Around and about Wolverhampton

1. Where is Wolverhampton?
Wolverhampton lies just to the west of Birmingham, and is the heart of an area called the Black Country.

2. Why is it called ‘the Black Country’?
Because of the coal deposits just below the surface of the earth, the ground is actually black. In the 19th century, the factories produced lots of smoke and dirt. Furnaces burned all night in the factories which produced steel - steel mills. This led an American diplomat to famously describe the region as ‘black by day and red by night’.

3. So is Wolverhampton very polluted?
Not anymore. There is still a lot of engineering and manufacturing in Wolverhampton. But these hi-tech plants, as well as clean air legislation, mean that Wolverhampton is now a very clean city.

4. Do the inhabitants of Wolverhampton have a special accent?
Yes. The Black Country accent is very distinctive. For example, people say ‘royt’ for ‘right’, ‘loff’ for ‘laugh’ and ‘winder’ for ‘window’. In fact, some people say you can tell exactly which Black Country town a person comes from by listening to their accent.

5. Why does the Wolverhampton Wanderers logo have a wolf’s head?
The first syllable of ‘Wolverhampton’ sounds like ‘wolf’. So the wolf appears on the team’s crest, and ‘Wolves’ is the team’s nickname.

6. What is the connection between Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Los Angeles Wolves?
The United States began its own soccer league in 1967. But as they did not have any players, they decided to import whole teams from Europe and South America. Wolves were chosen to become Los Angeles’s team for a season. But they insisted on taking their fierce-sounding nickname with them, and they became the Los Angeles Wolves.

7. What is Wolverhampton’s stadium famous for?
The Molineux Stadium has been the Wanderers’ home ground since 1889. But perhaps its main claim to fame is that it was the first stadium in the world to install floodlights so that games could be played in the evenings, after spectators had finished work. The first ever floodlit game was Wolves v South Africa in 1953, which Wolves won 3 – 1.

8. How can Wolves fans get involved in the club?
Wolves organize regular meetings for a group of fans. At these meetings, the club’s Chief Executive and the fans meet to discuss a wide range of issues, from the club’s finances and new plans for the ground, to selecting a manager for the team. Any fan can apply to become a member of the group.

Click here for a vocabulary activity

What do you remember about Wolverhampton

Read the statements about Wolverhampton and decide if they are true or false.

Exercise

What is the name of this group of Wolves fans? Search the web to find the answer.

• Fans’ Ministry
• Fans’ Congress
• Fans’ Parliament
• Fans’ Government

Find out more about Wolverhampton from Visit Britain's Wolverhampton destination guide.