Everton were founded as St. Domingo's in 1878 so that people from the parish of St. Domingo's Methodist Church could play a sport in non-summer months - cricket was played in summer. A year later, the club was renamed Everton F.C. after the surrounding area, as people outside the parish wished to participate. The club was a founding member of the Football League in 1888-1889, winning their first League Championship title in 1890–91. Everton won the FA Cup in 1905–06 and the League title again in 1914–15, However it was not until 1927 that Everton's first sustained period of success began. In 1925 the club signed Dixie Dean who, in 1927–28, set the record for league goals in a single season with 60 goals in 39 league games, a record that still stands to this day. Dean helped Everton to achieve their third league title. Everton were relegated to the Second Division two years later during internal turmoil at the club. However, the club was promoted at the first attempt scoring a record number of goals in the second division. On return to the top flight in 1931–32, Everton wasted no time in reaffirming their status and won a fourth League title at the first opportunity. Everton also won their second FA Cup in 1932–33 with a 3–0 win against Manchester City in the final. The era ended in 1938–39 with a fifth League title. The advent of World War II saw the suspension of League football, and when official competition resumed in 1946 the Everton team had been split-up and paled in comparison to the pre-war club. Everton were relegated again in 1950–51 and did not return until 1953–54, when finishing as runners-up in their third season in the Second Division. The club have been a top flight presence ever since. Everton's second successful era started when Harry Catterick was made manager in 1961. In 1962–63, his second season in charge, Everton won the League title and in 1966 followed with a 3–2 FA Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday. Everton again reached the final two years later, but this time were unable to overcome West Bromwich Albion at Wembley. A year later in 1969–70, Everton won the First Division, nine points clear of nearest rivals Leeds United. During this period, Everton were the first English cup to achieve five consecutive years in European competitions - seasons 1961-62 to 1966-67. However, the success did not last; the team finished fourteenth, fifteenth, seventeenth and seventh in the following seasons. Catterick retired but his successors failed to win any silverware for the remainder of the 1970s. Though the club mounted title challenges and finished third in 1977–78 and fourth the following season, manager Gordon Lee resigned in 1981, after Everton slid down the table and fell further behind local rivals Liverpool. Howard Kendall took over as manager and guided Everton to their most successful era. Domestically, Everton won the FA Cup in 1983–84 and two league titles in 1984–85 and 1986–87. They were also runners-up to neighbouring Liverpool in both league and cup competitions in 1985–86 and were again on the losing side to Liverpool in the 1984 League Cup final and the 1988–89 FA Cup final. Everton won their first and only European trophy in 1984–85, the European Cup Winners' Cup. After first beating University College Dublin, Inter Bratislava and Fortuna Sittard, Everton defeated German giants Bayern Munich 3–1 in the semi-finals, despite trailing at half time (in a match voted the greatest in Goodison Park history) and recorded the same scoreline over Austrian club Rapid Vienna in the final. Having also won the league title that season, Everton came very close to winning a treble, but lost to Manchester United in the FA Cup final. After the Heysel Stadium disaster and the subsequent ban of all English clubs from continental football, Everton lost the chance to compete for more European trophies. A large proportion of the title-winning side was broken up following the ban. Kendall himself moved to Athletic Bilbao after the 1987 title triumph and was succeeded by assistant Colin Harvey. Everton were founder members of the Premier League in 1992, but struggled to find the right manager. Howard Kendall had returned in 1990 but could not repeat his previous success, while his successor, Mike Walker, was statistically the least successful Everton manager to date. When former Everton player Joe Royle took over in 1994 the club's form started to improve; his first game in charge was a 2–0 victory over derby rivals Liverpool. Royle dragged Everton clear of relegation, and also led the club to the FA Cup for the fifth time in its history, defeating Manchester United 1–0 in the final. The cup triumph was also Everton's passport to the Cup Winners' Cup—their first European campaign in the post-Heysel era. Progress under Joe Royle continued in 1995–96 as they climbed to sixth place in the Premiership. The following season, 1996–97, was not as successful and the club finished in fifteenth place. Royle quit in March. Club captain, Dave Watson, was given the manager's job temporarily and he helped the club to Premiership survival. Howard Kendall was appointed Everton manager for the third time in 1997, but the appointment proved unsuccessful as Everton finished seventeenth in the Premiership; only avoiding relegation due to their superior goal difference over Bolton Wanderers. Former Rangers manager Walter Smith then took over from Kendall in the summer of 1998 but only managed three successive finishes in the bottom half of the table. The Everton board finally ran out of patience with Smith and he was sacked in March 2002 with Everton in real danger of relegation. The current manager, David Moyes, was his replacement and delivered Everton to a safe finish in fifteenth place. After that harrowing season, Everton finished seventh, seventeenth, fourth (their highest ever Premiership finish) and eleventh. It was under his management that Wayne Rooney broke into the first team, before being sold to Manchester United for a club record fee of £27 million. Moyes has broken the club record for highest transfer fee paid on four occasions, signing James Beattie for £6 million in January 2005, Andy Johnson for £8.6 million in summer 2006, Yakubu Aiyegbeni for £11.25 million in summer 2007, and Marouane Fellaini for £15 million in September 2008. 2006–07 saw Everton finish sixth in the league and attain UEFA Cup qualification. In 2007, Everton completed the takeover of the Toxteth Tigers basketball team, with the rebranding of Liverpool's first ever top-flight basketball franchise, the Everton Tigers. 2007-08 saw Everton once again gain European football with a fifth place league finish, although they were eliminated from the UEFA Cup prior to the group stages by Standard Liege. Everton Football Club are a professional English football club from the city of Liverpool, England. Their home ground is Goodison Park. Founded in 1878, the club is one of England's oldest and Everton were founder members of The Football League in 1888. The club currently competes in the Premier League, being ever-present since the league was founded in 1992. The club have a large fanbase and regularly attracts high attendances, averaging over 36,000, 90% of stadium capacity. Currently managed by David Moyes, Everton have won the League Championship nine times—the fourth highest of any team, and have played more seasons in the top flight than any other club. Additionally, they have won the FA Cup five times and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup once. The club's most recent major trophy was the 1995 FA Cup. Numerous well-known footballers played for Everton F.C. Since 2000, the club has annually recognised successful former players as Giants of the team. The most notable is William (Dixie) Dean, the centre forward in the 1920s and 1930s. Dean is the most prolific goal-scorer in English football history, setting an all time record of 60 league goals in a single season in 1927-28. Everton have a notable rivalry with near neighbours Liverpool F.C.. Liverpool FC were formed in 1892 by a breakaway group consisting of Everton's old president and several players. A dispute with the Everton committee and the president who owned Everton's then home ground, Anfield, forced the club to look for another home; Everton have been based at Goodison Park since 1892 as a result of the split. In 2006, it was announced that the club and Knowsley Council were discussing the construction of a new 55,000 seater stadium in Kirkby on the Liverpool city border. Progress has been delayed due to a public inquiry. Division One winners: 1890-91, 1914-15, 1927-28, 1931-32, 1938-39, 1962-63, 1969-70, 1984-85, 1986-87 Division Two winners: 1930-31 FA Cup winners: 1906, 1933, 1966, 1984, 1995 European Cup-winners Cup winners: 1984-85 Legend: Dixie Dean, whose record of 60 League goals in season 1927-28 is almost certain to stand for all time. Terrace hero: Mikel Arteta - when fit the Spanish midfielder shows the skills that keep alive the club's old reputation as the School of Science. Finest hour: The League title and European Cup Winners' Cup double under manager Howard Kendall in 1984-85. Lowest ebb: Following that great achievement the ban from European football for the Heysel Tragedy. Everton had probably the best team in their history and would have been favourites for the European Cup.