The club's nickname is The Potters, after the pottery industry in Stoke-on-Trent, and their traditional home kit is a red-and-white vertically striped shirt, white shorts and stockings.

Relegation in 1998 allowed the club to win another Football League Trophy title in 2000, before promotion was secured with victory in the 2002 play-off final.

They played in the final of the FA Cup in 2011, finishing runners-up to Manchester City, which saw the club qualify for European football.

[19] Following the resumption of the FA Cup after World War II, tragedy struck on 9 March 1946, as 33 fans died and 520 were injured during a 6th round tie away against Bolton Wanderers.

[24] Waddington counted on experience; Dennis Viollet, Jackie Mudie, Roy Vernon, Maurice Setters and Jimmy McIlroy were all players signed in the latter stages of their careers.

[24] Regarded as the best goalkeeper in the world,[26][27] Banks proved to be a shrewd signing for Waddington as he helped the club maintain stability in the First Division.

[24] During the close season of 1967, Stoke City played in the one-off United Soccer Association which imported clubs from Europe and South America.

He clinched silverware for the club; the 1992 Football League Trophy was won with a 1–0 victory against Stockport County at Wembley, with Mark Stein scoring the only goal of the match.

[33] Jordan's tenure in charge was short, leaving the club less than a year after joining, and Stoke opted to re-appoint Lou Macari only 12 months after he had left.

[33] Mike Sheron, who was signed two years previously from Norwich City, was sold for a club record fee of £2.5 million in 1997.

Despite his best efforts, Durban was unable to keep the club up, as defeat against Manchester City on the final day of the season consigned Stoke to relegation to the third tier.

[17][41] Pulis steered Stoke clear of relegation,[39] with a 1–0 win over Reading on the final day of the season keeping the club in the division.

[49] Stoke won automatic promotion to the Premier League on the final day of the 2007–08 season, finishing in second place in the Championship.

[50] A 3–1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the 2008–09 season saw Stoke written off by many media outlets as relegation certainties.

In their first home match, Stoke defeated Aston Villa 3–2,[52] and wins also came against Tottenham Hotspur,[53] Arsenal,[54] Sunderland[55] and West Bromwich Albion.

[56] After a 2–1 win at Hull City,[57] Stoke confirmed their place in the Premier League as the Potters finished 12th in their return to the top flight, with a total of 45 points.

City's reward was a tie against Spanish giants Valencia and despite putting up a spirited second leg performance, Stoke went out 2–0 on aggregate.

In the Premier League, Stoke made the high-profile signing of Peter Crouch as they finished in a mid-table position for a fourth time.

[66] Despite breaking their transfer record twice on Xherdan Shaqiri and then Giannelli Imbula, in 2015–16, Stoke did not make any progress and finished in ninth position for a third season running.

[72] Despite spending nearly £50 million on players in the summer transfer window, results and performances were poor and Rowett was subsequently sacked on 8 January 2019 with the team 14th in the table.

[80][81] A slow start to the 2022–23 season marked the end for O'Neill's time in charge and he was dismissed in August 2022, with Sunderland boss Alex Neil replacing him.

[82][83] Neil was unable to end Stoke's mid-table positioning and was replaced by Plymouth Argyle's Steven Schumacher in December 2023, who lasted less than a year in charge before also being sacked in September 2024.

Their first pitch was certainly in the site of a present burial ground in Lonsdale Street, although there is evidence that they also played on land near to the Copeland Arms public house on Campbell Road.

[4] The first match to be played at the Victoria Ground was the inaugural Staffordshire Cup final against Talke Rangers on 28 March 1878,[88] Stoke won 1–0 in front of 2,500 fans[4] with the goal scored by William Boddington at about the 80th minute.

[4] Stoke played a home League match against Middlesbrough at Vale Park whilst repair work was on-going.

[94] Stoke have had problems with football hooliganism in the 1970s through the early 2000s, due to the actions of the "Naughty Forty" firm which associated itself with the club and was formed by supporter Mark Chester.

[100] More recently, Stoke City's fans and stadium have been perceived as loud, friendly, passionate and modern,[101] welcoming as guests Sugar Ray Leonard[102] and Diego Maradona.

[105] The human rights group Liberty took up their case,[106] and the Greater Manchester police eventually apologised for their actions and the fans received compensation.

[112] Due to the rarity of this fixture, Stoke have more established rivalries with Midlands clubs Derby County, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

[4] A new and simpler club crest was introduced a Stafford knot and pottery kiln represented local tradition while red and white stripes were also added.