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This is a list of the oldest documented football competitions, played at school, club, national and international levels. The first list contains competitions that have been played continuously. The second is a list of competitions that are now defunct.
YearCompetitionTypeFirst Trophy, Years1871club trophyFA Cup Original FA Cup trophy 1871–1895 ...1874club trophyScottish Cup 1874–1876county cup1876–1876county cup1876–- 20 Abingdon Town FC
- 19 Marlow FC
- 18 Stranraer FC
- 17 Kilmarnock FC
- 16 Harefield United FC
- 15 Fordingbridge Turks FC
- 14 Sheffield Wednesday FC
- 13 Queen’s Park FC
- 12 Nottingham Forest FC
- 11 Brigg Town FC
Founded - 1870
Abingdon Town is a club based in the Oxfordshire country in south central England near the River Thames. The club began playing competitive football under its original name of Abingdon FC when it joined the Oxford & District League for the 1892-93 season. The Culham Road outfit has tasted success sporadically over its 145-year history, but is now a member of the Oxfordshire Senior League Division One. With barely two kilometers separating their respective grounds, the Abbotts have a fierce ri...
Founded - 1870
Led by the first captain of England, Cuthbert Ottaway, Marlow FC became one of the original competitors in the inaugural FA Cup competition in 1871-72. In 1984, the Blues turned down the opportunity to join the Southern League to remain an amateur club, allowing Tottenham Hotspur to take their place instead. Nowadays, Marlow competes in the Isthmian League South Central Division.
Founded – 1870
Founded in 1870, Stranraer FC is one of the oldest football clubs in Scotland. The Trotters played exclusively within the Southern Counties until 1949 when the club was granted a place in the C Division of Scottish football. Located in the Dumfries and Galloway area, the club’s home venue is the 6,250-capacity stadium Stair Park, which opened in 1907.
Founded – 1869
Kilmarnock FC, commonly referred to as Killie, is one of the most successful Scottish clubs behind Glasgow Rangers and Celtic FC. The Scottish Premiership outfit has qualified for European competitions 11 times through its 146-year history, and is one of the only Scottish teams to have played in the European Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup, and UEFA Cup. Killie’s home turf is in the center of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park, a ground capable of holding 18,128 spectators.
Founded – 1868
Formed under the original name of Harefield Victoria in 1868, Harefield United is the oldest club in Middlesex and a result of a merger with Harefield FC in 1934. The 147-year-old Hares, who play their home games at the 1,500-capacity Preston Park, currently play in the Combined Counties League Premier North Division after promotion in 2018-19.
Founded – 1868
One of the oldest amateur football clubs in the world, Fordingbridge Turks FC was founded in 1868 and named in honor of the bravery of Turkish forces during the Crimean War. The Turks, whose home ground is the Recreation Ground in Fordingbridge, merged with nearby junior club Fordingbridge Town FC in 2014. The Fordingbridge Turks’ claim to fame is their ownership of the fifth-oldest football trophy in the world, the Basingstoke Cup, which they won three times in the late 19th century.
Founded – 1867
Sheffield Wednesday FC was founded by the members of a cricket club in 1867, making it the fifth-oldest professional football club in England. The Owls play their home games at Hillsborough in an area of Sheffield that used to be known as Owlerton. Sheffield Wednesday has been competing in the Championship since finishing second and gaining promotion from League 1 in the 2011-12 campaign, narrowly avoiding relegation in the 2023-24 season. The South Yorkshire club’s last piece of silverware c...
Founded – 1867
Queen’s Park FC is credited as the catalyst of Scottish football. The Glasgow outfit became the first Scottish club to exist when it was founded in the south of the capital in 1867. Despite going 152 years as an amateur club, the vote was made to change that in 2019 and Queen's Park FC has benefited from it, currently playing in the Scottish Championship. The club’s home, Hampden Park, is also the home of the Scotland national team, fitting for the only club in the country to have played in t...
Founded – 1865
Nottingham Forest is a club steeped in history and success at the highest level, having once been one of the most dominant teams not just in England, but European football. As two-time European Cup winners (now known as the Champions League), Forest put itself on the map and in history books forever. While the club did endure some difficult years following the inception of the Premier League, the club has managed to get back on track. Forest returned to the top flight of English football foll...
Founded – 1864
Formed in 1864, Brigg Town FC plays in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, the ninth level of the English football pyramid. Commonly referred to as the Zebras, the 151-year-old club plays at The Hawthorns in Lincolnshire and last lifted a trophy in the form of the FA Vase at Upton Park during the 2002-03 season. Brigg Town currently plays in the North Counties East League Division One following promotion in 2018-19, while they enjoyed success in the 2021-2022 campaign by winni...
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Melbourne and Geelong were founding members of the Victorian Football League (VFL), now known as the Australian Football League, making them the world's oldest football clubs that are now professional.
DateClubOriginal CodeCurrent Codes1870Wellington Football ClubRugby footballRugby union1870Association footballAssociation football1870Rugby footballRugby League1870Rugby footballRugby union- Contributor
- Sheffield FC. Having been founded in October 1857, Sheffield FC are recognised by FIFA as the oldest football club in the world. Despite the club's name, they actually play their matches in a town called Dronfield in Derbyshire, having moved grounds multiple times throughout their history.
- Cray Wanderers. Cray Wanderers claim to have first been formed as a football club in 1860, when railway workers would spend their leisure time kicking a ball around in the village of St Mary Cray in Bromley, London.
- Hallam. Hallam were founded in 1860 and played their first-ever match that same year against local side Sheffield FC, a fixture which is regarded as the oldest fixture in world football.
- Notts County. Founded in 1862, Notts County are the oldest professional football club in the world, predating the Football Association itself. The club were one of the founder members of the Football League in 1888 and their black and white stripes were adopted by Juventus in 1903.
- Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers, Hearts, Hamilton Academical (1874) In Aston Villa's first game after being formed in 1874, they agreed to play the first half (against a rugby team) following the rules of rugby, before being able to play the second half under the rules of football.
- Rangers (1872) A club filled with history, pride and success, Rangers were formed by four founders in March 1872. But after suffering liquidation in 2012, they were forced to work their way back up to the top from the third division in Scotland.
- Reading (1871) Before Reading adopted the nickname of the Royals, they were actually referred to as the Biscuitmen - with biscuits one of the biggest trades in the area.
- Kilmarnock (1869) Kilmarnock was formed in January of 1869 after a group of cricketers were keen to take up another sport during their down time. After agreeing to set up the football club, the group also initially started out playing the game in a way with clear similarities to the sport of rugby - hence the name Rugby Park Stadium.
Mar 23, 2024 · In 1888, the Football League became the world's very first official professional football league and was initially made up of 12 teams. 11 of those teams continue to serve as professional...
Hallam has always played its home games on the grounds on Sandygate Road, which is the oldest football ground according to Guinness World Records. In 1867, Hallam won the Youdan Cup, which is believed to be the world’s first football tournament.
