Huddersfield Town AFC has an historical past other clubs envy. It is this tradition and heritage of been one of the most successful English league clubs that as seen the fundamental values of the club grow and develop throughout the history of our great club. Prestige of the past is often fused into hopes for the present and future, with often the historical values helping to shape the path of the present and future. Town have the honour of having some great players and times throughout the history of the great club.

It is much of the history and records of the club that instils pride and passion within those lucky enough to be associated with this club. History is something that can never be taken away, Town supporter passion and love for their club is another and in the summer of 2008 the club commercially identified the value in this creating the "All together now" strategy.

In the 1920's Town won the league championship three times in a row and the FA Cup in 1922 they were the team everyone wanted to beat, the team everyone aspired to be like and had it's famous 'Old Girl' Leeds Road as it's theatre of sporting greatness. And in modern times it is these three championships in the 1920's that are etched into the minds and thoughts of many Town fans and proudly don the famous strips above our proud crest.

The Terriers know the true belief of the ups and the downs of football, when during the 1970's. Following promotion in the 1969/1970 season to the top division they slipped into the fourth division by 1975 in dramatic style.

Huddersfield is where Rugby League was created towards the end of the 19th century and it was not until 1907 that moves to form a professional association football club came to fruition. Having had their approach to share Huddersfield RFCs ground rebuffed, the founders bought a site on Leeds Road for £500. In September 1908 Huddersfield Town FC was launched and joined the North Eastern League. In the early days the club became known as the "Scarlet Runners" thanks to the red shirts the club used.

Town's first season in football (North Eastern League) ended with the club placed 16th out of 18 teams. The club won 10 of its 34 matches and accumulated 24 points. The first match was a 2-0 loss at South Shields Adelaide on September 5th 1908. A week later Town grabbed it's first ever win - 2-0 on home soil against Workington.

The early adopted nickname was the Town.

In 1909 the club directors passed a resolution that the playing kit of the club would be blue and white stripes with white knickers (shorts).

The name Huddersfield Town entered English football in 1910 after the people of Huddersfield successful sold the idea to the Football League in London, that England's biggest town required an association football club (June 1910).

The Terriers put together an ambitious plan to the Football League - which included legendary architect Archibald Leitch fully redesigning the ground. 16 years later the club had secured three top flight championships on the trot - a fate no other club had done, and had created the dream of football in the home of rugby league.

The first match for the club in The Football League (the club's third in existence) ended with a 1-0 away win at Bradford Park Avenue. Henry Hamilton is credited with the goal - the first ever goal in The Football League for Town. The first home league match ended with a 1-0 loss against Burnley.

That augural season Town finished the 20 team league 13th with 34 points from the 38 games played. 10 home wins and 3 away wins made up the 13 wins for the season. During the first League season Town used 28 players, with the biggest win a 7-1 defeat of Birmingham City at Leeds Road in April 1911. It was during this game that 'inside-left' (left winger) James Macauley scored the club's first ever league hat-trick.

However, the club's first ever hat-trick came in the 'opening season'. Wallace scored three in the league match at Sunderland Royal Rovers in a 5-0 December win.

It was also during 1909 (Town entered the 1908 League too late to enter the competition) that the club played it's first ever FA Cup match. The 11-0 victory over Heckmondwike is officially the club's biggest ever victory to date. The victory over Heckmondwike came on September 18, 1909.

The former Leeds Road home of the Terriers was designed by architect Archibald Leitch. The design of the stadium took similar lines to Leitch's other stadium designs of Fulham, Tottenham and Arsenal. With an initial capacity of 34,000, it was an estimated £6,000 to build.

The first game at Leeds Road took place in March 1908 (a friendly with Bradford Park Avenue watched by 1,060), the last a 2-1 victory over Blackpool in April 1994 (watched by 16,195). Morris scored the Terriers first ever goal at Leeds Road against Bradford Park Avenue, whilst Phil Starbuck scored the last.

Leeds Road was 'officially opened' on September 02, 1911 before a match with Barnsley. Town won 2-1 in front of 12,755 supporters.

Leeds Road was chosen as the first home for Town as it already served amateur football in the town as well as having excellent links for the transportation of the time - trams. In 1992 the town's rugby league club Huddersfield 'Fartown' RL moved from them their Fartown home to share Leeds Road.

In 1912 the football club fell into liquidation through spiralling debts and low crowds, and with reports that the club was to fold and move to Leeds and that the ground had been sold the people of Huddersfield demonstrated, the people held many fundraising activities and the club grew out of the liquidation mess to gain promotion and the first of many FA Cup final appearances in 1920. It was at this time that the new club owners adopted the famous blue and white stripes, which have been worn (bar the period 1967-1969) as the main home shirt ever since.

In 1919 then chairman J Hilton Crowther planned to merge the club with Leeds United and move operations to Leeds - the second time in the history of Town. Crowther felt that the public in that part of Yorkshire may back the club better than the Huddersfield public. There was an outcry in the town, Crowther was ousted and by the end of the season Town were promoted to the first division and reached the FA Cup Final.

On April 12 1926 Huddersfield Town became the first English league side to win the top-flight championship three times in a row. Town fans young and old are only too happy to remind their opposition of this most wonderful history: "Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end, we won the league three times in a row..."

The thrice-championship was started by the legendary manager Herbert Chapman, but after he left (to join Arsenal) Town were guided by Cecil Potter, who clinched the third championship at Leeds Road against Bolton, with a 3-0 win. Herbert Chapman had joined Town as secretary in September 1920, and became first team manager in March 1921.

Town began their feat on May 03 1924, with the first of the three championship victories. Town's achievement saw the club presented with a shield by the football league and takes pride of place in the boardroom today. Town won the first (1923-1924) with the closet of margins, on goal difference over Cardiff City. The second (1924-1925) two points from West Bromwich Albion, and the famous third (1925-1926) five clear points from second placed Arsenal.

The awe-inspiring 126 match three-season campaign (42 matches in a season) saw Town win 67 matches, draw 38 and lose just 21 matches as they commanded and dominated English football (scoring 221 goals, at a cost of 121 goals)

The third championship in 1925 has proven to be Town's last top flight championship to date as the once proud champions of English football as played much of it's recent history in the lower echelons of English football.

Also during April 1950 Leeds Road suffered a fire to the West Stand (the main stand). Fire destroyed the roof of the stand and Town had to play their final home games at Elland Road. The next season the roof was back, but a different style to the original design by Archibald Leitch.

Floodlights where installed at Leeds Road in 1961. The floodlights were dubbed the "Dennis Law floodlights" with Law's transfer to Manchester City rumoured to have helped pay for them. The first ever 'floodlit' match in Huddersfield was a brilliant 2-1 FA Cup 3rd Round reply victory over high flying Wolverhampton Wanderers. 46,155 turned up on Wednesday January 11, 1961 to see the Terriers beat Wolves in cold and frosty conditions.

The floodlighting system cost £23,000 to install (installation was by local company John Cooke and Son), and were ready just 3 or 4 hours before the start of the Town v Wolves match.

It was a proud night for Huddersfield in which then manager Eddie Boot said "I am really proud of my team. They were magnificent". Derek Stokes on three minutes gave Town the lead, but the visitors equalised. The Wolves goal came from Murray via the penalty spot (43 minutes), 8 minutes after Town could have taken a 2-0 lead with Stokes missing a penalty - after Mike O'Grady was pulled down.

The first floodlit winner came from Mike O'Grady in the 76th minute of the Leeds Road cup-tie, following a period of sustained Wolves pressure.

For the start of the 1969 season Huddersfield Town changed it's nickname to the Terriers, introducing the terrier onto the club crest as it remains today.

The original floodlights at Leeds Road lasted just one year, as two of the original pylons blew down following a gale. All four were replaced by the pylons shown in the photo of the Cowshed End stand below and these lasted the test of time until the closure of Leeds Road stadium in 1994.

Although the Leeds Road ground is now gone and replaced with the new home - The Galpharm Stadium (formally known as McAlpine Stadium, during planning and construction Kirklees Stadium) - there is a brass plaque in the car park of the retail park, built on the grounds of the old stadium which signifies the centre spot of Leeds Road.

At the height of Leeds Road the attendance's hit over 65,000, but the capacity was cut over the years that by the final match in 1994 the stadium capacity stood at just over 18,000. The rugby league club had joined the football club at Leeds Road in 1992 after leaving their Fartown home of 114 years.

The Terriers played 1,554 league matches at Leeds Road before making the short move to the new stadium for the start of the 1994-1995 season.

The first ever football league match at the new stadium took place with just the two 'side' stands were built to be occupied, the South Stand was built, but without seats. On the second afternoon of the 1994/1995 season Wycombe Wanderers were the visitors to the new build and spoilt the Terriers party as the visitors secured a 1-0 victory. 13,334 turned up to the new stadium to witness history in the making.

Andy Booth scored Town's first ever goal at the new stadium on August 30, 1994. It was during the second competitive match against Leyton Orient which the Terriers won 2-1. The first against Wycombe was lost 1-0.

But the Terriers would end that season with promotion via the play-off's. Town won promotion to the old First Division (now The Championship or second tier of English football) with a 2-1 victory over Bristol Rovers at Wembley. The play-offs were a nervy affair for Town fans who had seen Town defeat second placed Brentford on penalties down in London after both legs ended 1-1. Steve Francis saved twice and Darren Bullock scored the winning penalty. The Terriers had finished 5th in the league table that season.

It was also during this season that Town player Iain Dunn made English football history. Popular Dunn scored the first ever player to score a golden goal in the professional game in England during the second round of the Members Cup - sponsored by Autowindscreens at the time.

Disbelief came for Town following a poor 2002/2003 season. After missing out in the play-off semi-final's the previous season and seeing the then manager replaced, Town struggled throughout the season, saw the new manager sacked, endured financial misery and was relegated to England's bottom division (for only the second time in the history of the club). Town has also had many 'Great Escapes' in their history.

A consortium led by the town's Rugby League Club Chairman (Ken Davy) and former club chairman Terry Fisher brought a new era and with hopefully more prosperous outcomes on the playing pitch for the Terriers, when they successfully brought Town out of Administration in June 2003.

Town was put into Administration following delayed payment of wages the Huddersfield Town players in early 2003. In order to save the club a group of supporter's set-up to Huddersfield Town Survival Trust. They also brought passion back to the club with the appointment as manager of the highly popular Peter Jackson.

After a terrific season Town secured promotion back to the second division with a penalties victory over Mansfield Town at the Millennium Stadium in 2003/2004.

With Town's relative financial security safe, the Survival Trust decided in April 2004 to change their identity and logo to read "Huddersfield Town Supporters Trust", just 4 weeks later Town missed out narrowly on automatic promotion, under 12 months since they nearly went out of existence and had just eight professional players.

Following the expiration of the 10-year deal of the McAlpine sponsorship of the Town stadium in July 2004, it was announced on July 30 2004 that Galpharm would become the new sponsors of the stadium that hosts home matches for Huddersfield Town AFC.

In 2000, Huddersfield Town introduced the new circular design of the famous Huddersfield Town crest. After a change in board on March 14, 2002 it was decided following a poll of supporters that the old 'traditional' badge (1970's) of the Terriers would again be used as the only badge of Huddersfield Town Association Football Club.

In February 2005 the current Town board announced that they would be removing the wording AFC from the badge designed in 1970. This was said to be in keeping with the times and to make merchandise easier to produce and to make slicker looking promotional material.

In April 2008 the club received a much needed financial boost as life-long Town millionaire Dean Hoyle came on board as major shareholder of the club and will become chairman from the 2009/2010 season. Hoyle and fellow shareholder Ken Davy gave supporters a dream deal with the 2008/2009 season tickets with adult ones costing from just £100.

The centenary season ticket deal seemed to rebuild the club and re-ignite the passion as Town fans bought season tickets in their thousands combining in record season ticket sales of in excess of 16,000. The deal captured the imagination of everyone connected with Town as a new feel good factor was instilled in the club and it almost felt like Town were being reborn before the very eyes.

Huddersfield has had some memorable figures at Leeds Road and then the McAlpine Stadium, some names, some faces Town supporters will never forget. Formed in 1908, who's home was Leeds Road until the 1994/1995 season move to the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, Town supporters young and old have memories only Town could have created!

Players Town fans will never forget include Clem Stephenson, Billy Smith, David Steele, George Brown, Billy Watson, Tommy Wilson (the 1920'2/1930's captain), Roy Goodall and Joe Walter the last survivor of the thrice-championship team. To commemorate Huddersfield Town's past and their former Leeds Road home they created the excellent double video "The Final Whistle".

Other names from later years: Nicholson, Greaves, Worthington, Cherry, Brown, Buxton, Wheeler, McEvoy, McGarry, Wilson, Metcalfe, Glazzard, Law, Kindon, Roberts, Jackson, Starbuck, Warnock, Booth, Jepson, Francis, Bullock and Stewart.

1908

1910

Galpharm Stadium (August 1994)

Leeds Road (1908-May 1994)

10-1, versus Blackpool (13/12/1930)

67,037 (versus Arsenal, FA Cup Sixth Round, 27/02/1932)

£1.2m, Marcus Stewart (July 1996, Bristol Rovers)

£2.75m, Marcus Stewart (February 2000, Ipswich)

W H Smith (39yr, 1934)

Dennis Law (15yr 10mth, 1956)

Jimmy Nicholson (31, Northern Ireland)

Billy Smith (521, 1914-1934)

George Brown (142, 1921-1929)
Jimmy Glazzard (142, 1946-1956)

George Brown (35, 1925-1926)
Brown also is the leading goal scorer with 159 goals

24,163 (Great Britain 12-18 Australia, Ashes Match, Rugby League, 22/10/2003)

23,678 (Liverpool FA Cup 3rd round, 1999)

The Galpharm Stadium (formally McAlpine Stadium)

Leeds Road