We can kind of skip ahead here. Watford was formed in 1881, joined the Football League in 1921, and basically spent the next 60 years in the third tier. It was in 1976 that their modern history started—from a rather unusual source. A certain Reginald Kenneth Dwight grew up in the area. He stood on the Watford FC terraces and then made a bit of…

Nearby Luton Town are the biggest rival. During the 2020–21 season and the 2021–22 season, they finally played again for the first time in 14 years. Now that Luton is back in the Championship, this rivalry is back on for the 2024–25

In 2022, Watford FC Women were in the Women’s Championship, the second tier, but they finished last and were relegated to the National League South at tier 3. Home games are at the ground of semi-pro team Kings Langley FC about 10 miles north of Watford

Back in the 1960s, Watford adopted the theme song to a BBC show called Z-Cars, kind of a drum-and-fife number. (In England they say “ZED-cars.”) That’s random enough; apparently, it was the manager’s favorite show. What makes it odder is that Everton uses it as well. They will also do a call-and-response to spell out…

Their home since 1922, Vicarage Road—may it ever remain so named—is surprisingly pleasant and cozy; its capacity is 21,997. The oldest part of it was built in the 1980s, and it’s all had work done recently to make it nice all around. Groundhopper Guides’ beer guru Andrew says their selection is well above average. Along one side is the Graham…

GETTING THERE: From Euston station in London, there are three ways to get to Vicarage Road: ∙ Take the Tube to Watford, which is the slowest way. ∙ Take London Overground service from Euston to Watford High Street, which is the closest station to the ground. But this ride is about 40 minutes. ∙ The best way to do it is to take the 16-minute West…