London derbies

The term London Derbies refers to the various football local derbies between the teams in London, England. It specifically refers to individual matches between the teams, but can also be used to describe the general ongoing rivalry between the clubs and fans.

Teams in London [edit]

Crystal Palace take on Millwall at Selhurst Park in a South London derby, October 2010.

As of 2012–13, there are fourteen clubs in the Premier League and Football League that play in the Greater London area, which are as follows:

Former Football League clubs based in London include Barnet, Thames and Wimbledon.

Major London derbies [edit]

Some of the most heated rivalries are between clubs that are geographically close together, including:

• North London derby – between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. A rivalry has existed since Arsenal's move to the Highbury area of North London in 1913, and especially since Arsenal's promotion to the First Division in 1919. It is perhaps the most hotly contested of all London derbies. Previously, North London's 'second derby' was Barnet v Enfield F.C., with the two large, non-league clubs sharing a bitter mutual hatred. However, Barnet won promotion to the league in 1991 and Enfield did not follow. They have since disbanded, and neither of Enfield's two new clubs, Enfield Town F.C. or Enfield 1893 F.C. has yet taken on "the bees" in a competitive fixture. Barnet's main rivalry now lies with Hertfordshire neighbours Stevenage F.C., who over the last few years have been of a similar level to them.

• South London derby – any between Charlton Athletic, Millwall, Crystal Palace and AFC Wimbledon. Despite Millwall's fiercest rivalry being with East Enders West Ham United, they also have a rivalry with their nearest neighbours Charlton Athletic and Crystal Palace.

• West London derby – any between Brentford, Chelsea, Fulham and QPR. The clubs of Brentford, Fulham and QPR share longstanding rivalries with each other, although QPR and Fulham usually regard Chelsea as their major rivals. However, due to being a bigger and more successful club, the West London rivalry has never been reciprocated by Chelsea fans, who typically regard Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Yorkshire's Leeds United as historically more significant rivals.

• South London vs East London derby - between Millwall F.C. and West Ham United F.C. Also known as the Dockers derby. The fixture grew out of a rivalry between competing London dockers and remains fierce (matches have often been marred by violence and hooliganism) despite only being contested infrequently, due to the clubs most years being in separate divisions. It is perhaps the bitterest of the London rivalries and there have been a number of films portraying it, most notably Green Street and Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground.

• East London derby – between Leyton Orient and West Ham United F.C., a fixture which, for the same reasons as the Dockers derby, rarely takes place : their last competitive meeting was in 1987. Technically, it can also be a term for Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. v West Ham or Leyton Orient.

See also [edit]

• Football in London

References [edit]

• Harvey, Geoff & Vanessa Strowger Rivals: The Offbeat Guide to the 92 League Clubs, Aesculus Press Limited, 2004, ISBN 978-1904328131
• "Understanding London football rivalries" by Peter Watts, 8 February 2010
• "Brentford and Fulham briefly resume a rivalry", When Saturday Comes, July 2010
• "London: A Football Fan’s Heaven", SoccerWithoutLimits website, July 7, 2012
• "The English Fan", FussballinLondon website
• London football teams, Transfers-in-London website

External links [edit]

• All-time Premiership London derby league table from Sky Sports