Before association football, as we know it today, came the beautiful game’s forefathers, men whose vision and enterprise we should always be thankful for.
Without them, our Saturday afternoons would largely be spent twiddling our thumbs, or deluding ourselves that rugby is interesting.
In 1857, Sheffield FC formed, soon after taking on nearby Hallam FC in the first ever recognised, organised version of the sport. Some of the rules conceived during that nascent period still exist today.
We should mention too at this juncture Cambridge University AFC, another notable pioneer, whose advancement of tactics – crude though they were – advanced the game forward considerably.
It is Cambridge’s assertion that it is they who are the oldest English football club. FIFA however says otherwise. FIFA go with Sheffield.
In truth, there is only a matter of months in it.
These clubs exist still in the 21st century, residing in regional leagues. They are fine and justifiably proud institutions.
If we are to focus though on clubs who play their football at a professional level in the modern era then Notts County takes the honour of being the first out of the blocks, founded at the George Hotel, Nottingham in 1864.
Selecting only ‘gentlemen’ and initially called ‘Notts Foot Ball Club’ the Magpies – then nicknamed the ‘Lambs’ – predate the founding of the Football League by two full decades and such is their heritage that famously their black and white stripes would in time come to inspire an emerging entity in Italy that goes by the name of Juventus.
Granted, it is one of the most hackneyed football cliches bringing this up when referring to County’s history. To omit it though would be like interviewing Neil Armstrong and not mentioning the moon.
A year after County formed, Stoke followed suit, adding ‘City’ to their name half a century later and there is a delicious irony in these two pioneering outfits finishing in the bottom two in the league’s first season.
Perhaps though we should back up, just a little. Because the birth of the Football League was, in many substantial ways, the first page of a long and endlessly fascinating story.
Frustrated at some clubs illegally paying their players and others being disadvantaged by abiding by already outdated regulations, it was Aston Villa director William McGregor who pushed hard for a structure that professionalised a game that was rapidly growing in popularity.
Some suggest he was influenced by college football in the US going down the same route.
So it was that on the 17th April, 1888 at the Royal Hotel in Manchester, twelve fledgling clubs joined a new league, some fairly well established with boards and grounds, others finding their feet.
There was Blackburn and Bolton, West Brom and Preston North End. Everton were in there too as well as Accrington who dissolved in 1896 before later resurrecting with a ‘Stanley’ affixed.
Naturally, with only a dozen clubs involved there was no relegation to speak of, and what’s the betting Notts County and Stoke were relieved at that.
The first ever winners of this inaugural endeavour were Preston, who went the whole season unbeaten thus becoming ‘invincible’.
Page one therefore was duly written, but we should never forget the likes of Sheffield FC, and indeed Notts County, who first dared to dream up a plot that has had us hooked ever since.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
