Old football clubs and year of establishment (2024)

FAQs

What is the oldest professional football club and what year was it formed? ›

Currently competing in the Northern Premier League Division One – level 7 of the English footballing system – Sheffield FC were founded in 1857 and are recognized to be the oldest football club by FIFA, a claim which is disputed by Cambridge University AFC, as Sheffield FC did not adopt the new FA rules until 1878.

The Arizona Cardinals, formed in Chicago in 1898, are the oldest team in the National Football League. One of the first teams to have played football under the association rules in the US was Fall River Rovers, founded in 1884.

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is a football club based in Tottenham, north London, England. Formed in 1882 as "Hotspur Football Club" by a group of schoolboys, it was renamed to "Tottenham Hotspur Football Club" in 1884, and is commonly referred to as "Tottenham" or "Spurs".

The Formation

The twelve founder members of the Football League are Accrington, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke (as they were known at the time), West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Green Bay Packers franchise, founded in 1919, is the oldest team not to change locations, but did not begin league play until 1921. The New York Football Giants (now known as New York Giants) joined in 1925, followed by the Portsmouth Spartans in 1930, who relocated to Detroit in 1934 to become the Lions.

While the game between Rutgers and Princeton is commonly considered the first American football game, several years prior in 1862, the Oneida Football Club formed as the oldest known football club in the United States. The team consisted of graduates of Boston's elite preparatory schools and played from 1862 to 1865.

Hallam F.C. Hallam F.C., Hallam C.C. First opened in 1804, Hallam F.C. have played at the ground since 1860. Sandygate has been recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the "Oldest Football Ground in the World".

The T formation is often said to be the oldest offensive formation in American football and is claimed to have been invented by Walter Camp in 1882. However, as the forward pass was legalized, the original T became obsolete in favor of formations such as the single wing.

The University of Southern California first fielded an American football team in 1888. Playing its first game on November 14 of that year against the Alliance Athletic Club, in which USC gained a 16–0 victory.

What is the 2nd oldest American football team? ›

Chelsea FC was founded in 1905 by Henry Augustus Mears.

Proud founder members of the Football League, Burnley Football Club began life as a rugby club. However, 'Burnley Rovers' soon switched codes and became Burnley Football Club in 1882.

San Antonio has a population of 1.5 million people. It's the largest city in America without an NFL franchise. Despite having a small media market, the San Antonio Spurs proved that Alamo City has what it takes to host a professional sports team.

The league began play in 1920 and comprised five teams from Ohio (Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, Columbus Panhandlers, and Dayton Triangles), four teams from Illinois (Chicago Tigers, Decatur Staleys, Racine Cardinals [the Cardinals were based in Chicago but took the name of a local street], and Rock ...

Then the first playoffs took place in 1932, and there were eight teams existing by then: the Chicago Bears, the Chicago Cardinals, the Green Bay Packers, the New York Giants, the Boston Braves (today's Washington Football Team), the Portsmouth Spartans (today's Detroit Lions), the Staten Island Stapletons, and the ...

Originally called the American Professional Football Assn., the inaugural season featured 14 teams: Akron Pros, Buffalo All-Americans, Canton Bulldogs, Chicago Cardinals, Chicago Tigers, Cleveland Tigers, Columbus Panhandles, Dayton Triangles, Decatur Staleys, Detroit Heralds, Hammond Pros, Muncie Flyers, Rochester ...

The NFL has had 49 franchises become defunct over its history, including ten of the league's twelve charter franchises: only the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals survive to the present day.

8, 1936. Since that time, there has been a college draft held every year resulting in a competitively balanced league. The first-ever Heisman Trophy winner, Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago, was the first player ever taken in an NFL draft.

Who won the first NFL game in history? ›

In 1920, Dayton Triangles team manager Carl Storck attended the first-ever organizational meeting and a few weeks later, on October 3, 1920, the Triangles hosted the first-ever NFL game against the Columbus Panhandles at Triangle Park, winning 14-0.

Oldest NFL Teams Without a Super Bowl Win

The Cardinals are the oldest franchise (1920) that hasn't won a Super Bowl. The Lions (1930) are the second-oldest with a win, followed by the Browns (1950).

On October 20, 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to codify the first set of intercollegiate football rules. Before this meeting, each school had its own set of rules and games were usually played using the home team's own particular code.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, Pyongyang

The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, also known as the Rungrado May Day Stadium, is the largest stadium in the world. It can officially accommodate 150,000 spectators.

Everton are one of six English clubs who have never been relegated from the Premier League since its creation in 1992. The others are Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea, so they are part of an elite group.

Preston North End were in first place at the end of the season and thus became the first ever Football League champions.

Who invented football & when? Football as we know it today - sometimes known as association football or soccer - began in England, with the laying down of rules by the Football Association in 1863.

4-3-2-1 Formation

The 4-2-3-1 is often called the "Christmas Tree" formation and is one of the most popular soccer formations in the world. It's a very balanced formation that can be used for attacking and defending.

The game was played at the Rugby School and became known as rugby football, later shortened to rugby. Both soccer-style football and rugby-style football eventually found their way to America. What resulted was an American combination of the two games.

What is the oldest team sport in US history? ›

Precolonial era. The oldest sport in USA is lacrosse. The Native US have been playing lacrosse for several millennia. Also, in ancient Polynesia, especially in ancient Hawaii, people had been surfing since at least the 12th century.

No. 1 (1875): Norwich Free Academy Wildcats (Connecticut) vs. New London High School Whalers. This is the oldest high school rivalry in the country and is another classic Thanksgiving game.

The Scottish Cup is the oldest trophy in association football.

DeAndre Hopkins

Wide receiver

Kyler Murray

Quarterback

Budda Baker

Safety

Paris Johnson Jr.

Tackle

Marquise Brown

Wide receiver

James Conner

Running back

Who is the oldest player in NFL history? George Blanda is the oldest player to play in NFL history. Blanda was a quarterback and placekicker who played in the NFL for 26 seasons. He retired in 1975 at the age of 48.

The 1955 Major League Baseball season was contested from April 11 to October 4, 1955. It featured 16 teams, eight in the National League and eight in the American League, with each team playing a 154-game schedule. In the World Series the Brooklyn Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 4 games to 3.

The 1950 NFL season was the 31st regular season of the National Football League. The merger with the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) expanded the league to 13 teams. Meanwhile, television brought a new era to the game.

Did you know Teddy Roosevelt helped save football? According to a 1905 article in The Washington Post and History.com. President Roosevelt summoned coaches and athletic advisers to the White House to discuss how to make the game safer. According to the Post, at least 45 football players died between 1900 and 1905.

The Akron Pros, Decatur Staleys (later the Chicago Bears), Buffalo All-Americans, Chicago Cardinals, Rock Island Independents, Dayton Triangles, Rochester Jeffersons, Canton Bulldogs, Detroit Heralds, Hammond Pros, Columbus Panhandles and Muncie Flyers also belonged.

Which football club was formed 1879? ›

Fulham Football Club is London's oldest professional football club, having been established in 1879.

Established in 1877, Wolverhampton Wanderers were founder members of the Football League along with eleven other clubs. Now known as the English Football League (EFL), it was the world's first domestic football league.

Since they were founded in 1892, the Liverpool Football Club name was synonymous with fame and glory. Internationally, Liverpool is the most successful British club of all time with plenty of European trophies on their record.

1899 - Origins of Arizona Cardinals.

Cambridge University claim to be the oldest football club in the world, as the Football Association awarded them with a plaque in 2006 in honor of their 150th anniversary, giving official recognition to the foundation date of the club in 1856.

Soldier Field in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bears is the oldest stadium in the league having opened in 1924.

The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest team in the NFL and along with the Chicago Bears, is one of only two teams that were part of the inaugural NFL roster. While the franchise has been based out of Arizona since 1988, the Cardinals trace their history all the way back to 1898, decades before the NFL was founded.

September 17, 1920, Canton, OH

NFL / Founded

The American Football League started play in 1960. There were eight original AFL teams: the Dallas Texans, Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills, New York Titans, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, and Boston Patriots.

The AFL began regular-season play (a night game on Friday, September 9, 1960) with eight teams in the league – the Boston Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Texans, Denver Broncos, Houston Oilers, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Titans, and Oakland Raiders.

What is the oldest NFL stadium still standing? ›

1924: Soldier Field – Home of the Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears arrived in 1971, reconfiguring the seating and renovating the field into a full-time football stadium and the venue now stands as the oldest facility in the NFL.

The oldest international football ground still in use is the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, Wales, United Kingdom.

The Houston Texans are the youngest franchise in the NFL, becoming the league's 32nd franchise during the 2002 season.

The league began play in 1920 and comprised five teams from Ohio (Akron Pros, Canton Bulldogs, Cleveland Tigers, Columbus Panhandlers, and Dayton Triangles), four teams from Illinois (Chicago Tigers, Decatur Staleys, Racine Cardinals [the Cardinals were based in Chicago but took the name of a local street], and Rock ...

CANTON, OH

In 1920, ten football teams gathered in Canton, Ohio to create the American Professional Football Association (APFA), now known as the National Football League (NFL).