Worlds oldest professional clubs

[cuttsie 1,089]

It must have been smart living around these parts at the very start of World professional football as four of the original five toga clubs were pretty local to our area.

No One Notts County. 1862

No two Stoke. 1863

No three Forest 1865

No four Chesterfield 1866.

No five The one and only! Wednesday.1867.

 

Then along came Rotherham United in 1870 .

 

So plenty of Derby's in our City before the rest of the Country cottoned on and thought! That footi game looks O.K and then the World!!!!!!!.

 

It makes you proud to be part of togga history ,Dun't It!

[Jim Hardie 525]

Only Rotherham United say 1870, everybody else say 1925.

[cuttsie 1,089]

Only Rotherham United say 1870, everybody else say 1925.

Oh well cross Rotherham of the list then the dirty fibbers.

So we would have to go to Doncaster Rovers 1879 another local club.

Edited June 22, 2013 by cuttsie

[web1 10]

Isn't it Aston juniors?

[canadablade 10]

It must have been smart living around these parts at the very start of World professional football as four of the original five toga clubs were pretty local to our area.

 

No five The one and only! Wednesday.1867.

 

And here 3 of the players model the home, away and 3rd kit of the one and only Wednesday TOGA club

 

http://www.alphanuomega.net/photos2001/218%20in%20Togas.jpg

[stevie1957 10]

Chesterfield FC formed 1867. Source: Chesterfield FC website

 

Rotherham United was officially born on May 27, 1925. Source: Rotherham United’s website.

[Bypassblade 10]

It's okay arguing about the world's oldest clubs, but the football league was not formed till 1888, and neither Sheffield club were in the original 12.

[speedy69 10]

And here 3 of the players model the home, away and 3rd kit of the one and only Wednesday TOGA club

 

http://www.alphanuomega.net/photos2001/218%20in%20Togas.jpg

 

I won't even ask about how you came across pictures of semi-naked young men CB

[Paul Blade 10]

It's okay arguing about the world's oldest clubs, but the football league was not formed till 1888, and neither Sheffield club were in the original 12.

 

A BIT OF INFO TO EDUCATE

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Football_League

 

The first season of the Football League began on 8 September 1888 with 12 member clubs from the Midlands and North of England: Accrington, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke F.C. (renamed Stoke City in 1928), West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

 

Preston North End, Aston Villa and Sunderland dominated the early years of the game; in the first fourteen seasons the only other clubs to win (single) league titles were Everton, Sheffield United and Liverpool.

 

A new Second Division was formed in 1892 with the absorption of the rival Football Alliance. Alliance clubs Nottingham Forest, The Wednesday (later Sheffield Wednesday) and Newton Heath (later Manchester United) were added to the new First Division, and Darwen were reallocated to the new Second, bringing the First Division total to 16 clubs. With the addition of Northwich Victoria (from The Combination), Burslem Port Vale (later Port Vale, from the Midland League) and Sheffield United (from the Northern League), the Second Division started with 12 clubs, as Alliance club Birmingham St George's disbanded at that point. The bottom clubs of the lower division were subsequently required to apply for re-election to the League at the end of each season.

[cuttsie 1,089]

A BIT OF INFO TO EDUCATE

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Football_League

 

The first season of the Football League began on 8 September 1888 with 12 member clubs from the Midlands and North of England: Accrington, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke F.C. (renamed Stoke City in 1928), West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

 

Preston North End, Aston Villa and Sunderland dominated the early years of the game; in the first fourteen seasons the only other clubs to win (single) league titles were Everton, Sheffield United and Liverpool.

 

A new Second Division was formed in 1892 with the absorption of the rival Football Alliance. Alliance clubs Nottingham Forest, The Wednesday (later Sheffield Wednesday) and Newton Heath (later Manchester United) were added to the new First Division, and Darwen were reallocated to the new Second, bringing the First Division total to 16 clubs. With the addition of Northwich Victoria (from The Combination), Burslem Port Vale (later Port Vale, from the Midland League) and Sheffield United (from the Northern League), the Second Division started with 12 clubs, as Alliance club Birmingham St George's disbanded at that point. The bottom clubs of the lower division were subsequently required to apply for re-election to the League at the end of each season.

The title of my thread is The Worlds oldest professional clubs and has nothing whatsoever to do with all the Johny come latly's that jumped on the bandwagon years after the first half dozen or so had been playing each other.

[Paul Blade 10]

At least if your trying to score points get your facts correct s6 turned pro in 1887

 

"The football club turned professional in 1887 after pressure from players threatening to defect to other clubs"

 

You cannot be a pro club before becoming pro

[sheff71 10]

The title of my thread is The Worlds oldest professional clubs and has nothing whatsoever to do with all the Johny come latly's that jumped on the bandwagon years after the first half dozen or so had been playing each other.

 

It's well known that Notts County are currently the oldest surviving professional club, but is there anywhere that documents which of those older (1860-1870s) clubs were the first to actually turn professional?

 

From the FA.Com site..."Some clubs in the north, enamoured with The FA Cup, saw nothing wrong in profit and success or in paying a man for doing his job. It led them away from the concept of amateurism, cherished by clubs in the south, and it forced The FA to formally legalise professionalism in 1885. A year earlier it had seemed that English football was on the brink of chaos, with a ‘British Football Association’ having been formed as a rival to The FA."

 

So professionalism was legalised in 1885, quite a gap from 1862... maybe the owls could've been the first professional club!