 | ||||
| Full name | Barnsley Football Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames | The Reds, The Tykes, The Colliers,[1] | |||
| Founded | 1887; 138 years ago (1887) | |||
| Ground | Oakwell | |||
| Capacity | 23,287 | |||
| Owner | BFC Investment Company Ltd | |||
| Chairman | Neerav Parekh | |||
| Head coach | Conor Hourihane[2] | |||
| League | EFL League One | |||
| 2024–25 | EFL League One, 12th of 24 | |||
| Website | barnsleyfc | |||
 Current season | ||||
Barnsley Football Club is a professionalfootball club inBarnsley,South Yorkshire, England. The club competes inEFL League One, the third tier ofEnglish football.
Nicknamed "the Tykes" or less commonly "the Colliers", they were founded in 1887 byReverend Tiverton Preedy and moved toOakwell the following year. The club's original blue colours were changed to red and white in 1904. Barnsley spent the 1890s in theSheffield & District,Midland andYorkshire leagues, before gaining admittance to theFootball League Second Division in 1898. They twice reached the final of theFA Cup whilst still in the second tier, losing toNewcastle United in1910 and winning the competition overWest Bromwich Albion in1912. The club suffered relegation in 1933, but secured promotion asThird Division North champions in 1934. They won the Third Division North title for a second time in 1939, having been relegated the previous season.
Relegated again in 1953, they secured another Third Division North title in 1955. However, further relegations left them in the fourth tier of English football by 1966. Promotion from theFourth Division was achieved in 1968, though they were relegated after just four seasons. The club secured two promotions in three years under the stewardship ofAllan Clarke andNorman Hunter, and from 1981 would spend sixteen consecutive years in the second tier.
Premier League football was secured for the 1997–98 season with a second-place finish in theFirst Division, though they were relegated after one season and dropped down to the third tier in 2002. Barnsley won the2006 League One play-off final and remained in theChampionship for eight seasons. Relegated in 2014, they won both the2016 Football League Trophy final and the2016 League One play-off final, though this time spent just two seasons in the Championship. In 2017, a majority stake in the club was sold to a consortium that includedChien Lee, Neerav Parekh andBilly Beane. Barnsley won promotion from League One with a second-place finish in the year 2019, before being relegated out of the Championship again in the year of 2022. Barnsley have spent more seasons and played more games at the second level of English football than any other team.[3][4] The club's main rivals are fellow Yorkshire clubsSheffield Wednesday,Sheffield United,Leeds United,Huddersfield Town andRotherham United.
Barnsley were established in 1887 as Barnsley St Peter's byReverend Tiverton Preedy, and they played in the Sheffield and District League from 1890 and in theMidland League from 1895. In 1897, the club dropped the St Peter's part of its name to become simply Barnsley. They joinedthe Football League in 1898, and struggled in theSecond Division for the first decade, due in part to ongoing financial difficulties. In 1910, the club reached theFA Cup final, where they were defeated byNewcastle United. In 1912, they reached the FA Cup final again, and defeatedWest Bromwich Albion1–0 to win the trophy for the first time in their history. When league football restarted after the First World War, the1919–20 season brought some significant changes to the league. The main difference was that theFirst Division would now have 22 teams, rather than 20. The bottom team from the previous season wasTottenham Hotspur and they wererelegated. The first extra place in the First Division went toChelsea, who retained their place despite finishing second bottom and therefore in the relegation places.Derby County andPreston North End werepromoted from the Second Division which left one place to be filled.
Having finished the previous season's Second Division in third place, Barnsley expected to achieve First Division status for the first time, but the Football League instead chose to call a ballot of the clubs. The League voted to promote sixth-placed Arsenal, for reasons of history over merit.Sir Henry Norris, the thenArsenal chairman, argued that Arsenal be promoted for their "long service to league football", having been the first League club from the South of England.[5] It has been alleged that this was due to backroom deals and even outright bribery by Sir Henry Norris, colluding with his friend John McKenna, the chairman of Liverpool and the Football League, who recommended Arsenal's promotion at the AGM.[6] No conclusive proof of wrongdoing has come to light, though other aspects of Norris's financial dealings unrelated to the promotion controversy have fuelled speculation on the matter. Norris resigned as chairman and left the club in 1929, having been found guilty by the Football Association of financial irregularities; he was found to have misused his expenses account, and to have pocketed the proceeds of the sale of the Arsenal team bus.[7]
The club came close to reaching the First Division in their early years. In the1921–22 season, they missed out on promotion bygoal difference. During the 1930s and 1940s years, the club found themselves sliding between the Second andThird Division. In 1949, the club signedDanny Blanchflower fromGlentoran, and he impressed atOakwell that two years later he was signed by First Division sideAston Villa, later signing for Tottenham Hotspur and being votedFWA Player of the Year twice, as well as being thecaptain of the 20th century's firstleague and cup double winning team in1960–61.[8] Around the time of Blanchflower's departure, a young centre-forward calledTommy Taylor broke into the Barnsley team, scoring 26 goals in 44 games. In April 1953, he became one of the most expensive players in English football at the time whenSir Matt Busby signed him forManchester United for a fee of £29,999. Taylor went on to be a prolific goalscorer at the highest level over the next five years, winning two league titles and scoring 16 goals in 19 appearances for theEngland national football team, before losing his life in theMunich air disaster on 6 February 1958.[9]
When the Northern and Southern sections of the Third Division were replaced by national Third andFourth Divisions for the1958–59 season, Barnsley were still in the Second Division, but went down to the Third Division at the end of the season. In 1965, Barnsley were relegated to the Football League Fourth Division for the first time, winning promotionthree years later. They went down to the Fourth Division again in 1972, and this time stayed down for seven seasons, finally returning to the Third Division in 1979. Two years later, they went up again and quickly established themselves as a decent Second Division side throughout the 1980s, although they still failed to clinch that elusive First Division place, despite the introduction of theplay-offs in the second half of the decade, which gave teams finishing as low as fifth and eventually sixth the chance of winning promotion.[10]
For the1994–95 season, Barnsley turned to midfielderDanny Wilson to manage the club. His first season brought a sixth-place finish in the First Division, which would normally have meant a play-off place, but a restructuring of the league meant that they missed out. They finished 10th a year later before finally emerging as serious promotion contenders in the1996–97 season, finally clinching runners-up spot and automatic promotion and gaining the top flight place that they had spent 99 years trying to win.
Barnsley lasted just one season in thePremier League but they did reach the quarter-finals of theFA Cup, defeating Manchester United in the fifth round. They also made their record signing that season withGeorgi Hristov for £2 million. Wilson then departed to take over atSheffield Wednesday, being succeeded as Barnsley manager by strikerJohn Hendrie, who had been a key player in the promotion-winning team. Barnsley were the only team from outside the Premier League to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in the1998–99 season, but only finished 13th in the league. Hendrie was then replaced as manager byDave Bassett, who rejuvenated the team and took them to fourth place in1999–2000. The teamlost in the play-off final toIpswich Town, the last play-off final atWembley before the stadium was closed for redevelopment.[11]
The team were relegated to the Second Division in 2002;administration threatened the existence of the club as Barnsley suffered greatly due to theITV Digital crisis. A late purchase by Barnsley's then mayor, Peter Doyle, saved the club from folding. In 2006, the side won in theplay-off final at theMillennium Stadium inCardiff, where they beatSwansea City 4–3 onpenalties to earn promotion to theChampionship. The manager at this time wasAndy Ritchie, who was in his first season in charge after replacingPaul Hart. The team struggled in their first season back in the Championship. In November 2006, with Barnsley in the relegation zone, Ritchie was sacked in favour ofSimon Davey, who managed to steer the team away from relegation in the second half of the season, and they eventually finished 20th. The following season, Barnsley reached thesemi-final of the FA Cup, beating Premier League sideLiverpool 2–1 atAnfield and defending championsChelsea 1–0; the team lost 1–0 against fellow Championship sideCardiff City atWembley in the semi-final. In October 2008, the club fielded the youngest player in theFootball League's history whenReuben Noble-Lazarus came on againstIpswich Town aged 15 years and 45 days.[12]
Barnsley ended the2011–12 season as one of only two football clubs to turn a profit in the Championship; they stayed up only becausePortsmouth were given a 10-point deduction for going into administration. In 2016, Barnsley won theFootball League Trophy after a3–2 win againstOxford United.[13] They gained promotion to the Championship following a 3–1 win overMillwall in theplay-off final later that season.[14] In September 2016, Barnsley were caught up inan ongoing scandal in English football, with assistant managerTommy Wright alleged to have accepted "bungs" in exchange for working as an ambassador for a third-party player ownership consortium. Wright was initially suspended before being sacked by Barnsley.[15]
In December 2017, Patrick Cryne and his family sold an 80% stake in the club to NewCity Capital'sChien Lee and Pacific Media Group's Paul Conway. They were joined by Indian investor Neerav Parekh andBilly Beane, minority owner of and advisor for theAthletics, who was widely known for theMoneyball film portrayal, as part of an international investor consortium.[16][17]
Barnsley were relegated to the third tier in2017–18.[18] Following this, the new owners adopted a data-driven approach to identify talents, focusing on young players and team rebuilding.[19] The club appointedDaniel Stendel as head coach, who introduced a high-pressing style of play.[20] Barnsley were promoted back to the Championship thefollowing season.[21] In the2019–20 season, under new coachGerhard Struber,[22] Barnsley avoided relegation from the Championship.[23] In2020–21, under the management ofValérien Ismaël, Barnsley finished fifth place and reached theEFL Championship Play-offs for the first time in 24 years, doing so with the youngest squad and one of the smallest budgets in the division.[24]The Wall Street Journal called Barnsley a "Moneyball experiment".[25]
Prior to the 2021–22 season,Markus Schopp was appointed as the new head coach.[26] In November 2021, he was dismissed after seven consecutive defeats.[27] Three weeks laterPoya Asbaghi was appointed as his successor.[28] Fortunes improved little as Barnsley were relegated from the2021–22 EFL Championship following a 2–1 defeat againstHuddersfield Town.[29] Asbaghi left the club by mutual consent shortly afterwards.[30] On 15 June 2022,Michael Duff was appointed head coach of Barnsley on a three-year contract.[31]
In May 2022, it was revealed that Pacific Media Group did not actually own all the shares they claimed to own, and were simply a nominee for a group of 4 investors who owned 20% of the club. Following this revelation, Neerav Parekh purchased the shares of 2 of the investors, while Matt Edmonds purchased the shares of the 4th investor. Following the purchases and further equity raises, the new ownership of the club is now understood to be split between Neerav Parekh (61.14%), the Cryne family (21.30%), Julie Anne Quay and Matt Edmonds (11%), Chien Lee (4.60%), and Conway's company Pacific Media Group (1.96%). With this reconstituted shareholding and a loss of majority control, Paul Conway, Chien Lee, Grace Hung and Dickson Lee were voted off the board of Barnsley Football Club, and were replaced by Jean Cryne and Julie Anne Quay in May 2022.[32] In July 2023, the EFL charged Barnsley with 5 breaches of the EFL Regulations related to the ownership of the club under Conway and Lee's tenure, whilst also charging Conway and Lee individually with causing these breaches in regulations.[33][34]
The stadium's name, Oakwell, originates from the well and oak tree that were on the site when first built. Oakwell is a multi-purpose sports development inBarnsley, South Yorkshire, used primarily by the club for playing its home fixtures, and its reserves. While the name 'Oakwell' generally refers to the main stadium, it also includes several neighbouring venues which form the facilities of the Barnsley academy – an indoor training pitch, a smaller stadium with seating on the south and west sides for around 2,200 spectators, and several training pitches used by the different Barnsley squads. Until 2003, the stadium and the vast amount of land that surrounds it was owned by Barnsley themselves; however, after falling into administration in 2002 the council purchased the main Oakwell Stadium to allow the club to pay its creditors and remain participants in the Football League.[35] The stadium's capacity is 23,287.[36]
According to a survey, 'The League of Love and Hate' conducted in August 2019, Barnsley supporters named fellow Yorkshire clubsSheffield Wednesday,Sheffield United andLeeds United as their biggest rivals, withHuddersfield Town andRotherham United following.[37]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1976–1977 | Litesome | — |
| 1977–1979 | Admiral | |
| 1979–1980 | Umbro | |
| 1980–1981 | Taits | |
| 1981–1984 | Hayselden | |
| 1984–1986 | Brooklands Hotel | |
| 1986–1988 | Lowfields | Sandal Bayern |
| 1988–1989 | Intersport | Lyons Cakes |
| 1989–1991 | Beaver International | Shaw Carpets |
| 1991–1993 | Gola | Hayselden |
| 1993–1994 | Pelada | |
| 1994–1995 | ORA | |
| 1995–2000 | Admiral | |
| 2000–2001 | Big Thing | |
| 2001–2002 | iSoft | |
| 2002–2003 | Red Flag | |
| 2003–2004 | Vodka Kick | |
| 2004–2005 | Koala | |
| 2005–2007 | Jako | Barnsley Building Society |
| 2007–2008 | Surridge | Wake Smith |
| 2008–2011 | Lotto | Barnsley Building Society |
| 2011–2014 | Nike | C.K. Beckett |
| 2014–2015 | Avec | |
| 2015–2019 | Puma | |
| 2019–2022 | The Investment Room | |
| 2022–2023 | Various[note 1] | |
| 2023–2024 | US Mobile |
Barnsley have played their home games in redshirts for most of their history. The only exception to this is the period 1887–1901, where it is speculated that the team first wore blue shirts with claret arms, then circa 1890 the team wore chocolate and white stripes, before moving on to blue and white stripes around 1898. The team first wore red shirts in 1901.[41] Since this time, the team have worn red shirts often with a white trim, although in more recent times a black trim has sometimes been used. As with most football clubs the shirt design varies from season to season. One particular design that stands out is the1989–90 season shirt which featured white stars on a red background and has been named as one of the worst shirts ever.[42] Manufacturers logos were added to the shirt in1976–77, while sponsors were first added in the1980–81 season.[citation needed]
The club'saway strip (used for away or cup fixtures where there is a clash of colours) differs from season to season but usually follows the design of the season's home strip with a variation on the colours. The most common and traditional colour for the away kit has been white and black, although other colours have been used, including light blue, yellow, black,ecru, dark green and even black and blue stripes. One notable away strip was the2001–02 "It's just like watchingBrazil" kit, where the team wore the colours of the five-timeWorld Cup winners Brazil for their away games.[43]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Head Coach | Conor Hourihane |
| Assistant Head Coach | Richard Keogh |
| First-Team Coach | Tom Harban |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Scott Flinders |
| Head of Performance | Vacant |
| Physical Performance Coach | Luke Jelly |
| Head of Medical | Vacant |
| Physiotherapist | Sarah de Mello |
| Club Doctor | Dr John Harban |
| Dr David Arundel | |
| Performance Analyst | Ryan Simpson |
| Ed Davies | |
| Head of Football Operations and Club Secretary | Ann Hough[47] |
| Academy Manager | Bobby Hassell |
| U-21 Manager | |
| U-18 Manager | Nicky Eaden |
Source:[48]
| Barnsley F.C. managers from 1898 to present | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
Barnsley have spent more seasons and played more games at the second level of English football than any other team.[3][4]
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Source:Barnsley F.C.
League
Cup
| International | |
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| National | |
