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Each week on languagecaster’s podcast we feature a main report and on this week’s show we feature the Double – when a team wins the domestic league and cup. You can listen to the report by clicking above and can read the transcript below. Explanations of vocabulary in bold appears at the foot of the post.
What is a Double?
Very simply to do the double means that a team wins both the league title and the main domestic cup in the same season; so, for example, in England this would mean winning the Premier League and the FA Cup – quite a feat indeed. To win a double, a team has to demonstrate all the traits of a champion – abundant skill, strong character, lots of concentration, good organisation and team work but in order to win the cup then other factors like luck are also necessary.
England
When I was young, few people ever thought they would see another double-winning side again. When Tottenham won it in 1961 it was the first time it had been done since Aston Villa in 1897. Then when Arsenal became only the fourth side to do it in 1971 (Preston had won the double in 1889) we all thought that was that. Teams had to play more games in a season and their focus was firmly on winning international tournaments rather than domestic trophies. However, since Arsenal’s triumph in 1971 it has occurred on 7 more occasions, including this season after Chelsea’s win against Portsmouth in the FA Cup. Arsenal have won the double on three occasions, the last being in 2002, while Manchester United have also won it three times: in 1994, 1996 and in their treble-winning season of 1999. The only other club to have won a double in England is Liverpool when they managed it in 1986.
