Club Profile: Sheffield FC

The city of Sheffield is not only known for one of England’s biggest derbies – Sheffield Wednesday vs Sheffield United. The world’s first football club, Sheffield FC has been representing the city since the mid 1800s. We took a look at everything Sheffield FC…

Year Founded: 1855

Nickname: The Club 

Stadium: Home of Football Ground

Capacity: 2,089

Manager: Ryan Cresswell 

League: Northern Premier League Division One East 

Origins:

In 1855 members of the Sheffield Cricket Club organised an informal kick about with any official rules, referees or any form of structure; subsequently two members founded the club.

First games were played amongst members; for example ‘Married vs Singles’ or ‘Professionals v The Rest’ with the original headquarters being a greenhouse. 

They became official members of the FA on the 30th November 1863 but continued with their own set of rules. 

Sheffield FC is also involved in the worldwide network of the oldest continuing clubs around the world called the Global Pioneers. Aiming to discover and connect the oldest clubs within the game and to promote the importance of football history. 

Sheffield F.C. ground is named; The Home of Football Stadium with two covered stands and a total capacity of just over 2,000. The Weightron Bilanciai Community Stand can hold 250 seated spectators with also a terraced stand along one side that provides 600 standing spectators. 

Between 1873 – 1889 the club listed Bramall Lane and their primary ground also playing games at Newhall, Ecclesall Road and the Old Forge ground in Attercliffe. 

After the First World War when football resumed Sheffield moved to the new Abbeydale Park ground, where they would remain for over 60 years. 

A form for the council stating that the changing rooms were too far from the pitch meant the club moved to the 25,000 capacity Don Valley Stadium where they struggling with small attendances. 

In 2001, the time came for the club to get a ground of its own and that is when they moved to the current ground near the Coach and Horses Pub in Dronfield. 

It has its own food and beverage bar inside the ground and its own pub The Coach and Horses adjacent. 

In the 2023/24 season Sheffield FC came 13th out of 20 teams in the Northern Premier League Division One East. 

The clubs best FA Cup performance being the 4th round, 1877–78, 1879–80, whereas the clubs best ever FA Vase performance was Runners-up, 1976–77. 

Their record attendance was 2,000 vs. Barton Rovers, FA Vase Semi-Final, 1976–77. 

In more recent years the club has been in the news recently after their urge for Sheffield council to approve their stadium plan with Sheffield Eagles or risk losing the oldest football stadium in the world. 

Plans for a new 25 million privately financed community stadium located on the old Sheffield Transport Club site near Meadowhall came to the council’s attention earlier this March.

The stadium will also include professional football and rugby league facilities as well as a cricket pavilion, multi-use artificial sports pitches, a football museum and an indoor community sports hall.

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