page_title: List of Stoke City F.C. records and statistics
section_title: Progression of record fee paid
hierarchical_section_title: List of Stoke City F.C. records and statistics / Player records / Transfers / Progression of record fee paid
caption_attribution_description: Chelsea 3 Stoke 0
context_page_description: Stoke City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.
  Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863 the club changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke-on-Trent was granted city status. They are the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts County, and are one of the founding members of the Football League. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. They have never been lower than the third tier.
  Their first, and to date only major trophy, the League Cup was won in 1972, when the team beat Chelsea 2–1. The club's highest league finish in the top division is 4th, which was achieved in the 1935–36 and 1946–47 seasons. Stoke played in the FA Cup Final in 2011, finishing runners-up to Manchester City and have reached three FA Cup semi-finals; in 1899 then consecutively in 1971 and 1972. Stoke have competed in European football on three occasions, firstly in 1972–73 then in 1974–75 and most recently in 2011–12. The club has won the Football League Trophy twice, in 1992 and in 2000.
caption: Peter Crouch cost Stoke £10 million in August 2011
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