While the discussion of oldest football club in the world arises we often hear United Kingdom to be the birthplace of football, and the history of the world’s popular sport could be traced back to the 1800’s when professional clubs began forming and started to compete in tournaments. The history of association football began in 1862, when British football club Notts County was formed, now universally recognized as the oldest football club in the world.
Alley Sport brings you an insight about the oldest club in the history of football- Notts County FC.
Early Years
The intial home ground for Notts County was Park Hollow, in the fields of the Nottingham Castle.
In order to appeal to larger crowds, the club had various home grounds including Castle Cricket Ground (1894), Nottingham Forest’s Town Ground (1895/6) and City Ground (1899 -1909).
In 1888, they became one of 12 founding members of The Football League, ending the debut season in 11th place, above Stoke City. Their best league finish is 3rd in 1890-91 – a feat replicated in 1900. Therefore, they lay the foundation as the oldest club in the football history, currently active in the English football hierarchy system.
Current Status
Notts County currently ply their trade in the 5th division of English Football i.e. Conference Premier League, in the 5th position, 11 points off the first position but having 4 games in hand. They currently play at Meadow Lane, their home since the year 1910, located in the south of the city of Nottingham. They played a friendly against Italian giants Juventus in 2012, as a special gesture to acknowledge the history of football, and celebrate the opening of the new Juventus stadium.
English Premier League side have often claimed that their formation in the year 1861 makes them the oldest club in the world, but sports historians have disputed this claim and officially declared Notts County as the pioneers of association football. Being one of the founding members of the Football League, the club holds a special place in the world football history, laying the roots for modern football.
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