September 4: Sheffield Wednesday Formed

Nike Mercurial IX

In an attempt to keep their cricket players in shape during the winter months, the Wednesday Cricket Club meet on this day in soccer history in 1867 at the Adelphi Hotel to form a football club with that aim but little did they know that the football team would become more popular than the cricket team.

The Wednesday, as they were named until 1929, eventually became known as Sheffield Wednesday and are the fifth oldest football club in England. The Owls as they are known have an interesting story as to how they were named.

--- The World Soccer Shop has the best selection of soccer cleats and soccer boots. Visit the World Soccer Shop today and make sure you are ready for the soccer pitch. ---

Not so surprisingly, Sheffield Wednesday is the only club with a day of the week in their name. The Wednesday name comes from the fact that the Wednesday cricket club played their matches on you guessed it Wednesday. This was done as many of the players worked in the butcher industry which typically worked only half days on Wednesday.

The Owl became the mascot and team nickname when the football team moved to a new ground in Owlerton at the start of the 20th century and legend has it that a fan of the team brought a team owl to the club house and the rest is history.

The Owls have a list of honors including FA Cup Winners 1896, 1907, 1935, Football League First Division Champions 1903, 1904, 1929, 1930, FA Charity Shield 1935, and Football League Cup Winners 1991.

Soccer Birthdays

1953 – Fatih Terim, Turkish footballer and coach
1971 – Maik Taylor, Northern Irish footballer
1981 – Richard Garcia, Australian footballer
1984 – Hamish McIntosh, Australian football player
1986 – James Younghusband, Philippine footballer

Soccer Deaths

1986 – Otto Glória, Brazilian football coach (b. 1917)
2006 – Giacinto Facchetti, Italian footballer (b. 1942)