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The beautiful game has a long and glorious history with the subject of the "Oldest Clubs" a topic of great interest to the fans. The age of a football club is a huge part of its prestige along with the usual suspects of legendary players, managers, stadiums and trophies.
Football was the most popular sport in Britain during the mid 19th century, but there were different sets of rules for playing the game. It was in 1863 that some football organizations in Britain, in a meeting of The Football Association, designated a specific set of official rules regarding the different kinds of football played back then.
Most of the oldest clubs in the world ply their trade in the lower leagues of their regions and do not receive the attention of those at the elite level of the game.
Here, we count down the oldest 5 football clubs ever recorded.
#5 NOTTS COUNTY – 1862
Although it fails to top this list, Notts County is the oldest professional football club in the world. Formed in 1862, the club, known as the "Magpies", plays its home fixtures at Meadow Lane in Nottingham, which was built in 1910. Notts shares an intense rivalry with Nottingham Forest which is just 300 meters away. The club lifted its last title in 2009-10 after earning promotion from League Two.
In 1888, they were one of the 12 founding members of the Football League, and have been a part of the league ever since. They reached the final of the FA Cup in 1891 and were crowned the champions in 1894. Between the 1888-89 and 2013-14 seasons, they played a total of over 4700 matches, more than any other English club.
#4 Cray Wanderers F.C. - 1860
Although London boasts a host of football clubs, Cray Wanderers survive as the oldest club in the English capital. Formed in the Greater London borough of Bromley during 1860, the Wands play their home fixtures at Hayes Lane and compete in the Isthmian League Division One North.
Although Cray Wanderers won the Kent League in 1901-02, they dropped deep into various amateur leagues in the 1930s. They regained their semi-pro status in the 1950s, winning two London League titles and finishing runners-up twice. Despite its long history, the club has only progressed as far as the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup just once, in 2005-06.
#3 Hallam FC - 1860
Hallam FC might be third in this list, but its home, Sandygate Road, is recognized as the oldest active ground in the world. The club also won the world’s first cup competition, the 1867 Youdan Cup, which remains in its possession now even though the trophy was lost for a number of years until 1997.
Originally founded as a cricket club in 1804, they were established as an association football club after 1860, the Countrymen currently play in the Northern Counties East League Division One, the 10th level of the English football system.
#2 Lima CFC - 1859
Regarded as the oldest football club in South America, Lima Cricket and Football Club is the only non-British outfit to feature on this list.
The club, supposedly founded by English immigrants in 1859, is based in the capital city of Lima and currently a member of San Isidro District local league. Still operating as a multi-sports club, Lima CFC currently has two national titles in its trophy cabinet, the Peruvian Primera Division, won more than 100 years ago in 1912 and 1914.
#1 Sheffield FC – 1857
Atop this list sits Sheffield FC, founded in 1857. The club is the oldest association football club in the world, with FIFA commemorating their 150th anniversary by awarding it an Order of Merit in 2007.
The South Yorkshire outfit currently competes in the eight-tier Northern Premier League Division One South and plays its home fixtures at the Coach and Horses Ground in Dronfield, Derbyshire. The club, currently managed by former English footballer Mick Wadsworth, has a proud history and reached the FA Cup 4th round twice, way back in 1878 and 1879.
