Leicester City

Leicester City will always be remembered for their shock title win in 2015/16. Leicester's title success was one of the biggest ever surprises in the history of football, when they became only the sixth team to win the Premier League title. Leicester CIty were also the first first-time winners of a top division title since 1978, when Leicester's local rivals, Nottingham Forest, won the title. Leicester City only returned to the Premier League in May 2014, after a ten-year absence, when they won the Championship (level 2 of English football).

Where is Leicester?

Leicester is in the middle of England, in an area called the East Midlands and has a population of about 330,000, which makes it the tenth largest city in the UK. It has the highest ethnic minority population of any city in the UK. Leicester also has two very popular universities (The University of Leicester and De Montford University). Gary Lineker - the winner of the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup is from Leicester and probably Leicester's most famous fan.

"I just think it's generally the biggest sporting shock. I can't think of anything that beats it."  Ex-Leicester and England striker Gary Lineker.

How do you say Leicester?

Leicester is a difficult word to say because it sounds very different to how it's written. If you know your phonetics, then we say Leicester like this: \ˈles-tər\. If you are still not sure, then it rhymes with 'jester' or 'Manchester'. It's probably easier to call Leicester by their nickname: The Foxes. You can see a picture of a fox in the club badge and they have this nickname because the area around Leicester was very well-known for fox hunting.

Is Leicester City a new club?

No, the club was founded in 1884 and the Foxes jointly hold the record for the most second division titles in English football, they have seven titles - the same as Manchester City. Despite winning the second division title a record number of times, Leicester had never won a first division title until this season. The highest they ever finished was second in 1928-29! Leicester have reached four FA Cup finals in their history, but have never won! This is the most FA Cup finals any team have played without winning! But they have won the League Cup three times, in 1967, 1997 and 2000. Throughout their long history, Leicester have only ever played outside the top two divisions for one season, in 2008-09, and that season they won the League One title.

Who are Leicester's rivals?

Traditionally, the Foxes' biggest rivals are Nottingham Forest and Derby County because they Nottingham and Derby are the closest cities to Leicester. However, both these teams currently play in the Championship, so after Leicester's Premier League win they might start to think about Manchester Utd, Arsenal and Tottenham as their main rivals! There is only one football team in Leicester but one of their biggest rivals for support in the city is Leicester Tigers Rugby Club! Leicester is very famous for rugby and when Riyad Mahrez joined Leicester City the only club that he knew in the Leicester was the rugby one!

"I didn't know Leicester. In France we didn't really [know them] because they were in the Championship. I thought they were a rugby club." Riyad Mahrez, Leicester forward.

Where do Leicester play?

Leicester City play at The King Power Stadium, which has a capacity of 32,262. The record attendance at the stadium was 32,488 for a rugby match in 2006, between Leicester Tigers and Bath. The rugby team in Leicester is the most supported rugby club in the UK and the two teams shared the ground for a short time while the rugby teams ground was renovated. The King Power Stadium has also hosted international football matches and rugby World Cup matches. Leicester City have played at The King Power Stadium since 2002, before this time Leicester’s stadium had been Filbert Street, where they had played since 1891! Leicester City play in blue shirts and socks with white shorts, their nickname is The Foxes, and you can see a picture of a fox in the club badge. The area around Leicester was very well-known for fox hunting.Leicester City play in blue shirts and socks with white shorts, their nickname is The Foxes, and you can see a picture of a fox in the club badge. The area around Leicester was very well-known for fox hunting.

What will happen next season?

In 2016/17, Leicester City finished 12th after a disappointing defence of their Premier league title won the previous season. However, they were stronger in Europe and reached the Champions League quarter-finals.With no European distractions, the Foxes will be hoping to recapture the form that saw them lift the Premier League trophy. Goals from Jamie Vardy will be important for Leicester this season and they will hope not to lose Riyad Mahrez before the transfer window closes. Leicester have made a few big signings this summer. They have bought Kelechi Iheanacho from Manchester City (£25M) and Vicente Iborra from Sevilla (£12M) amongst others. Can Leicester rise again under their new manager, Craig Shakespeare?

Prediction 2018/19: 7th

Key player: Jamie Vardy

Did you know.......?

Leicester is one of the oldest cities in England, with a history going back over 2,000 years!

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