Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester, and is one of the most popular football clubs in the world. Manchester United are the reigning English champions and Club World Cup holders, having won the 2008?09 Premier League and the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup. The club is one of the most successful in the history of English football and has won 22 major honours since Alex Ferguson became manager in November 1986. In 1968, they became the first English club to win the European Cup. They won a second European Cup as part of a Treble in 1999, before winning their third in 2008. The club holds the joint record for the most English league titles with 18 and also holds the record for the most FA Cup wins with 11.

Fulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and they are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Fulham are the oldest professional football team in London, usually considered to have been founded in 1879 (though the semi-professional Cray Wanderers F.C. are the oldest team in London still in existence). They spent much time in the old First Division through the 1960s, but are yet to gain any major honours. Currently owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed, Fulham had their highest-ever finish in the top-flight, in 2008-09 coming 7th to qualify for Europe once again.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English professional football club based in Tottenham, North London which currently plays in the Premier League. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane. Tottenham Hotspur were the first club in the 20th century to achieve the League and FA Cup Double, winning both competitions in the 1960?61 season. In 1963, Spurs became the first British club to win a major European trophy - the European Cup Winners' Cup and were the inaugural winners of the UEFA Cup in 1972. Tottenham have won a trophy in each of the last six decades - an achievement only matched by Manchester United. The club has a long-standing rivalry with near neighbours Arsenal and matches between the two teams are known as the North London derby.

West Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in Upton Park, London Borough of Newham, East London. They have played their home matches at the Boleyn Ground stadium since 1904. They initially competed in the Southern League and Western League before joining the full Football League in 1919. The club have won the FA Cup three times: in 1964, 1975 and 1980. In 1965, they won the European Cup Winners Cup, and in 1999 they won the Intertoto Cup. Their players are considered an important factor behind England's triumph in the 1966 World Cup, as England's captain at the time was West Ham's Bobby Moore, and both goalscorers were West Ham players. They have been members of the Premier League for all but three seasons since its creation in 1992, and their highest finish in the Premier League was 5th in 1998?99.

Manchester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Manchester. The club has won the League Championship twice, the FA Cup four times, the League Cup twice and the European Cup Winners' Cup once. The club's most successful period was during the late 1960s and early 1970s, when they won several major trophies under the management team of Joe Mercer. Since winning the League Cup in 1976, the club has failed to win any major honours, its decline led to relegation twice in three years in the 1990s, spending the 1998?99 season in the third tier of English football. The club has since regained top flight status, the level at which they have spent the majority of their history. It is now believed to be the wealthiest football club in the world, after purchase by the Abu Dhabi United Group in September 2008.

Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional football team based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. They compete in the Premier League, in which they have been playing since their promotion from the Football League in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history. They play at the DW Stadium, which they now own, and share the stadium with rugby league club Wigan Warriors. It has been their home since 1999; before that they played at Springfield Park for 67 years. As of the 2007?08 season, Wigan Athletic were the youngest club in the Premier League, having only been formed in 1932.

Stoke City Football Club is a football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Founded in 1863, Stoke is the oldest club in the Premier League, and thought to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts County. Their current home ground Britannia Stadium was opened in 1997; prior to this date Stoke had played at the Victoria Ground, which had been their home ground since 1878 (a record of 119 years currently shared with Wolverhampton Wanderers). Prior to their 2008 promotion, Stoke had not participated in top flight football since the 1984-85 season, in which they were relegated with a total of 17 points, a record low total for twenty-one years. Stoke's first major trophy was won in the 1972 League Cup Final, when they beat Chelsea 2-1. The club have won the Football League Trophy on two occasions, firstly in 1992 and most recently in 2000.

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Founder members of the Football League, Bolton were a successful cup side in the 1920s, winning the FA Cup three times. The club won the cup a fourth time in 1958. A leaner spell followed, reaching a nadir in 1987 when the club spent a season in the Fourth Division. The club regained top-flight status in 1995 after a 15 year absence; their current spell in the top division started in 2001. In 2005?06 they participated in European competition for the first time, reaching the last 32 of the UEFA Cup. Bolton qualified for the 2007?08 tournament by finishing 7th in the 2006?07 Premier League season and this time they managed to reach the last 16 of the competition. Bolton have spent the highest number of seasons in the top flight without winning the title (the 2008/2009 season, was their 70th in the top flight).

Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey, sometimes called 'The Blues', with their fans known as 'The Blue Army'. They play in the Premier League. They have played their home matches at Fratton Park since 1898. Ownership of the club is currently being transferred to the UAE multi millionaire Sulaiman al-Fahim. Portsmouth have won the FA Cup twice, most recently in 2008. Pompey's main rivals are Southampton, though they are now separated by two divisions.

Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The club was established in 1875, becoming a founding member of The Football League in 1888. It is one of only three clubs to have been both a founder member of the Football League and the Premier League (the others being Aston Villa and Everton). Prior to the formation of the Premier League in 1992, most of the club's successes were before 1930, when it had gained league and FA Cup trophies on several occasions. Relegation in 1966 was followed by 26 successive seasons of football outside the top flight. In 1992, Blackburn were promoted to the new Premier League. In 1995, Blackburn became league champions, having spent millions of pounds on players like Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton. However, the title-winning team was quickly split up and, in 1999, the club were relegated. They were promoted back to the Premiership two years later, and have been in the top flight ever since. During this time they have qualified for the UEFA Cup four times: once as League Cup winners, twice as the Premiership's sixth-placed team and once via the Intertoto Cup.

Sunderland Association Football Club are a professional association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. Since their formation in 1879, they have won six First Division titles, their last being in 1936. Founded by schoolteacher James Allan, Sunderland moved towards professionalism and they were elected into The Football League in 1890. Sunderland performed well in the league, and won their first FA Cup in 1937. However, their achievements petered out, and they were relegated in 1958. They had remained in the top league for 68 successive seasons, a record surpassed only by Arsenal. Sunderland's only triumph after the Second World War was their second FA Cup in 1973. Sunderland have a long-standing rivalry with their neighbouring club Newcastle United, with whom they have contested the Tyne?Wear derby since 1898.

Hull City Association Football Club is an English football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. In 2007?08 they achieved promotion to the top flight of English football for the first time in their history, by winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium. They finished the 2008?09 season 17th in the Premier League table, successfully avoiding relegation by one point. The previous highest position Hull City had finished in the English Football League was third in the old second division in 1909?10, which they matched in 2007?08 when they gained promotion. Their greatest achievement in cup competitions came in 1930, when the team reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. They traditionally play in black and amber, often with a striped shirt design, hence their nickname of The Tigers. The club's mascot is Roary the Tiger.

Newcastle United Football Club (also known as The Magpies, The Toon) is an English football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne. The current caretaker-manager is Chris Hughton, who succeeded short-term boss Alan Shearer, at the end of the 2008-2009 season. The club was founded in 1892 after the merger of two local clubs, Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End. They have won the First Division Championship four times and the FA Cup six times, though their last league success was in 1927. In European competition the most notable honour the club has won is the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in 1969. Supporters of Newcastle United refer to themselves as the Toon Army. Newcastle have a long-standing rivalry with neighbouring Sunderland with whom they have contested the Tyne-Wear derby since 1898.

Middlesbrough Football Club also known as 'The Boro', are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who will play in the Football League Championship for the 2009?10 season, following relegation from the Premier League. Formed in 1876, they were one of the founding members of the Premier League in 1992. The club's main rivals are Newcastle United and Sunderland. 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 won the League Cup in 2004, the club's first and only major trophy. On 24 May 2009, Middlesbrough were relegated to the Championship after failing to extend their 11-year stay in the Premier League. 

West Bromwich Albion Football Club also known as West Brom, The Baggies, Albion, The Albion, The Throstles or WBA, are an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands. The club was formed in 1878 and  were one of the founding members of The Football League in 1888 and have spent the majority of their existence in the top tier of English football. They have been champions of England only once, in 1919?20, but won the FA Cup five times. The first came in 1888, the year the league was founded, and the most recent in 1968, their last major trophy. They also won the Football League Cup at the first attempt in 1966. Since the early 1980s the club has been less successful. From 1986 to 2002 they spent their longest ever period out of the top division, although there has been something of a revival in recent years: 2008?09 was the club's fourth season in the Premier League since 2002. They will be playing in the second tier in 2009?10. Their traditional rivals were Aston Villa, but more recently their major rivalry is with Wolverhampton Wanderers, with whom they contest the Black Country derby.