Sheffield - Where Football Began

The world's very first football club was Sheffield F.C. which was founded on October 24th 1857 by William Prest and Nathaniel Creswick in a bid to maintain the fitness of cricket players over the winter. The game took the form of sometimes violent Mob Football. It was not unknown for 20-a-side games to go on from dawn to dusk. There was no standard conduct and men from different towns often played to completely different sets of rules.

By October of 1857 William and Nathaniel had elected officers of the club, established headquarters in a potting shed and greenhouse at the bottom of East Bank Road and, most importantly, had laid down a code of play.

They studied the 'rules' of Mob Football and created their own set of 'Standardised Rules' which form the basis of the game. Sheffield Football Club are credited with creating the modern game of football.

In 1866 they took part in the first Inter-city match against London City at Battersea Park. Sheffield players head-butted the ball to shouts of laughter. But, 'Heading the Ball' had been born.

During the latter half of the 19th century the club was also credited with the introduction of free kicks, throw ins and corner kicks. They were also the first club to use a solid cross bar on the goals and to play on a floodlit pitch.

In 1904 they won the F.A. Amateur Cup against Ealing; over 6,000 supporters turned up and they won 3-1.

It was not until 2001 that Sheffield F.C. acquired their own ground in Dronfield. Since their inception Sheffield F.C. had played on borrowed pitches, muc of the time at Sandygate, Sheffield.

Their association with Dore stems from the time before they moved to Dronfield when they played their home matched on what was the top playing fgielfd at Abbeydale Sports Club. Now their pitch lies beneath a Wimpey housing estate.

Doremouse, writing in Dore to Door in 1994 asked:

"Who remembers the view across Abbeydale from Ashfurlong Road - now the oldest of English football fields has disappeared under a building site?"

In 2004 FIFA awarded them a 'Club Centennial Order of Merit' for 'Services to Football'.

In 2007 they celebrated their 150th anniversary.