The title of the world's oldest football club, or the oldest club in a particular country, is often disputed, or is claimed by several different clubs, across several codes of football. A football team is the collective name given to a number of players who play together in a football game, be it association football (soccer), rugby, Australian football, American football, Gaelic football, or other version of football. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article deals with the history and development of the different sports around the world known as football. For links to articles on each of these codes of football, please see the list in the Football today section of this article. ...

Many early clubs did not use the word football in their name at all. Conversely, early Rugby football clubs are included as they usually referred to themselves, or continue to refer to themselves, as simply a "football club", or as a "Rugby football club". Jump to: navigation, search Argentina-France Rugby Union match Rugby football refers to sports descendent from a common form of football developed at Rugby school. ...

The first football club in the world was Guy's Hospital Football Club, founded by staff at Guy's Hospital in London in 1843, to play Rugby football, a game which was played previously only by school teams. While a rugby club still exists at Guy's Hospital, the connection between the present club and the one formed in 1843 is poorly-documented.[1] The oldest football club with a well-documented, continuous history is Dublin University Football Club founded in 1854 at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, which is also a Rugby club. Guys Hospital is a large NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in south London. ... Jump to: navigation, search The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin or more commonly Trinity College, Dublin was founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I, and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin, Irelands oldest university. ...

Sheffield Football Club, in Sheffield, England is the oldest non-university club, and was founded in 1857. It initially played a code of its own devising and later switched to Association football (soccer). Sheffield F.C. is probably the worlds oldest club playing any kind of football, having been founded in 1857. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the city in England. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The striker (wearing red jersey) has run past the defender (in white jersey) and is about to take a shot at the goal, while the goalkeeper positions himself to stop the ball. ...

The oldest known football clubs (excluding school teams), and the codes they initially played, are:

• 1843: Guy's Hospital Football Club*, Rugby football, London, England.

• 1854: Dublin University Football Club, Rugby football, Trinity College, Dublin Ireland.

• 1856: Cambridge University Football Club*, Cambridge rules, later Association football (soccer); Cambridge, England.

• 1857: Sheffield Football Club, Sheffield rules, later Association football; Sheffield, England.

• 1857-58: Edinburgh Academical Football Club, Rugby football, Edinburgh, Scotland.

• 1858: Melbourne Football Club, Australian rules football, Melbourne, Australia.

• 1858: Blackheath Football Club, Rugby football, Blackheath, London, England. Foundation member of the Football Association.

• 1858 Liverpool Football Club, Rugby football, Liverpool, England. Later known as Liverpool St Helens F.C.

• 1859: Geelong Football Club, unknown, (later Australian rules football), Geelong, Australia.

• 1859: Melbourne University Football Club, unknown, (later Australian rules football), Melbourne, Australia.

• 1860: Cray Wanderers Football Club, unknown (later Association football) Bromley, Kent, England.

• 1860: Hallam Football Club, Sheffield rules, (later Association football), Sheffield, England.

• 1860: Forest Football Club (later Wanderers F.C.), unknown, later Association football; Leytonstone, London, England.

• 1860: Manchester Football Club, Rugby football, Manchester, England. No connection to Manchester United or Manchester City FC.

• 1861?: Crystal Palace Football Club* (no connection to the later Crystal Palace F.C.), unknown, later Association football; London, England. Foundation member of F.A.

• 1861: Barnes Club, Rugby football, London, England. Foundation member of F.A.

• 1861: Oneida Football Club*, unknown (possibly the Boston Game), Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

• 1861: Richmond Football Club, Rugby football, London, England.

• 1861: Sale Football Club, Rugby football, Manchester, England.

• 1862-63: Nottinghamshire County Football Club, own rules, later Association football, Nottingham, England.

• 1863: Christchurch Football Club, Rugby football, New Zealand. Oldest NZ Rugby club.

• 1863: Sydney University Football Club, Rugby football, Sydney, Australia. Oldest Australian Rugby club.

• 1863: Civil Service Football Club, unknown, later Association football, London, England.

• 1863: Royal Engineers Football Club, unknown, Association football, London, England

• 1863?: N.N. Club*, unknown, later Association football; Kilburn, London, England. N.N. stood for "No Names". Foundation member of F.A.

• 1863?: War Office Club*, unknown, later Association football; London, England. Foundation member of F.A.

• 1863?: Crusaders Football Club*, unknown (later Association football), London, England. Foundation member of F.A.

• 1863?: Percival House Football Club*, Rugby football, London, England. Foundation member of F.A.

• 1863?: Surbiton Football Club*, Rugby football, Surbiton, London, England. Foundation member of F.A.

• 1864: Montreal Football Club*, Rugby football, Montreal, Canada.

• 1865: Hull Football Club, Rugby football, Hull, England. The oldest club to subsequently play Rugby league.

*= defunct, disputed, poorly documented or dormant for a period. 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search The clock tower of the Palace of Westminster, which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK... Jump to: navigation, search 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Cambridge Rules, drawn up in 1848 by H. de Winton and J. C. Thring, were the first formal set of rules governing association football. ... The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Sheffield Rules were devised by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest in 1857. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the city in England. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Edinburghs location in Scotland Edinburgh viewed from Arthurs Seat. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) (Scots: Wha daur meddle wi me) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK... Jump to: navigation, search 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons since 1933, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League, based in Melbourne, Victoria. ... Jump to: navigation, search Australian rules football at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. ... Jump to: navigation, search Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia (after Sydney), with a population of 3. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Blackheath Rugby Club (BRC) is a rugby football club originally based in Blackheath in south-east London, but now playing at the Rectory Field in neighbouring Charlton. ... Blackheath is a place in London, divided between the London Borough of Lewisham and the London Borough of Greenwich. ... The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England (and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... Liverpool St Helens Football Club, previously Liverpool Football Club, have been playing rugby football since 1858. ... Jump to: navigation, search Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough on Merseyside in north west England, on the north side of the Mersey estuary. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is an Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League. ... - - Nickname: City by the Bay Geography Area: 1,240 km² Coordinates: Time Zone UTC +10:00 Population (2003) 200,067 Among Australian cities: Density: persons/km² Political Mayor: Shane Dowling Governing body: City of Greater Geelong Geelong is a port city of 200,067 people (2003 census) located on Corio... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Melbourne University Football Club – often known simply as University – is an Australian Rules Football club, which played in the games most elite competition in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Victorian Football League (or VFL, the forerunner of the AFL). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Bromley is the principal town in the London Borough of Bromley. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Hallam F.C. is a football club in Sheffield, England, one of the oldest clubs in the world. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the city in England. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... The Wanderers Football Club were an amateur football club, who were one of the leading clubs in English football in the 1860s and 1870s. ... Leytonstone is a place in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Jump to: navigation, search Manchester Town Hall is an example of the Victorian architecture found in Manchester and is the home of Manchester City Council Manchester is a large conurbation in the North West of England and is home to 2. ... Manchester Uniteds emblem Manchester United F.C. (often abbreviated to Man United or just Man U, pronounced man-yoo) is an English football club based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. ... Manchester City F.C. is a football club based in Manchester, United Kingdom. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Jump to: navigation, search Crystal Palace Football Club is a football club based in London and playing in the Coca-Cola Football League Championship, the second level of English football. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The history of American soccer finds a prominent place in New England which was one of the 3 major hotbeds of US soccer for much of the earlier part of the 20th century, and the later part of the 19th. ... Jump to: navigation, search City nickname: Beantown, The Hub (of the Solar System), Athens of America Location Location in Massachusetts Government Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas Menino (Dem) Physical characteristics Area      Land      Water 89. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Richmond Football Club is a rugby union team from Richmond, London. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Sale Sharks are a professional Rugby Union team who play in England in the Guinness Premiership. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Notts County Football Club are a football club based in Nottingham, England. ... Jump to: navigation, search Nottingham is a city located in Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands of England. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jump to: navigation, search Sydney is the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales and Australias largest and oldest city (founded in 1788). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... The Royal Engineers AFC is a football team founded in 1863, under the leadership of Major Marindin of the Corps of Royal Engineers. ... Kilburn is a area of North London on the border of the London Borough of Brent and the London Borough of Camden. ... Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ... Surbiton is a suburban area of London situated in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1864 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search City motto: Concordia Salus (Latin: Well-being through harmony) Province Quebec Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area  - % water 500. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Hull FC traditional shirt design Hull FC is a professional rugby league club based in Hull. ... Hull or Kingston upon Hull is a British city situated on the north bank of the Humber estuary. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (mid-2004) - Density Ranked 1st UK... Rugby league is one of the two codes of rugby, the other being rugby union. ...

External links

University of Manchester, "Local studies in the History of Sport England" (Bibliography)

Clifton Rugby Football Club, "Oldest Rugby Clubs"