England is the country where football appeared. A game that has captured the minds and hearts of millions of fans around the world. It is no coincidence that they remain one of the strongest in Europe. Many of them have already celebrated their centenary, never ceasing to delight their fans.

At the origins

Many modern researchers claim that games similar to football existed in ancient China and among the Incas. However, more reliable information still sends us to medieval England. Football then, of course, was very different from now: there were no uniform rules, games were organized spontaneously and often developed into brawls. It got to the point that King Edward III even tried to ban matches, calling football more dangerous and useless entertainment than archery.

In the 19th century the situation changed dramatically. At first it was possible to play with both hands and feet. The Klyuchevskaya date is 1863, when a unified set of rules was first adopted. Here there was a split among football fans. The most important decision was to ban playing with hands. Some agreed with this, while others became the founders of rugby.

First championship

The English football league is the oldest in the world. It was founded in 1888. 12 teams took part in the first season, the competition was held in two rounds. The champion was the Preston North End club, now playing in the Football League Championship (the second most important tournament).

There are only 4 teams - participants of the first championship, which will compete in the Premier League this year. These are West Bromwich Albion, Everton, Burnley and Stoke City. It is worth noting that the name of English football clubs does not change with such frequency as it often happens in our country. Most of the groups are called the same as they were 100 years ago.

The oldest tournament in the world

And yet the very first tournament in the history of football was not the championship, but the FA Cup. Its first draw took place in the 1871/72 season. Initially, 15 teams entered the draw, but 3 of them subsequently withdrew their candidacies.

The final took place at Kennington Oval. In the decisive match, the Wanderers (a team from London that has not survived to this day) and the Royal Engineers, consisting of the Royal Engineers of the British Army, met. 2 thousand spectators watched the final of the first tournament in the history of football. The outcome of the confrontation was decided by the only goal of Morton Betts in the 15th minute, which brought the trophy to the capital club.

Interesting fact: as a defender, Betts played his only match for England as a goalkeeper. In 1877, the meeting with the Scots ended in failure - 1:3, as did Betts' career in the national team.

Marks of Excellence

Unlike the names, which remained unchanged, the emblems of English football clubs were subject to change. At the same time, the main elements, as a rule, were preserved. For example, the canary on the Norwich logo or the rooster on the Tottenham crest.

Fans attach great importance to symbolism. Team nicknames are most often associated with animals or objects depicted on the logos. The logos of English football clubs are very diverse. It is also important to have a motto on them. For the same Tottenham it says: “To decide is to do.” The Spurs have managed to do their job, that is, become champions, only twice so far. And the last time was back in 1961.

Champions

The most titled club in England today remains Manchester United. They won their first title back in 1908, and their last in 2013. Over the course of their history, the team won the English Championship 20 times and won silver medals another 15 times.

English football clubs that managed to win the main trophy are included in the hall of fame of the “most footballing” country in Europe. There are 24 such teams in total. Among them are those who are still among the leaders of not only national but also European football, and those who have been playing in the lower leagues for a long time.

If we count which city the winners most often brought the coveted trophy to, then Liverpool will be the undisputed leader. The team of the same name, together with Everton, became champions 27 times. And Manchester United and Manchester City have only 24 titles between them.

New story

Since 1992, English football has opened a new page in its history. From now on, the best English football clubs play in the Premier League. 20 teams play in it. This tournament is rightfully considered the most popular and profitable sports championship in the world.

There were many preconditions for its appearance. The main one is financial. Its founders decided to leave the world's oldest football league in order to generate greater profits, primarily through the sale of television rights.

In the first season of 1992/93, 22 teams took part in the tournament. Manchester United became the champion with a big advantage, ahead of Birmingham's Aston Villa by 10 points. That season was also replete with big names. At the opening of the season, the Welshman was recognized as the top scorer and upset his opponents 22 times. Eric Cantona (then still part of Leeds) shone on the field.

As many experts note, football clubs in the English Premier League have distanced themselves greatly from teams from other divisions. This is noticeable both in the level of play and in income. At the same time, they are dissatisfied with such successes not only in their homeland, but also far beyond its borders. Thus, it was recently stated that the popularity of English football has a negative impact on interest in the national championship. When English football clubs play, attendance at local matches falls, and talented players only dream of getting to the

New champion

The latest season of the English Premier League brought an incredible surprise. The trophy went to the modest Leicester team, which had never won a championship gold medal before.

Leicester is one of the oldest English clubs, founded back in 1884. However, in more than a hundred years of history, the main achievement before this season was silver medals back in 1929. Then the “Foxes” (as the fans call the team) took second place, losing only one point to Wednesday from Sheffield. Few people remember about this team now; many other English football clubs suffered a similar fate. The list of Leicester's achievements really opened up only last season.

In the 2015/16 season, Leicester was in the leading group from the first rounds, but for a long time was not perceived as a real contender for the title. For some time, Leicester managed to lead, losing first place first to Manchester City and then to London's Arsenal. However, after winning the 23rd round, the “Foxes” again topped the standings and did not lose first place to anyone until the very end. They finished the season with truly amazing results, losing only 3 matches out of 38, and this in one of the strongest leagues in the world.

Currently, the Union of European Football Associations, or UEFA, includes 55 countries. In this article I want to talk about the oldest football clubs in these countries, despite the fact that some of them could have begun to exist under other names or in countries that are no longer on the map of Europe.
This part will feature the oldest clubs from England, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

1. Sheffield (England)

Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from the city of the same name, which is not only the oldest club in England, but the oldest football club in the world. It was founded in 1857 by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest on the basis of Sheffield Cricket Club. The status of the oldest club was confirmed by UEFA. This club is often confused with Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, but these are different clubs. On 26 December 1860, the first club football match in world history was played between Sheffield and Hallam. However, the club did not achieve great success and does not have any significant trophies: winner of the FA Amateur Cup in the distant 1903/1904 season, champion and winner of the Yorkshire Cup in the 70s, etc. Now the club “lives” in the 9th strongest English division, playing in a stadium with a capacity of 1,200 people.

2. Hamburg (Germany)

"Hamburg" (German: Hamburger SV) is a German football club from the eponymous Hamburg, which is considered the oldest club in its homeland. Its history begins on September 29, 1887, when two clubs merged: Hohenfeider and Wandsbeck-Marenthaler into the Sports Club Germany. Under its current name, the club was formed in 1919 by the merger of three city teams, this happened against the backdrop of the difficult situation of the city's clubs after the First World War. Hamburg is the only club to have competed in every Bundesliga title created in 1963. Over their long history, the black and blue won the national championship 6 times (1922, 1923, 1928, 1959/60, 1978/79, 1981/82, 1982/83), became vice-champions 8 times (1924, 1956/57, 1957 /58, 1975/76, 1979/80, 1980/81, 1983/84, 1986/87), three times won the German Cup (1963, 1976, 1987), won the German League Cup twice (1973, 2003). On the European stage, Hamburg also has plenty of high achievements: in 1977 the team won the Cup Winners' Cup, in 1983 won the European Champions Cup, and won the slightly forgotten Intertoto Cup three more times (2003, 2004, 2007). In the last season 2015/16, Hamburg finished 10th.
Note: True, there are supporters of the fact that it is not Hamburg that is the oldest club. The fact is that until 1891 this association did not play football, and the oldest football club is BFK "Germania" 1888 (German: Berliner Fußball-Club Germania 1888 e. V.) founded on April 15, 1888 by the Jestram brothers (Max, Fritz and Walter). At first, the club performed successfully and even won two Berlin championships. But later things didn’t work out for the club and it began to fall into the lower divisions. At the moment, the club BFC "Germany" 1888 plays in the 10th strongest German division.
And yet, in Germany itself they even believe that the oldest are the Dresden English Football Club (DFC), founded in 1874, and the Berlin Frankfurt Football Club, founded in 1885. But both clubs ceased to exist before the beginning of the 20th century. And the names of many clubs have even earlier dates (TSV 1860 München, VfL Bochum 1848, SSV Ulm 1846), but these sports clubs began to play football much later than 1888.

3. Recreativo (Spain)

"Recreativo" (Spanish: RC Recreativo de Huelva) is a Spanish football club from the city of Huelva, in the province of the same name in the autonomous community of Andalusia, which in its homeland is considered the oldest football club. It was founded on December 23, 1889 by two Scots, Alexander Mackay and Robert Russell Ross, doctors who worked in Spanish mines. In Spain the club is also called “El Decano” (that is, the oldest). Despite such a long history, Recreativo cannot boast of any high achievements. During the 1910s, the club won the Andalusian regional leagues several times. The club from Huelva reached the Segunda (the second strongest Spanish division) only in 1940, and made its debut in Primera in the 1977/78 season. Recreativo's best achievements are reaching the final of the Copa del Rey in the 2002/2003 season, 8th place in La Liga in the 2006/2007 season, and winning the Segunda Division in the 2005/2006 season. Now the oldest club in Spain lives in the third strongest Spanish division (Segunda B) and hopes for a bright future!

4. Genoa (Italy)

"Genoa" (Italian: Genoa CFC) is an Italian football club from the city of Genoa, in the province of the same name in the Liguria region. It was founded on September 7, 1893 as the Genoa Cricket and Football Club. First, a cricket club was organized, and five years later, on April 10, 1897, the football section of the club was created through the efforts of James Richardson Spenceley. Genoa is the first Italian champion. The tournament took place in one day on May 8, 1898 and two clubs from Genoa (Genoa and Ginnastica) and two from Turin (Internazionale and Torinese) took part in it. The Griffons (nicknamed Genoa), although they are one of the most titled clubs in Italy, won all their championship titles before the creation of the Serie A professional league in 1940. They have 9 league titles (1898, 1899, 1900, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1914/15, 1922/23, 1923/24) and one Italian Cup (1936/37). But after the creation of Serie A, the club from Genoa can only boast of victories in the lower leagues of Italy, and victories in tournaments such as the Mitropa Cup and the Alpine Cup. Only in 1991, Genoa, having taken fourth place in Serie A and reaching the European Cups, managed to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. Now the Genoese, having returned to Serie A in 2007 after a 12-year absence, are its middle peasants, finishing in 11th place last season 2015/2016.

5. Le Havre (France)

"Le Havre" (French: Le Havre Athletic Club) is a French football club from the city of the same name. It was founded in 1872 by a group of British workers working in the port of Le Havre. At first, the workers played “combination” - a mixture of football and rugby. By the way, this is why Le Havre is also the birthplace of French rugby. The club became a purely football club in 1894, so the first founded (!) football club in France is considered to be Mulhouse, which was created in 1893 (however, both teams were German at that time). In 1899, Le Havre became the first club not from Paris to become French champions. In total, the “heavenly and dark blue” became national champions three times (1899, 1900, 1919) and won the French Cup once (1959). By the way, the nickname "Le Havre" appeared on April 15, 1891 and came from the colors of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and was chosen as a compromise between the club members, who were former students. Now “Le Havre” plays in the French Ligue 2, and last season they were just a little short of reaching the main league of the country - they came third.
Notes: As for the aforementioned Mulhouse club, it now plays in the fourth most important French league and is amateur, and its best achievement is 6th place in the national championship back in 1934.

To be continued....

There is so much talk about the origins of football and the stories are so different that it can get confusing.

Who was the first to think of kicking a ball and making it a game that has become the most popular in the world?

There is no exact answer to this question. It is known from very old sources that the first game of “foot and ball” appeared in China. Three thousand years ago it was called “tsuchu” (“push with the foot”), and it was part of the mandatory physical training program for soldiers.

Also similar to football was a competition in Ancient Greece more than two and a half thousand years ago. It was called the “battle for the ball.” From the name you can understand that it was hardly played creatively and artistically, as it is now, but rather harshly and roughly, like boxing or wrestling. How exactly the "battle" was fought is unknown, but it was also part of the soldiers' physical training.

Let's rewind time and move to Italy. There, in the 16th century, they also came up with a game where, according to the rules, you could use your legs and... fists! What a pity that the video camera had not yet been invented at that time - I would have liked to see this spectacle. Interestingly, this “foot-punch ball” game was played with the judges.

And already in 1840, students of English private schools came up with games reminiscent of modern football. In 1863, the world's first football association was founded. Since then, rules have appeared prohibiting picking up the ball and delaying an opponent.

It was then that the first official football clubs arose. We will tell you about them today.

• "Sheffield"
• Great Britain. Year of foundation: 1857

Where the first football association was founded and the first football club was created - this is logical. That is why the British are called the founders of football. On October 24, 1857, the very first football club, Sheffield, appeared: not to be confused with Sheffield Wednesday or Sheffield United - these are three different teams. "Sheffield", bearing the proud and unusual nickname "club", appeared in the north of Victorian England in the city of Sheffield (shock), famous primarily for the production of forks, spoons, knives and other cutlery. In 1855, two local cricket club players, Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, organized batting matches and two years later, on 24 October 1857, they formed a football club. They developed the first rules for the game, known as the Sheffield Rules. There were no offside rules and players were allowed to push each other. Initially, club members played among themselves, dividing into teams of “married” and “single” or “professionals” and “others.” First does not mean successful. There are no major trophies in the club's gigantic history. Moreover, until 2001, Sheffield did not even have its own stadium, a proper store or a museum, millionaires were in no hurry to buy it, and professional football players had never been seen here. However, the club's fans are proud of its history - entire generations of families in the city of the same name support it. FIFA officially recognized Sheffield's status and awarded it a special Order of Merit for Services to Football in 2004. This award was given to an entire club only once again - by Real Madrid. Right now the club is lacking stars from the sky - Sheffield plays in the eighth most important division of England.

• "Hamburg"
• Germany. Year of foundation: 1887

The history of the very first club in Germany is a little confusing. The fact is that until 1891, Hamburg (officially the oldest club in the country) was not only a football club, but the oldest football club is BFC Germany 1888. At first, the club performed successfully and even won two Berlin championships.

But later the club began to fall into the lower divisions. At the moment, the BFK Germany 1888 club plays in the 10th strongest German division, which can hardly be called a professional level. And local residents even believe that the oldest are the Dresden English Football Club (DFC), founded in 1874, and the Berlin Football Club, founded in 1885. These teams ceased to exist before the start of the 20th century. You may also notice that the names of many clubs have earlier dates (TSV 1860 Munchen, VfLBochum 1848, SSV Ulm 1846), but these sports clubs began playing football much later than 1888. Therefore, Hamburg is recognized as the oldest club in Germany, which recently achieved another record - the “citizens” remained the only team that has not been relegated from the Bundesliga since its inception. However, the tradition came to an end last season when the club were relegated to the second division, causing chaos among fans that was once unthinkable.

• "Le Havre"
• France. Year of foundation: 1872

Now let's look at the first professional team from France, which was created, oddly enough, by the British. In 1872, a group of representatives from England gathered to play games that were a mixture of football and rugby. Without knowing it, these Britons not only helped create the first football club in France, but also became the founders of rugby in this country. An even more curious fact is that this was not done out of great love for sports: the workers simply had nothing to do during their lunch break. Unlike Sheffield, Le Havre can boast of success: in 1899, sky and dark blue (these colors were chosen by the British founders of the club in honor of their alma maters - the universities of Oxford and Cambridge) became the first French champions not from Paris. In addition, the club is famous for helping to produce players such as Paul Pogba, Riyad Mahrez and Benjamin Mendy. Now Le Havre is fighting to get into the top division of France - the team is in fourth place in Ligue 2.

• "Recreativo"
• Spain. Year of foundation: 1889

The history of the founding of the oldest club in Spain is also connected with the British - Recreativo was founded by two Scots: Alexander Mackay and Robert Russell Ross, doctors who wanted miners to engage in active recreation. It is noteworthy that the "Deans" (the club's nickname) were not only the first football club in the Pyrenees, but also the first sports organization. Recreativo is exactly 10 years older than Barcelona and 13 years older than Real Madrid. Despite its long history, the club only crawled out of the amateur lower leagues in 1957 and found itself in Spain's second division (Segunda) for the first time. The "Deans" debut in the top Spanish football world took place in the 1978/79 season. The first pancake came out lumpy - having taken 18th place, Rekre dropped down in class again. The peak of the club's success came in 2005-2007. First, the “Deans” won the second round (the only trophy in history), and then finished in 8th place in the Spanish Championship.

• "Kairat"
• Kazakhstan. Year of foundation: 1954

Let's finish our story about the oldest clubs in the world with the team that was the first to receive professional status in our country. The idea to come up with a football club did not come to us from Britain, which is a pity. “Kairat” was founded in 1954 on the basis of the Almaty “Dynamo”, according to the resolutions of the Presidium of the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions of the USSR and the Council of Ministers of the KazSSR, as a result of the merger of the VSO “Urozhay” with “Kolkhozshy”. It is interesting that the history of the name of the club is unknown - when choosing, names such as “Eginshi”, “Tulpar”, “Onim” (“Harvest”), “Altyn Dan” (“Golden Grain”), “Kuresshi” (“Harvest”) appeared on the lists. Fighter"), "Berkut Dala" ("Steppe Eagle"), "Zhastar" ("Youth"). The name “Kairat” was not among these options. But none of the options proposed by the societies were even considered on the agenda. It is assumed that the name was given by influential people at that time, and this decision was not subject to discussion.

This football club rightfully bears the name of the oldest football club in the world. Founded back in the century before last, back in 1857, today Sheffield plays in the 8th division of England, First Division of the Northern Premier League. The history of this club is closely connected with the development of the game in Britain and with the growing importance of football in general.

The founders of the club were Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, and the local Sheffield cricket club served as the training base for the first time. The club made a significant contribution to the research and development of those aspects of football science that were poorly regulated. Gradually a list of rules for the game was formed, which were later adopted by the Sheffield Football Association.

Just six years later, in 1863, Sheffield FC became the founders of the Football Association - the first national organization in charge of football affairs in the country. This may seem surprising, but during its one and a half century history, the club did not have its own training base. The club's home stadium appeared only in 2001. Sheffield have acquired the BT Local Business Stadium, which is located in Dronfield.

Hallam Football Club

In 1804, cricket was almost a national sport in Britain, but in 1860 it underwent a completely successful reorganization and became a football club. In general, apart from the honorable second place in the list of the oldest clubs on the planet, Hallam is not very well known, but, according to the entry in the Guinness Book of Records, Hallam is the most revered place on the planet by its population. Residents of this province have been playing football for several centuries.

The club has its own stadium where the team's home matches are held. The Sandygate Road site is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest stadium in the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the club has been focused mainly on the development of amateur football. The team currently plays in Division 1 of the Northern Counties Eastern Football League (Division 9).

Football clubs Wanderers and Creigh Wanderers

These two clubs were founded in the same year. "Cray Wanderers" was formed on one of the outskirts of London, and its creators were employees of the London railway, or rather, the London - Kent section.

"Cray Wanderers" holds the honorary title of the first official football club in the south of England. Initially, the fate of the club was very successful: it occupied a leading position among the teams in this region, but by the beginning of the 1930s everything changed and the team turned from a professional one into an amateur one.

To regain at least the status of a semi-professional team, it took the club, quite a bit, as much as 20 years. Today, Cray Wanderers' preparation is somewhat weaker than Sheffield's, but it is the first football club in history created by English workers and this alone provides it with an honorable place in the history of football.

As for the Wanderers club, it was organized in the same 1860 and at first was known as FC Forest. This club was organized in the London area of ​​Battersea and initially its members included graduates of a very prestigious school - Harrow.

In the first decade of its existence, the club was among the most successful and famous football clubs in the country. Wanderers were famous for their victories in the first 10 years of the English Championship. The club won in 1872, 1873, 1876, 1877 and 1878 and earned the reputation of being the most successful in England and on the continent.

Worksop Town Football Club

While the previous clubs hailed from the central and southern counties, this football club holds the honorary title of being the first in the north-west. Worksop Town is home to industrial Nottingham. The club was formed in 1861 but first made headlines in 1873 after a series of matches at the stadium off Netherton Road. The club's players also have a nickname - Tigers - associated with the FC emblem.

In the mid-1960s, Worsop Town won the Midland League competition and became a founding member of the Northern Premier League. A 20-year crisis followed, but the 1990s became the best years in the club's history. In the 1997/98 season, Worksop regained the Northern Premier League place they had lost ten years earlier. Currently plays in the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League, the seventh most important football tournament in England.

Notts County Football Club

In 1862, Notts Country Football Club was formed, the oldest professional club in the world, and one of the 11 founding clubs of the Football League, which was created in 1888. In 1894 the team won the FA Cup, and in 1891 they were among the finalists of the championship.

The club originally played at Park Hollow, on the grounds of old Nottingham Castle. In 1883, the Magpies (this is how the team is unofficially called) settled at the Trent Bridge Cricket Ground. In 1910, the club changed its home ground to Meadow Lane, which remains the team's main training base today.

• Official website of the Sheffield club
• Free electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia, section "Sheffield (football club)"
• Blog "Top-Football", material from Wanderers FC
• Worksop Town official website
• Free electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia, section "Worksop Town"
• Free electronic encyclopedia Wikipedia, section "Notts County"

List of oldest football clubs

Football as a game appeared several thousand years ago. The ancient Romans, Egyptians and many other peoples played something similar to modern football. In the 19th century, the game originated in England, and since then football has gained enormous popularity. Every year more and more new football clubs appeared, some have long been disbanded, and some continue to exist to this day. Football portal Oursoccer brings to your attention a list of the oldest football clubs in the world.

England's oldest football club

Sheffield Football Club (not to be confused with Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday) is the oldest football club in the world. The team was founded by William Prest and Nathaniel Creswick. The football club, like many other English teams, was founded on the basis of the cricket club of the same name. The foundation of the football club took place in 1857, and in 1860 the first football match was played between Sheffield and Hallam. The team currently competes in the lower English divisions.

The oldest football club in Russia

In Russia the oldest football club is a team from Orekhovo-Zuevo near Moscow - Banner of Labor. The club was founded in 1909 by the Charnock brothers, who were workers at the Morozov manufactory. The team was called KSO (Orekhovo Sports Club). The team has not achieved great success in its history; it is worth noting only reaching the final of the USSR Cup in 1962, when Banner of Labor lost to Donetsk Shakhtar. In pre-revolutionary history, the team won the title of Moscow Champion 4 times.

The oldest football club in Italy

The oldest football club in Italy is a football club from Genoa - Genoa. The club was founded on September 7, 1893. During its history, the team was able to win the national championship 9 times.

The oldest football club in Spain

Oldest football club in Spain– Recreativo was founded on December 23, 1889. The club was founded by two Scots - Alexander Mackay and Robert Russell Ross, who worked as doctors in the mines. The club was created in order to provide active recreation for workers in the mines. The team was unable to achieve high results in the national championship. The best achievement was 8th place in 2007.

The oldest football club in Germany

The German football club Hamburg is the oldest football club in Germany. The club was founded on September 29, 1887, when two teams merged to form the Sports Club Germany. In 1919, the team received its modern name, joining 2 more teams. The team won the national championship 6 times and won the German Cup three times. The team has taken part in every German Bundesliga championship since its founding in 1963.

The oldest football club in Ukraine was founded in 1907. It became the Odessa British Athletic Club (OBAC). Two British citizens, at the personal request of the British Consul in Odessa, founded this team. The club did not live long and was disbanded in 1916.

The oldest football club in France

The football club Le Havre from the French city of the same name is the oldest football club in France. In 1872, the British residents of Le Havre decided to found a club in which both football and rugby players took part. The team became a purely football team in 1894. Le Havre currently plays in the second league. The best achievement was bronze medals at the French Championship in 1951.

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