Sheffield firsts
Some of the many reasons why Sheffield is known as the Home of Football!
• Oldest Existing Association Football Club in the World: Sheffield FC
• Second Oldest Existing Association Football Club in the World: Hallam FC
• Third Oldest League Football Club in the World: Sheffield Wednesday FC
• Oldest existing ground in the World still to be hosting Association Football: Sandygate
• Oldest stadium in the World still to be hosting professional Association football: Bramall Lane
• Oldest Knockout Cup in the World: Youdan Cup
• Second Oldest Knockout Cup in the World: Cromwell Cup
• Oldest County Football Association in England: Sheffield Football Association 1867
• Oldest English County Knockout Cup: Sheffield Challenge Cup (Jointly with Birmingham F.A.)
• Oldest English Charity Knockout Cup: Wharncliffe Cup
• The world’s oldest rules written by an association football club : 1858 Sheffield Rules
• The Sheffield FA instigated the corner kick, a fixed crossbar, umpires and the free kick.
• They were also the first to discuss penalties but quickly decided against them.
• World’s first use of Floodlights: Bramall Lane
• World’s first League Club to be called ‘United’: Sheffield United
• Cemetery Road Church FC are the oldest club to originate from a church (1861). Heeley FC are the oldest club from a surviving church (1862)
• Oldest ‘State’ School Football Club in the World: All Saints’ Night School FC
• Oldest School Tournament in the World still being competed for: Clegg Shield
• Sheffield played in the first ever inter-city match, against London
• York FC (1861) are the oldest club to originate from a hotel & Garrick (1866) are the oldest club to originate from a public house.
• Oldest Player Insurance Scheme in the World
• First ever Chairman of the Football Association: Sir Charles Clegg (he also played in England’s very first international against Scotland in 1872)
• First ever F.A. Cup: Made in Sheffield by Martin, Hall & Co.
• World’s first professional footballer.
• Wednesday FC were the first English club to import and compensate a Scotsman for footballing reasons, James J. Lang in the autumn of 1876.
• First player from an ethnic minority (Romany) to win an England cap: Sheffield United’s Rab Howell in 1895
• Sheffield United hold the record as the only club to field 10 England internationals in a league match (8 times in one season!)
• Sheffield United FC, together with Corinthians FC, were the first team to compete in the 1898 Sheriff of London Charity Shield in March 1898. A football competition played annually between the best amateur and best professional club in England (either the Football League champion or FA Cup winner).
• First ever BBC radio commentary on a professional football match (January 1927) featured a game between Arsenal and Sheffield United. Today the Sheffield & District Junior Sunday Football League is the largest league of its kind in Europe
• Surrey Catholic FC, the world’s oldest catholic club. St Vincents FC, the world’s oldest club to originate from a Catholic church
• First reference to passing in the game in the world, 1861 Hyde Park
• First reference to heading in the game, 1872, The Oval in London by Sheffield representative team
More to come – send in your entries!
