50 Fun Facts About Southampton

Southampton were founded in November 1885 by members of what organisation?

St Mary's Church of England Y.M.A. gave the club both its name and its 'Saints' nickname.

Where did the young St Mary's side play most early games, interrupted by pedestrians exercising their right to roam?

Bigger cup ties were moved to the County Cricket Ground or the Antelope Cricket Ground.

How many times did Southampton win the Southern League championship before joining the Football League?

They won three in a row from 1897 to 1899 and again in 1901, 1903 and 1904.

Southampton lost their first FA Cup final, in 1900, by what score to Bury?

Two years later they lost a replayed final 2-1 to Sheffield United.

Which two Spanish clubs owe their red-and-white colours to 50 Southampton shirts bought in England in 1909?

A Bilbao representative who played for the affiliated Madrid club shared the shirts between the two squads.

The Dell, opened in 1898, cost how much to build?

The club rented it at first and could not afford to buy it until early in the 20th century; it remained home for 103 years.

Southampton's 1922-23 campaign is known as the 'Even Season' because of what?

Goals for and against were equal too, and the club finished mid-table on exactly one point per game.

In November 1940 Southampton briefly had to play home games at Fratton Park because of what?

The 18-foot crater damaged an underground culvert, sending the Saints to their rivals' ground.

In 1950 The Dell became the first ground in England to have what?

Two of its stands were rebuilt after fires during its 103 years, and by the 1990s its 15,000 capacity was the smallest in the top flight.

Which striker set Southampton's club record with 44 goals in the 1959-60 Third Division title season?

Ted Bates was the manager; Bates would go on to take the club into the First Division in 1966.

Which striker scored 30 of Southampton's 85 goals as they first reached the First Division in 1966?

Ron Davies then arrived and scored 43 in his first top-flight season.

Southampton's first European campaign, in the 1969-70 Fairs Cup, ended with a third-round exit to which club?

Two years later they went out of the UEFA Cup in round one to Athletic Bilbao, the club that wears their colours.

Who scored Southampton's winner against Manchester United in the 1976 FA Cup final?

Lawrie McMenemy's side had been relegated in 1974 as one of the first victims of three-down relegation.

Southampton's 1979 League Cup final ended in a 3-2 defeat to which club?

They had returned to the First Division the year before as runners-up to Bolton, captained by Alan Ball.

In 1980 Lawrie McMenemy stunned football by signing the reigning European Footballer of the Year. Who?

He stayed two seasons, scored 26 goals in 1981-82 as Saints led the table for two months, then left for Newcastle.

Southampton's 1983-84 runners-up finish left them how many points behind champions Liverpool?

They also lost that season's FA Cup semi-final 1-0 to Everton at Highbury.

Which Guernsey-born Southampton midfielder was PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990?

He retired in 2002 aged 33 having won eight England caps and scored the last league goal at The Dell.

Alan Shearer announced himself in April 1988 by scoring a hat-trick against which club at the age of 17?

He left in 1992 for Blackburn for a national record of over £3 million and became the world's most expensive player four years later.

Which two Souness signings scored twice each in Southampton's 6-3 win over Manchester United in 1996?

Souness resigned after a single season and was replaced by Dave Jones.

Which Latvian striker helped Le Tissier keep Southampton up in the 1998-99 'Great Escape'?

They had been bottom for much of the first half of the season.

Which former England manager took over Southampton in 2000, then quit for Tottenham a year later?

Jones had stepped aside to fight abuse allegations that were later proved groundless.

The last ever league goal at The Dell, in a 3-2 win in May 2001, was scored how?

Le Tissier had come off the bench late; the club moved to St Mary's Stadium that summer.

Southampton reached the 2003 FA Cup final, losing 1-0 in Cardiff, powered by 24 goals from which striker?

The final was played at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium while Wembley was rebuilt; the club finished eighth that year.

Which manager did Rupert Lowe appoint in December 2004, days after he resigned at Portsmouth?

He signed his son Jamie, went down on the last day, ending 27 seasons in the top flight, then went back to Portsmouth.

Which England rugby World Cup-winning coach became Southampton's technical director in June 2005?

He joined under Rupert Lowe in a much-mocked experiment while the club adjusted to the Championship.

Which 17-year-old left-back broke into Southampton's side in 2006-07 before being sold to stave off administration?

Walcott had become the club's youngest player at 16 years and 143 days a year earlier.

Which Swiss-German businessman bought Southampton out of administration in 2009, a year before his death?

The main building at the Staplewood training campus is named after him.

Southampton's 4-1 Wembley win over Carlisle in March 2010, their first silverware since 1976, came in which competition?

They had started that League One season on minus 10 points after administration.

Rickie Lambert, Southampton's first big signing under the new owners in 2009, arrived from which club?

He won three Golden Boots in four seasons and was Championship Player of the Year in 2012.

Southampton's 2011-12 promotion season featured a club-record run of how many straight home league wins?

Nigel Adkins's side went up as runners-up to Reading, completing back-to-back promotions.

Which Argentine coach replaced Nigel Adkins early in the 2012-13 season and later left for Tottenham?

Ronald Koeman succeeded him and took the club to seventh and then sixth.

How long did Sadio Mané's May 2015 hat-trick against Villa, the Premier League's fastest, take?

Southampton won 6-1 and finished seventh, qualifying for the Europa League.

Which Southampton striker was denied a 2017 EFL Cup final hat-trick by a wrong offside call?

Claude Puel's side had gone out of the Europa League on away goals to Hapoel Be'er Sheva despite a better goal difference.

Liverpool's £75 million for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018 was a world record for what?

It remains the club's record sale; the record buy is £22 million for Kamaldeen Sulemana.

After losing 9-0 at home to Leicester in 2019, what did Southampton's players and staff do with their match wages?

The scoreline was matched at Old Trafford in February 2021, tying Ipswich's 1995 defeat as the Premier League's biggest.

In April 2020 Southampton became the first Premier League club to do what during the COVID-19 pandemic?

They finished that season 11th on 52 points after a seven-game unbeaten run.

Gao Jisheng sold his 80% stake in 2022 to Sport Republic, financed by which Serbian businessman?

Gao had bought the stake for around £210 million in 2017 and sold it for £100 million.

Which manager was sacked in February 2023 after Southampton lost seven of eight league games under him?

Rubén Sellés stepped up but could not prevent relegation after 11 seasons in the top flight.

In 2023-24, Southampton set a club record by going unbeaten in how many matches in all competitions?

They finished fourth and beat Leeds 1-0 in the play-off final at Wembley.

Southampton went down on 6 April 2025 with seven games left, setting what unwanted Premier League record?

Ivan Jurić left by mutual consent the next day; Russell Martin had been sacked in December after a 5-0 home loss to Spurs.

Why were Southampton expelled from the 2026 Championship play-off final?

The club admitted also spying on Ipswich and Oxford; Middlesbrough took their place and Saints were docked four points for 2026-27.

The tree on the Saints' crest, designed by fan Rolland Parris in 1974, represents what?

The halo stands for the Saints, the water for the sea, and the white rose is the city's symbol.

Why was the ball on Southampton's crest changed to a black-and-white panelled design in the mid-1990s?

For the 125th anniversary in 2010 the ball was replaced by the figure 125 and the outline turned gold.

Which player holds Southampton's appearance record with 815 games between 1956 and 1974?

Mick Channon is the record scorer with 228 goals over two spells.

Albert Brown scored seven for Southampton in an 11-0 win in 1901 over which club?

Saints also beat Watford 11-0 a year later; the biggest Premier League win is 8-0 over Sunderland in 2014.

How old was Willy Caballero, Southampton's oldest ever player, in January 2023?

He was 41 years and 122 days; the youngest, Theo Walcott, was 16 years and 143 days in 2005.

St Mary's Stadium's record attendance of 32,363 was set in April 2012 against which club?

It was the final game of the promotion season; the ground holds 32,689 and meets UEFA's four-star criteria.

Southampton are among few clubs to sing their anthem with its original words. What is it?

The nickname comes from the club's beginnings as St Mary's church team.

Which forward is Southampton's all-time leading scorer with 228 goals across two spells?

Channon's two spells ran from 1966 to 1977 and 1979 to 1982, and he went on to become a successful racehorse trainer.

Southampton's Staplewood training campus sits in which village on the edge of the New Forest?

The youth teams long trained there too, with some Under-23 cup games later moved to Totton's Testwood Stadium.