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Leicester Football Club (nicknamed '''Leicester Tigers''') is an English Rugby Union club that plays in the Guinness Premiership . The club has been the most successful English club of the professional era, winning the Heineken Cup twice and the league five times under the captaincy of Martin Johnson . HISTORY Leicester Tigers were formed as 'Leicester Football Club' in August 1880 at a meeting in the George Hotel, Leicester were founded in 1880 from a merger of three smaller teams Leicester Societies AFC, Leicester Amateur FC and Leicester Alert. They played their first game that October against Moseley at the Belgrave Cricket and Cycle Ground wearing black. They moved into their current ground at Welford Road , Leicester in 1892 . They quickly gained a reputation and won the Midlands Cup eight times in a row, from 1898 to 1905 before dropping out “to give other teams a chance”. The origin of the Tiger nickname is believed to have come from founders the Royal Leicestershire Regiment who got the nickname after serving in India , although alternative theory points to them wearing a brown and yellow striped shirt at some point. This differs from most rugby teams such as Newcastle Falcons , Sale Sharks and Leeds Tykes who adopted animal nicknames after the advent of professionalism to add marketability. In their early years they were also known as "The Death or Glory Boys". Leicester started to grow towards the end of the 1970s . At the start of the decade, the club had just 600-700 members and gates less than 1,000. By the end of the '70s, Tigers had reached their first cup final and the club was on its way towards a real growth period. Supporters and players alike put this turn in attitude down to Chalkie White , who came to Leicester in 1968 . He was a very progressive coach with high standards in terms of fitness and thinking about the game. His unique style of coaching brought the team success on the pitch and with that success came an increase in supporters. The '70s was a fantastic era for the annual Christmas Barbarians fixture where in contrast with the usual 750-2,000 spectators, the team played in front of a packed house. This game no longer takes place. In the 1980s the club still enjoyed the benefits of amateur rugby with nights away and Easter tours, but off the pitch they were taking their first steps towards corporate sponsorship. Leicester were England’s first official champions when they beat Waterloo on the last day of the 87/88 season. They were English champions again in 1995. Leicester then flexed their considerable muscle and went on one of the greatest winning streaks ever. From 1999 to 2002, under the captaincy of Martin Johnson , they were almost unstoppable as they claimed four consecutive Premiership titles and the Heineken Cup in 2001 and {Link without Title} . What was so impressive was their 57 unbeaten home wins that stretched from 30th December 1997 to 30th November 2002 and included 52 successive wins. So great was their superiority that they only lost 14 games out of the 92 games played over the four seasons. In the (captain), Neil Back , Martin Corry , Ben Kay , Lewis Moody , Dorian West and Julian White . The coach, Clive Woodward , played for the club from 1979 to 1985 . In the 2004 New Year Honours Woodward received a Knighthood ( KBE ), Johnson was made a CBE and the other World Cup players MBE s. In the 2000/2001 Tigers made history and took the treble by winning the Zurich Premiership, the Zurich Championship and the Heineken Cup. WELFORD ROAD The club plays its home games at Welford Road Stadium , the address of which is actually on Aylestone Road. The stadium was largely built during the 1930s, As Of 2004 , the stadium has hosted eight international games. It hosted games during both the 1991 and 1999 Rugby Union World Cup s. {Link without Title} FUTURE STADIUM DEVELOPMENTS On . The Tigers now intend to purchase Welford Road outright, plus some surrounding land, and expand the ground (pending planning approval). {Link without Title} PLAYERS Current England elite squad
Other Internationals
Former
CAPTAINS COACHES 2004-2005 season
2005-2006 season
CLUB HONOURS
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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