Portsmouth F.C.

Portsmouth Football Club is a professional football club based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, which competes in the , the third tier of English football. They are also known as Pompey, a local nickname used by both His Majesty's Naval Base, Portsmouth and the city of Portsmouth. Founded in 1898, Portsmouth began their early history in the Southern and Western leagues, before being elected into the English Football League in 1920. Portsmouth won two promotions in the 1920s to reach the First Division. After reaching FA Cup finals in 1929 and 1934, they won for the first time in 1939. Portsmouth won the First Division title in 1948–49 and 1949–50. However, their 32 consecutive years in the top-flight ended with relegation in 1959 and was followed by another relegation two years later. They were relegated to the fourth tier for the first time in 1978, their second relegation in three years, before earning three promotions in the 1980s. After a brief spell in the top flight, Pompey would remain in the second tier from 1988 until 2003. After winning promotion, they spent seven years in the Premier League and lifted the FA Cup again in 2008. Relegation in 2009–10 signalled the beginning of a difficult period where the club entered financial administration twice and were relegated three times. After the club was purchased by the Pompey Supporters Trust, Pompey would begin to recover financially as well as winning the League Two title in 2016–17. Portsmouth are one of only five English football clubs to have been champions of all four tiers of the professional English football pyramid. Portsmouth's arch-rivals are Southampton, a rivalry based in part on geographic proximity and both cities' respective maritime histories.