Oldest football club
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Many early clubs did not use the word football in their name at all. Conversely, early rugby clubs sometimes 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 still refer to themselves as "_____ Football Club".
It is has been claimed that the Barnes Club (later Barnes Rugby Football Club), from Barnes in London, was formed in 1839.[1] 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.[2]
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.
Cambridge University Association Football Club has been described by both the university itself and the BBC as the oldest club now playing Association football (soccer), having been formed in 1856/57. [3] [4] However, this is a matter of controversy and some sources state that the club was not founded until 1866.
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 (F.A.) in 1863 and is recognised by both the F.A. and FIFA as the world's oldest club now playing Association football. The club's rules influenced the F.A.; it did not adopt the Association's code in full until 1878.
Media reports in 2006 that a "John Hope Football Club" was founded in Edinburgh in 1824 appear to be erroneous; an Association football (soccer) club was founded in Edinburgh by a John Hope in 1874.[5]
Contents |
[edit] Timeline, 1839-69
The oldest known football clubs (excluding school teams), and the codes they initially played, are:
| Year | Date | Club | Original code | Current code | Location | Current status/league | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1839* | date unknown | Barnes Club | unknown code | 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 | London League 4 South East | 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 as joint venture under the name Galwegians/Dublin Uni. | |
| 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 | Sheffield Football Club | Sheffield rules | Association football | Sheffield, England | Northern Counties East Football League | English FA and FIFA officially recognise this club as the oldest now playing Association football,[6] although some sources say Cambridge University is the oldest (see above). | |
| 1857/58 | Edinburgh Academical Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Edinburgh, Scotland | BT Premiership Division Two | Oldest football club in Scotland. Oldest documented rugby club in the U.K. | |
| 1858 | August 7 | Melbourne Football Club | Australian rules football | Australian rules | Melbourne, Australia | Australian Football League | In 1859, members of the club codified Australian rules football. Melbourne has participated at the highest level of its code longer than any other club. |
| 1858 | Saint Kilda Football Club | Australian rules football | defunct | St Kilda, Victoria, Australia | defunct | Not related to the current St Kilda Football Club (see South Yarra entry below). [1][2] | |
| 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.[7] Merged with another club in 1919. | |
| 1859* | June 15 | Castlemaine Football Club | unknown | Australian rules | Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia | Bendigo Football League | Foundation date recently rediscovered, but dormant for a period.[8] |
| 1859 | July 18 | Geelong Football Club | own code | Australian rules | Geelong, Australia | Australian Football League | |
| 1859* | * | Melbourne University Football Club | unknown | Australian rules | Melbourne University, Melbourne, Australia | Victorian Amateur Football Association Section A | Disbanded during World War I, but later reformed. |
| 1860 | 20 May | Ballarat Football Club | Australian rules | Australian rules | Ballarat, Australia | Ballarat Football League | established as junior club. Senior club established in 1862.[3] |
| 1860 | Adelaide Football Club | Australian rules | defunct | Adelaide, Australia | defunct | played first match against another club in 1862. disbanded in 1873. Not related to Adelaide Football Club. [4] | |
| 1860 | Cray Wanderers Football Club | unknown | Association football | Bromley, Kent, England | Isthmian League First Division | ||
| 1860 | Hallam Football Club | Sheffield rules | Association football | Sheffield, England | Northern Counties East League Premier Division | ||
| 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 | London, England | London Division 1 | In 1863, Richmond was a founding member of the F.A. and one of the first two clubs (with Barnes) to play a game of Association football. | |
| 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 (1861) | 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.[9] | |
| 1862 | Nottingham Football Club (later Notts County F.C.), | own code | Association football | Nottingham, England | Football League Two | Source: Notts County F.C.</small | |
| 1863* | Sydney University Australian National Football Club | "Australian National Football" | Australian rules football | Sydney, Australia | Sydney AFL | Oldest Australian rules football club in NSW. Did not play first game until 1887 | |
| 1863 | Bradford Football Club | Rugby football | Association football | Bradford, England | League one | Now known as Bradford (Park Avenue). 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.[10] | |
| 1863 | Sydney University Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby union | Sydney University, Sydney Australia | New South Wales Rugby Union | Oldest Australian Rugby union club. | |
| 1863 | Royal Engineers Football Club | unknown | Association football | London, England. | British Army competition | Won the FA Cup in 1875. | |
| 1863 | Stoke Football Club | unknown | Association football | Stoke-on-Trent, England. | Football League Championship | 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. | |
| 1863* | N.N. Club | unknown | defunct | Kilburn, London, England. | defunct | N.N. stood for "No Names". Foundation member of F.A. | |
| 1863* | War Office Club | unknown | defunct | London, England. | defunct | 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 | 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 |
| 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.[11] | |
| 1864* | Name unknown | unknown | defunct | New Town, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. | defunct | A shortlived club.[12] | |
| 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 One | ||
| 1865* | Sydney Football Club | Rugby football | defunct | Sydney, Australia | defunct | No connection to Sydney FC, the Sydney Roosters, or Sydney Swans. | |
| 1866 | Rochdale Football Club | Rugby football | Rugby league | Rochdale, England | Lower league | Nothing to mention | |
| 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.[13] | |
| 1867 | Sheffield Wednesday Football Club | Sheffield rules | Association football | Sheffield, England | Football League Championship | ||
| 1867 | Chesterfield Football Club | unknown | Association football | Chesterfield, England | Football League One | ||
| 1867 | Queen's Park Football Club | own code | Association football | Glasgow, Scotland. | Scottish Football League Third Division | ||
| 1868 | Woodville Football Club | Australian rules | defunct | Woodville, Adelaide, Australia | defunct | Founding member of the South Australian National Football League. Disbanded in 1877.[5] | |
| 1868* | Montreal Football Club | Rugby football | defunct | Montreal, Canada | defunct | Rugby Canada states 1868, while Football Canada states 1872. | |
| 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 | 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.[14] [15] [16] [17] |
| 1869 | Hotham Football Club (later known as North Melbourne/Kangaroos) | Australian rules | Australian rules | North Melbourne, Australia | Australian Football League | ||
| 1869 | Kilmarnock Football Club | Rugby football | Association football | Kilmarnock, Scotland | Scottish Premier League |
* = disputed, poorly documented or dormant for a period.
[edit] Oldest uniform
The Guinness Book of World Records recognises the Essendon Football Club, which plays Australian rules football in the Australian Football League, as having the oldest uniform of any sporting club in the world. Essendon players have worn a black guernsey with a red diagonal sash in every season since 1873.[18]
[edit] See also
- Sports clubs by year of establishment
- List of Australian rules football clubs by date of establishment
