The title of the world's oldest football club, or the oldest club in a particular country, is often disputed, or is claimed by several different clubs, across several different codes of football.
It is possible that an organisation of football players existed in London between 1421 and 1423. The records of the Brewers' Company of London, a guild, mention the hiring out of their hall "by the "ffooteballepleyers" for "20 pence", under the heading "Crafts and Fraternities".[1] The listing of football players as a "fraternity" is the earliest allusion to what might be considered a football club.[2]
Many early clubs did not use the word "football" in their name. Although the terms "football club" and "FC" are now strongly associated with Association football (soccer), early rugby clubs also referred to themselves, or continue to refer to themselves, as simply a "football club", or as a "Rugby Football Club". Similarly, most Australian rules football teams refer to themselves as "_____ Football Club".
The first documented football club is one in Edinburgh, Scotland, during the period 1824-41, and associated with a man named John Hope. Several documents relating to this "Foot Ball Club" exist.[3] The only surviving club rules forbade tripping, but allowed pushing and holding and the picking up of the ball.[4] Other documents describe a game involving 39 players and "such kicking of shins and such tumbling". A club has since been reformed under the original constitution, and play under the name, The Foot Ball Club of Edinburgh".
A club for playing "cricket, quoits and football" was established in Newcastle on Tyne in or before 1848.[5]
It is has been claimed that the Barnes Club (later Barnes Rugby Football Club), from Barnes in London, was formed in 1839[6]. However, this has not been conclusively documented. It is also argued, and supported by the Guinness Book of Records, that Guy's Hospital Football Club, founded by staff at Guy's Hospital in London in 1843, is the oldest club. While a rugby club still exists at Guy's Hospital, the connection between the present club and the one formed in 1843 is poorly-documented[7].
The oldest football club with a well-documented, continuous history is the Dublin University Football Club, founded in 1854 at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. The club now plays rugby union.
Sheffield Football Club, in Sheffield, England is the oldest documented non-university club, and was founded in 1857. It initially played a code of its own devising. The club joined the English Football Association (FA) in 1863 and is recognised by both the FA and FIFA as the world's oldest club now playing association football. The club's rules influenced the FA including handball, free kicks, corners and throw ins; it did not adopt the Association's code in full until 1877.
Cambridge University Association Football Club has been described by both the university and the BBC as the oldest club now playing Association football (soccer).[8] According to Charles Astor Bristed, in the early 1840s at Cambridge, there were games played between clubs from different colleges and houses.[9] Cambridge rules dates from 1848 and football is documented as being played on the original club ground, Parkers Piece, as early as 1838.[1] The earliest existing evidence of the Cambridge University Football Club comes from "The Laws of the University Football Club" dated 1856, and held at Shrewsbury School.[10]
The German club 1860 Munich was founded in the year indicated by its name, but did not play any kind of football until 1899. English club Notts County, formed in 1862, are the world's oldest fully professional league club.
The first football club in France was established in Paris in 1863 by English expatriates, as the following excerpt from a contemporary newspaper shows: "A number of English gentlemen living in Paris have lately organised a football club... The football contests take place in the Bois de Boulogne, by permission of the authorities and surprise the French amazingly [11]>
Gridiron football was not invented until the 1870s; Harvard University was the first to devise the game and it quickly spread, with innovations added by Yale University student Walter Camp. The oldest existing non-university semiprofessional football club is the Watertown Red & Black, which was founded in 1896. In 1899, the oldest professional football club was founded; it is now known as the Arizona Cardinals.
Contents |
| Year | Date | Club | Original code | Current code | Location | Current status/league | Notes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1824 | date unknown | The Foot Ball Club of Edinburgh | unknown | Defunct | Edinburgh, Scotland | A club which was active in the period 1824-41, and associated with a man named John Hope. The club is documented in Hope's personal papers in the National Archives of Scotland.[12] | |||||||||
| 1839* | Barnes Club | unknown | Rugby union | Barnes, London, England | London Division 1 |
The club claims formation in 1839, while other sources say 1858 or 1862. Its first recorded result was in 1862. A founding member of the Football Association (F.A.) in 1863 and one of the first two clubs (the other being Richmond) to play a game of Association football (soccer). | |||||||||
| 1843* | Guy's Hospital Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Southwark, London, England | RFU London and South East - Kent Division 1 | See above. There is no documentation for the claim to continuous existence since 1843 and the club may have been inactive for one or more seasons. | |||||||||
| 1854 | Dublin University Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland | AIB League | Oldest documented football club and the oldest to later play Rugby union. Now playing in AIL Division 2. | |||||||||
| 1856 | Barwon Football Club | unknown | defunct | Barwon Heads, Australia | Australian Rules | One of six defunct Geelong region clubs, which a couple of writers, without providing any evidence in support, claim were formed by Tom Wills prior to his involvement with the Melbourne Football Club.[citation needed] | |||||||||
| 1856 | Bellarine Football Club | unknown | defunct | Bellarine Peninsula, Australia | defunct | One of six defunct Geelong region clubs, which a couple of writers, without providing any evidence in support, claim were formed by Tom Wills, prior to his involvement with the Melbourne Football Club.[citation needed] | |||||||||
| 1856 | Corio Bay Football Club | unknown | defunct | Corio Bay, Australia | defunct | One of six defunct Geelong region clubs, which a couple of writers, without providing any evidence in support, claim were formed by Tom Wills, prior to his involvement with the Melbourne Football Club.[citation needed] | |||||||||
| 1856 | Flinders Football Club | unknown | defunct | Geelong, Australia | defunct | One of six defunct Geelong region clubs, which a couple of writers, without providing any evidence in support, claim were formed by Tom Wills, prior to his involvement with the Melbourne Football Club.[citation needed] | |||||||||
| 1856 | Kardinia Football Club | unknown | defunct | South Geelong, Australia | defunct | One of six defunct Geelong region clubs, which a couple of writers, without providing any evidence in support, claim were formed by Tom Wills, prior to his involvement with the Melbourne Football Club.[citation needed] | |||||||||
| 1856 | Moorabool Football Club | unknown | defunct | Moorabool Shire, Australia | defunct | One of six defunct Geelong region clubs, which a couple of writers, without providing any evidence in support, claim were formed by Tom Wills, prior to his involvement with the Melbourne Football Club.[citation needed] | |||||||||
| 1857 | 24 October | Sheffield Football Club | Sheffield rules | Association football | Sheffield, England | Northern Premier League, Division One South | English FA and FIFA officially recognise this club as the oldest now playing Association football[13], although some sources say Cambridge University is the oldest (see above). | ||||||||
| 1856/1857* | Cambridge University Football Club | Cambridge rules | Association football | Cambridge University, Cambridge, England | BUSA Midlands Division 2A | See above. The 1856/57 foundation date has been claimed by both the university and the BBC, which would make it the oldest club now playing Association football. However some sources state that the club was founded in 1866. | |||||||||
| 1857 | 26 December | Edinburgh Academical Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby Union | Edinburgh, Scotland | Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership Division 1 | Oldest football club in Scotland. Oldest documented rugby club in the U.K. | ||||||||
| 1858 | Saint Kilda Club | unknown | defunct | St Kilda, Victoria, Australia | defunct | Not related to the current St Kilda Football Club (see South Yarra entry below). [14][15] | |||||||||
| 1858 | Blackheath Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Blackheath, London, England | National Division Two | Foundation member of the F.A. | |||||||||
| 1858 | Liverpool Football Club (later known as Liverpool St Helens F.C.) | Rugby football | Rugby union | Liverpool, England | North 2 West | The club claims 1857[16]. Merged with another club in 1919. | |||||||||
| 1858 | University of St Andrews Rugby Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | St. Andrews, Scotland | BUSA Scotland Div. 1, Scottish Hydro Electric Regional Leagues Division 1 (Caledonia) | Founder member of the SRU. | |||||||||
| 1859 | May 14 | Melbourne Football Club | Australian rules football | Australian rules | Melbourne, Australia | Australian Football League | The club was officially formed on 14 May 1859. On 17 May 1859, members of the club codified Australian rules football. Melbourne has participated at the highest level of its code longer than any other club. | ||||||||
| 1859* | June 15 | Castlemaine Football Club | unknown | Australian rules | Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia | Bendigo Football League | Foundation date recently rediscovered, but dormant for a period[17]. | ||||||||
| 1859 | July 18 | Geelong Football Club | own code | Australian rules | Geelong, Australia | Australian Football League | The club's own code was played in the Geelong region and influenced the rewriting of the laws of Australian football in 1866. | ||||||||
| 1859* | * | Melbourne University Football Club | Australian rules | Australian rules | Melbourne University, Melbourne, Australia | Victorian Amateur Football Association Section A | Won Australian rules first ever trophy in 1861 by defeating Melbourne FC. Disbanded during World War I, but later reformed. | ||||||||
| 1860 | 20 May | Ballarat Football Club | unknown | Australian rules | Ballarat, Australia | Ballarat Football League | Formed as a junior club; senior club established in 1862.[18] | ||||||||
| 1860 | Adelaide Football Club | unknown | defunct | Adelaide, Australia | defunct | Played its first match against another club in 1862; disbanded in 1873. Not related to present-day Adelaide Football Club. [19] | |||||||||
| 1860 | Cray Wanderers Football Club | unknown | Association football | Bromley, Kent, England | Isthmian League First Division | oldest existing soccer club in Greater London | |||||||||
| 1860 | Hallam Football Club | Sheffield rules | Association football | Sheffield, England | Northern Counties East League Premier Division | Took part in first ever football tournament | |||||||||
| 1860 | Forest Football Club (later Wanderers F.C.) | unknown | Association football | Leytonstone, London, England | defunct | Won the first-ever FA Cup, 1872. | |||||||||
| 1860 | Manchester Football Club (now known as Manchester Rugby Club) | Rugby football | Rugby union | Manchester, England | National Division Two | No connection to Manchester United F.C. or Manchester City F.C.. | |||||||||
| 1860* | * | Lausanne Football and Cricket Club | unknown | defunct | Lausanne, Switzerland | defunct | The first club to play first Association football in continental Europe. | ||||||||
| 1861 | Richmond Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Richmond, London, England | London Division 1 | One of the first two clubs (with Barnes) to play a game of Association football, despite not being a member of the FA. | |||||||||
| 1861 | Sale Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Manchester, England. | Guinness Premiership | Currently in the peak domestic competition for rugby union in England. | |||||||||
| 1861* | Crystal Palace Football Club | unknown | defunct | London, England. | defunct | No connection to the later Crystal Palace F.C. Foundation member of F.A. | |||||||||
| 1861* | Oneida Football Club | unknown (possibly the Boston Game) | defunct | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | defunct | ||||||||||
| 1861* | Name unknown, at University College, University of Toronto | unknown | defunct | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | defunct | No connection to the college Canadian football team[20]. | |||||||||
| 1862* | Williamstown Football Club | Australian Rules | defunct | Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. | defunct | The first club from Williamstown (not related to current club), which folded a few years after formation | |||||||||
| 1862* | Kangaroo Flat | Australian Rules | defunct | Kangaroo Flat, Victoria, Australia. | defunct | [21]Not related to current club in the Bendigo Football League | |||||||||
| 1862 | Nottingham Football Club (later Notts County F.C.), | own code | Association football | Nottingham, England | Football League Two | NCFC official site history[22] | |||||||||
| 1863* | Bradford Football Club | Rugby football | Association football | Bradford, England | Northern Premier League Division One North | Now known as Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C. Founding member of rugby league in 1895. Entered top soccer league in 1907 in what was known as the "great betrayal". | |||||||||
| 1863 | Christchurch Football Club | own code | Rugby union | Christchurch, New Zealand | Division One — Telecom Cup | Oldest club now playing rugby union in NZ.[23] | |||||||||
| 1863* | Sydney University Football Club | Rugby football/ Australian rules football[24] |
Rugby union | University of Sydney, Sydney Australia | New South Wales Rugby Union | Foundation date disputed by historican Tom Hickie who argues that it was actually 1865[25]. The oldest Australian rugby union club; according to fullpointsfooty.net, it "flirted with 'Victorian Rules' [Australian rules] in its formative stages."[26] The current Australian rules club at the university, Sydney University Australian National Football Club, claims to be a spin-off of SUFC, although the university did not play an inter-club Australian rules game until 1887. | |||||||||
| 1863 | Royal Engineers Football Club | unknown | Association football | London, England. | British Army competition | Won the FA Cup in 1875. | |||||||||
| 1863 or 1868 | Stoke Football Club | unknown | Association football | Stoke-on-Trent, England. | English Premier League | Some accounts say the club was founded in 1868. | |||||||||
| 1863* | Civil Service Football Club | Association football | Association football | London, England. | Southern Amateur League | Foundation member of F.A. Sometimes referred to as the "War Office Club". | |||||||||
| 1863* | N.N. Club | unknown | defunct | Kilburn, London, England. | defunct | N.N. stood for "No Name". Foundation member of F.A. | |||||||||
| 1863* | Crusaders Football Club | unknown | defunct | London, England. | defunct | Foundation member of F.A. | |||||||||
| 1863* | Percival House Football Club | Rugby football | defunct | Blackheath, London, England. | defunct | Foundation member of F.A. | |||||||||
| 1863* | Surbiton Football Club | Rugby football | defunct | Surbiton, London, England. | defunct | Foundation member of F.A. | |||||||||
| 1864 | * | Carlton Football Club | Australian rules football | Australian rules | Carlton, Melbourne, Australia | Australian Football League | Source: Carlton Football Club[27] | ||||||||
| 1864 | Huddersfield Athletic Club | various sports | Rugby league | Huddersfield, England | Rugby Super League | ||||||||||
| 1864* | South Yarra Football Club | unknown | defunct | South Yarra, Melbourne, Australia. | defunct | Merged with the St Kilda Cricketers' Club in 1873 to form the present-day St Kilda Football Club.[28] | |||||||||
| 1864 | Williamstown Football Club | Australian Rules | Australian Rules | Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. | Victorian Football League | The second club from Williamstown which exists to this day | |||||||||
| 1864 | Montevideo Cricket Club | Cricket,Association Football | Rugby Union | Montevideo, Uruguay. | Uruguayan Rugby Union League | ||||||||||
| 1864* | Name unknown | unknown | defunct | New Town, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. | defunct | A shortlived club.[29] | |||||||||
| 1865 | West of Scotland F.C. | Rugby football | Rugby union | Glasgow, Scotland. | Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership Division 2 | One of the founder members of the SRU. | |||||||||
| 1865 | Bath Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Bath, England. | Guinness Premiership | Currently in the peak domestic competition for rugby union in England. | |||||||||
| 1865 | Hull Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby league | Hull, England. | Super League (Europe) | ||||||||||
| 1865 | Nottingham Forest Football Club | unknown (possibly bandy) | Association football | Nottingham, England | Football League Championship | ||||||||||
| 1865* | Sydney Football Club | Rugby football | defunct | Sydney, Australia | defunct | No connection to Sydney FC, the Sydney Roosters, or Sydney Swans. | |||||||||
| 1866 | Glasgow Academical Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Glasgow, Scotland. | Scottish Hydro Electric National Division 2 | One of the founder members of the SRU | |||||||||
| 1866 | Kapunda Football Club | Australian rules football | Australian rules football | Kapunda, South Australia | defunct | ||||||||||
| 1866 | Rochdale Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby league | Rochdale, England | Lower league | ||||||||||
| 1866 | Swinton and Pendlebury Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby league | Swinton, England | Lower league | Won 3 Challenge Cups and 6 championships | |||||||||
| 1866* | Brisbane Australian Football Club | Australian rules football | defunct | Brisbane, Australia | defunct | No connection to Brisbane Bears or Brisbane Lions.[30] | |||||||||
| 1866 | Garrick Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | ||||||||||
| 1866 | Thursday Wanderers Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | ||||||||||
| <1867 | Mechanics Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | Took part in the first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| <1867 | Norton Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Norton, Derbyshire | defunct | Took part in first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| <1867 | Mackenzie Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | Took part in first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| <1867 | Pitsmoor Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | Took part in first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| <1867 | Fir Vale Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | Took part in first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| <1867 | Norfolk Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | Took part in first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| <1867 | Broomhall Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | Took part in first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| <1867 | Milton Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | Took part in first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| <1867 | Wellington Football Club | Sheffield rules | defunct | Sheffield, England | defunct | Took part in first ever football tournament. | |||||||||
| 1867 | September 4 | Sheffield Wednesday Football Club | Sheffield rules | Association football | Sheffield, England | Football League Championship | |||||||||
| 1867 | October 19 | Chesterfield Football Club | unknown | Association football | Chesterfield, England | Football League One | |||||||||
| 1867 | July 9 | Queen's Park Football Club | own code | Association football | Glasgow, Scotland. | Scottish Football League Second Division | |||||||||
| 1868 | Fordingbridge Turks Football Club | unknown | Association football | Fordingbridge, England. | Bournemouth Saturday Football League | ||||||||||
| 1868 | Gawler Football Club | Australian rules football | Australian rules football | Gawler, South Australia | defunct | formed in 1868, joining the SAFA in 1887 until 1890, folding by 1894. The Gawler Football Association was created out of its demise. | |||||||||
| 1868 | Woodville Football Club | Australian rules | defunct | Woodville, Adelaide, Australia | defunct | Founding member of the South Australian National Football League. Disbanded in 1877.[31] No connection to the later Woodville Football Club. | |||||||||
| 1868* | Montreal Foot Ball Club | Rugby football | defunct | Montreal, Canada | defunct | Rugby Canada states 1868[32], while Football Canada states 1872[33]. | |||||||||
| 1868 | York Football Club | Rugby football | rugby league | York, England | National League Two | York FC was formed in 1868 and joined rugby league in 1901. They went bankrupt in 2002. A new club, York City Knights, was formed in 2003. | |||||||||
| 1869 | Glasgow University Rugby Football Club | Rugby Football | Rugby Union | Glasgow, Scotland | Scottish university competitions | ||||||||||
| 1869 | November 3 | Hamilton Foot Ball Club (later Hamilton Tiger-Cats) | Rugby football | Canadian football | Hamilton, Canada | Canadian Football League | The HFBC were nicknamed the "Tigers" in 1873. Merged with the Hamilton Flying Wildcats in 1950 to form the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[33][34][35][36] | ||||||||
| 1869 | North Melbourne Football Club | Australian rules | Australian rules | North Melbourne, Australia | Australian Football League | Was briefly known as the 'Hotham Football Club' between 1877 and 1888, due to a change in the town's name. | |||||||||
| 1869 | Kilmarnock Football Club | Rugby football | Association football | Kilmarnock, Scotland | Scottish Premier League | ||||||||||
| 1870 | May 13 | Port Adelaide Football Club | Australian rules | Australian rules | Port Adelaide, Australia | Australian Football League | Formerly played in the SANFL as the Port Adelaide Magpies until 1997 before awarded a licence to enter the AFL in 1996. Entered AFL in 1997 as the "Power". A new club known as the Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club was formed in 1997 to fill it's void in the SANFL | 1870 | May 13 | Heart of Mid-lothian FC | * | * | Gorgie, Australia | Scottish Premier League | Formerly played in the Old Scottish First Division under the name Heart of Midlothian FC or Known as Hearts. Hearts now play in the Scottish Premier League and are a very succesfull club in the days but now are run more as a buisness, rather than scotland's third biggest team.
See also
References
External links |