 0.463 | 25 |
Leeds United returned to the First Division after seven years away by clinching the Second Division title under ambitious managerDon Revie, while Sunderland's six-year exile from the First Division was ended by promotion as Second Division runners-up.
Grimsby Town and Scunthorpe United slipped into the Third Division.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeds United(C, P) | 42 | 24 | 15 | 3 | 71 | 34 | 2.088 | 63 | Promotion to theFirst Division |
| 2 | Sunderland(P) | 42 | 25 | 11 | 6 | 81 | 37 | 2.189 | 61 | |
| 3 | Preston North End | 42 | 23 | 10 | 9 | 79 | 54 | 1.463 | 56 | |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 76 | 70 | 1.086 | 48 | |
| 5 | Southampton | 42 | 19 | 9 | 14 | 100 | 73 | 1.370 | 47 | |
| 6 | Manchester City | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 84 | 66 | 1.273 | 46 | |
| 7 | Rotherham United | 42 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 90 | 78 | 1.154 | 45 | |
| 8 | Newcastle United | 42 | 20 | 5 | 17 | 74 | 69 | 1.072 | 45 | |
| 9 | Portsmouth | 42 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 79 | 70 | 1.129 | 43 | |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 67 | 52 | 1.288 | 41 | |
| 11 | Northampton Town | 42 | 16 | 9 | 17 | 58 | 60 | 0.967 | 41 | |
| 12 | Huddersfield Town | 42 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 57 | 64 | 0.891 | 40 | |
| 13 | Derby County | 42 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 56 | 67 | 0.836 | 39 | |
| 14 | Swindon Town | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 57 | 69 | 0.826 | 38 | |
| 15 | Cardiff City | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 56 | 81 | 0.691 | 38 | Qualification for theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 16 | Leyton Orient | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 54 | 72 | 0.750 | 36 | |
| 17 | Norwich City | 42 | 11 | 13 | 18 | 64 | 80 | 0.800 | 35 | |
| 18 | Bury | 42 | 13 | 9 | 20 | 57 | 73 | 0.781 | 35 | |
| 19 | Swansea Town | 42 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 63 | 74 | 0.851 | 33 | |
| 20 | Plymouth Argyle | 42 | 8 | 16 | 18 | 45 | 67 | 0.672 | 32 | |
| 21 | Grimsby Town(R) | 42 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 47 | 75 | 0.627 | 32 | Relegation to theThird Division |
| 22 | Scunthorpe United(R) | 42 | 10 | 10 | 22 | 52 | 82 | 0.634 | 30 |
Coventry City made the breakthrough into the Second Division as champions of the Third Division, finishing level on points at the top of the league with Crystal Palace.
Notts County, Wrexham, Crewe Alexandra and Millwall were all relegated to the Fourth Division.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coventry City(C, P) | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 98 | 61 | 1.607 | 60 | Promotion to theSecond Division |
| 2 | Crystal Palace(P) | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 73 | 51 | 1.431 | 60 | |
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 79 | 59 | 1.339 | 58 | |
| 4 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | 46 | 24 | 8 | 14 | 79 | 58 | 1.362 | 56 | |
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 84 | 64 | 1.313 | 55 | |
| 6 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 79 | 62 | 1.274 | 52 | |
| 7 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 76 | 62 | 1.226 | 51 | |
| 8 | Hull City | 46 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 73 | 68 | 1.074 | 49 | |
| 9 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 20 | 8 | 18 | 73 | 70 | 1.043 | 48 | |
| 10 | Peterborough United | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 75 | 70 | 1.071 | 47 | |
| 11 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 73 | 80 | 0.913 | 47 | |
| 12 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 91 | 79 | 1.152 | 46 | |
| 13 | Port Vale | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 53 | 49 | 1.082 | 46 | |
| 14 | Southend United | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 77 | 78 | 0.987 | 45 | |
| 15 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 76 | 78 | 0.974 | 45 | |
| 16 | Brentford | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 87 | 80 | 1.088 | 44 | |
| 17 | Colchester United | 46 | 12 | 19 | 15 | 70 | 68 | 1.029 | 43 | |
| 18 | Luton Town | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 64 | 80 | 0.800 | 42 | |
| 19 | Walsall | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 59 | 76 | 0.776 | 40 | |
| 20 | Barnsley | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 68 | 94 | 0.723 | 39 | |
| 21 | Millwall(R) | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 53 | 67 | 0.791 | 38 | Relegation to theFourth Division |
| 22 | Crewe Alexandra(R) | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 50 | 77 | 0.649 | 34 | |
| 23 | Wrexham(R) | 46 | 13 | 6 | 27 | 75 | 107 | 0.701 | 32 | |
| 24 | Notts County(R) | 46 | 9 | 9 | 28 | 45 | 92 | 0.489 | 27 |
Gillingham finished champions of the Fourth Division, ahead of runners-up Carlisle United on goal average. They enjoyed a narrow lead over third placed Workington and fourth placed Exeter City. Bradford City bounced back from having to apply for re-election to just missing out on promotion in the space of a season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gillingham(C, P) | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 59 | 30 | 1.967 | 60 | Promotion to theThird Division |
| 2 | Carlisle United(P) | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 113 | 58 | 1.948 | 60 | |
| 3 | Workington(P) | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 76 | 52 | 1.462 | 59 | |
| 4 | Exeter City(P) | 46 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 62 | 37 | 1.676 | 58 | |
| 5 | Bradford City | 46 | 25 | 6 | 15 | 76 | 62 | 1.226 | 56 | |
| 6 | Torquay United | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 80 | 54 | 1.481 | 51 | |
| 7 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 85 | 73 | 1.164 | 51 | |
| 8 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 71 | 52 | 1.365 | 50 | |
| 9 | Aldershot | 46 | 19 | 10 | 17 | 83 | 78 | 1.064 | 48 | |
| 10 | Halifax Town | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 77 | 77 | 1.000 | 48 | |
| 11 | Lincoln City | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 67 | 75 | 0.893 | 47 | |
| 12 | Chester | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 65 | 60 | 1.083 | 46 | |
| 13 | Bradford (Park Avenue) | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 75 | 81 | 0.926 | 45 | |
| 14 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 70 | 75 | 0.933 | 42 | |
| 15 | Newport County | 46 | 17 | 8 | 21 | 64 | 73 | 0.877 | 42 | |
| 16 | Chesterfield | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 57 | 71 | 0.803 | 42 | |
| 17 | Stockport County | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 50 | 68 | 0.735 | 42 | |
| 18 | Oxford United | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 59 | 63 | 0.937 | 41 | |
| 19 | Darlington | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 66 | 93 | 0.710 | 40 | |
| 20 | Rochdale | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 56 | 59 | 0.949 | 39 | |
| 21 | Southport | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 63 | 88 | 0.716 | 39 | Re-elected |
| 22 | York City | 46 | 14 | 7 | 25 | 52 | 66 | 0.788 | 35 | |
| 23 | Hartlepools United | 46 | 12 | 9 | 25 | 54 | 93 | 0.581 | 33 | |
| 24 | Barrow | 46 | 6 | 18 | 22 | 51 | 93 | 0.548 | 30 |
First Division
Second Division
Third Division
Fourth Division
TheEngland national football team had an eventful season with a shared victory in the1964 British Home Championship, another success against aRest of the World XI in one of the most famous matches ever played atWembley and a tour of the Americas upon the season's conclusion which culminated in a dire performance inBrazil during the1964 Taça de Nações.
| Date | Opposition | Venue | Competition | Result | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 October 1963 | Ninian Park,Cardiff | British Championship | Won | 4–0 | |
| 23 October 1963 | Rest of the World XI | Wembley | Friendly | Won | 2–1 |
| 20 November 1963 | Wembley | British Championship | Won | 8–3 | |
| 11 April 1964 | Hampden Park,Glasgow | British Championship | Lost | 0–1 | |
| 6 May 1964 | Wembley | Friendly | Won | 2–1 | |
| 17 May 1964 | Estádio Nacional,Lisbon | Friendly | Won | 4–3 | |
| 24 May 1964 | Dalymount Park,Dublin | Friendly | Won | 3–1 |