Huddersfield Town

May 29th 2017 is a date that Huddersfield Town fans will remember for a long, long time. It was the day that Huddersfield won what is often described as the richest match in world football! The match was the Play-Off Final at Wembley Stadium, and their victory, in a penalty shootout against Reading, meant the club was promoted to the Premier League for the first ever time!

We can give lots of people hope, smaller clubs that keep believing, you can achieve the impossible.

Dean Hoyle, Huddersfield Town’s owner.

Key Stats

Club: Huddersfield Town

Nickname: The Terriers

Stadium: John Smith’s Stadium

Stadium Capacity: 24,500

Manager: David Wagner

Last season: 5th in Championship (won play-offs)

Colours: Blue and white stripes (home) red and black stripes (away)

Record signing: Steve Mounie from Montpellier (FRA) £11.4M

Fact: Huddersfield are the only team to be promoted to the Premier League with a negative goal difference (-2) 

What do we know about Huddersfield Town?

Has Huddersfield ever played in the Premier League?

No, never. In fact, it’s the first time they've played in the top division for 45 years. That was 1972 when Imagine by John Lennon was top of the music charts and Atari introduced the first ever video game; a tennis game called Pong!

Which players should we keep an eye on?

Huddersfield has lots of young players and will be hoping to surprise a few of the bigger teams next season. Some names to watch out for are Aaron Mooy, an Australian international signed from Manchester City, Kasey Palmer who is on a season-long loan from Chelsea and Steve Mounie, a Benin international, who is Huddersfield’s new record signing from Montpellier in France.

Where is Huddersfield?

Huddersfield is in Yorkshire, an area of northern England that is famous for its cricket team, which is the most successful in English cricketing history and as the birthplace of Rugby League. Yorkshire is also home to a number of ex-Premier League teams including; Leeds United, Hull City and both Sheffield clubs (Wednesday and United). This season, Huddersfield will be flying the flag for Yorkshire.

Who is Huddersfield's manager?

Huddersfield’s manager is David Wagner. The Huddersfield role is his first ever job as manager. That he has managed to win promotion to the Premier League in his first full season with the club is an amazing achievement. Wagner is half German and half American. He played internationally for the USA but was born and raised in Germany. He won the UEFA Cup with Schalke as a player. He’s the third manager from Germany to manage in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool is one of the other two. Do you know who is the other German manager was?

Who are Huddersfield's main rivals?

Huddersfield’s main football rivals are Leeds United who is often seen as the biggest club in Yorkshire. But, Huddersfield actually has the better record against their Yorkshire rivals. Huddersfield has won 25 West Yorkshire derbies against Leeds and only lost 19 times. Huddersfield’s other main rival is another former Premier League team; Bradford City.  

Round and about

In this section, we take a look at some cultural and social aspects of life in the UK that are directly related to Huddersfield and its surrounding areas. Huddersfield is in the county of Yorkshire and if you were to visit the area, you may be interested in the answer to these questions ...

What’s Yorkshire Pudding?

It’s part of one of Britain’s most iconic dishes - the Sunday roast, which is basically roast beef and lots of vegetables with gravy and Yorkshire Pudding. Yorkshire Pudding is a mixture of eggs, milk and flour that is baked in the oven. They are delicious! Try this recipe from the BBC and have them for dinner next Sunday! 

What's a Yorkshire Terrier?

Huddersfield's nickname is the Terriers. The Yorkshire Terrier is a type of dog that was first bred in the Yorkshire region so the football team became known as the Terriers. In fact, the first ever Yorkshire Terrier, named Huddersfield Ben, was born in the town. If you look closely at the Huddersfield club badge, you will be able to spot a Yorkshire Terrier sitting with a ball.

How old is Huddersfield?

There has been a settlement in Huddersfield for over 4,000 years. The town can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086 AD under the name 'Odersfeld'. The Domesday Book is a survey of all the land, in England and Wales, ruled by King William the Conqueror during that period of time. No other book such as this was attempted until 800 years later.

Learning

Fan Interview 

In this section, we would like you to practise your English listening skills. Have a listen to Eddie, who is a Huddersfield Town fan and try to answer the questions below. If the listening is too difficult, you can read the dialogue at the same time.

1. What is Eddie looking forward to about the Premier League?
2. Which place does Eddie recommend you visit?
3. Where does Eddie think Huddersfield will finish this season?

Dialogue

Journalist: So, we’re joined now by Eddie a Huddersfield Town fan from... errr... Huddersfield. Now, Eddie, Huddersfield are new to the Premier League this season and many people may not know much about the team. 

Eddie: Yes, I think we are definitely this season’s surprise package and we’re hoping to upset a few of the bigger clubs in the Premier League.

Journalist: What are you most looking forward to this season?

Eddie: I think it has to be Manchester Utd visiting the John Smith’s Stadium. The atmosphere will be brilliant and if we can win the fans will just go crazy!

Journalist: Can you tell us something about Huddersfield?

Eddie: Huddersfield is where the sport of Rugby League was born over 100 years ago but I have to be honest, I much prefer the round ball to the oval one.

Journalist: What would a tourist come to Huddersfield for?

Eddie: Apart from going to a match to see the mighty Terriers, Huddersfield is on the edge of the Peak District, one of the most beautiful areas of countryside in England. There are hundreds of different walks and traditional English villages to go and see. It’s well worth a visit.

Journalist: And finally, what’s your prediction for this season?

Eddie: Well, I don’t think we’re going to win the Premier League but I’m quietly optimistic. I think we’ll surprise a few teams, especially at the start of the season. I think we’ll escape relegation and I would be very happy with 17th place.

Vocabulary

Trivia

In all of our club pages, we encourage you to find out more about each Premier League club. Searching for information in English can be a great way to improve your language skills. We have three general knowledge questions and we want to see if you can find the answers. Beware! Some of the questions are quite difficult!

1. What honour connects Huddersfield Town, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United? 
2. Huddersfield Town's stadium is called the John Smith's Stadium. Who is or was John Smith?
3. David Wagner is the third German Premier League manager. Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp is another but who is the other?