Contrary to popular belief, soccer is a much older sport, with its roots dating back to the earliest in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Another somewhat shocking fact here is that the game of kicking a ball to the goal was first played by ancient Chinese soldiers.
Modern soccer, however, started taking its initial shape in England in around the 1500s when the workers of the nearby factories, in their free time, used to get together and play soccer as a hobby. It took around four centuries for soccer to develop into the sport we know it to be these days, as, according to FIFA records, the first official soccer match took place in 1863 in London. Around the same time, the first privately owned soccer clubs began to emerge. With that said, let’s find out how old the oldest football club in the UK is.
Oldest soccer clubs in England
For this list, we will start with the oldest soccer club in England:
Sheffield FC
Sheffield FC is the UK’s oldest football club, with its date of birth going back to 1857. The 165 years club never managed to make it big on the ground, but it is definitely quite prominent on the records register, the oldest football club in the world. The club is the brainchild of Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, with its first player being Charles Clegg, who later also played for the English national side. They currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One South, a tournament in the eighth division of English football. You can still make your bets on Sheffield FC on some of the best new UK casino sites with no deposit bonuses.
University of Cambridge Club
The University of Cambridge states in official publications that the local football club was formed in 1856. The university refers to a copy of the “Cambridge Rules” found at Shrewsbury School and dated 1856. The regulation is titled “The University Football Club Rules.” If a team in Cambridge already had rules in 1856, it would be the oldest in the world. However, there is no other confirmation of the exact date of the foundation of the club, and the official football organisations do not recognise the Cambridge football team as the oldest. But the “Cambridge Rules” are the first unified rules for playing football. Later, they formed the basis of the laws of the Football Association of England.
Cambridge participated not only in forming the rules of football but also in its popularisation. Many of the first teams were organised by graduates of this university. For example, with their help, “Hallam” was formed.
Hallam FC
Next up, we have Hallam FC—a neighbouring club to Sheffield with its roots dating back to the 1860s. Established in the city of Crosspool, Hallam FC was founded in the late 1860s by John Charles Shaw, president, founder, and first captain of the second-oldest football club in England. The club has been chiefly in the lower tiers of the English football circuit. Currently, they play in the 10th division of the British tournament and have never been able to rise to the top flight of English or European football. There have been a few famous names to appear on the field for Hallam FC, including the likes of Daniel Pudil, Billy Mosforth, Myles Wright, and Jack Brownell.
Notts County FC
Notts County FC was founded on November 28, 1862, and is the third-oldest football club in England, the cradle of football. It is located in Nottingham, and its classic rivalry is against Nottingham Forest in the third division of England. Its record includes obtaining the FA Cup in 1894. Notts County FC competes in the fifth division of England, and its promotion has not been possible in the recent season. The most notable players who joined the FC include Tommy Lawton, Don Masson, Craig Short, and Shola Ameobi.
Stoke City
Stoke City club was founded by a team of former students of Charterhouse School while working as apprentices for the Staffordshire Railway Company in 1877. It was one of the most successful clubs in its early days, represented by some of the biggest names in the game back then. Besides, Stoke was one of the 12 founding clubs of the English Football League. They made it to the Premier League for 10 consecutive years, from 2008 to 2018. Their most significant achievement to date is winning the English Football League in the 1972 season.
