Football Club History Database

From Sheffield FC in 1857 to community-formed clubs in the 2020s, English football has over 160 years of club history. Explore founding years, browse by decade, and discover the stories behind the clubs.

Oldest Clubs Non-League History Guide Football Pyramid Guide

Browse Clubs by Founding Decade

Click a decade to see all clubs founded in that era, with historical context about what was happening in English football at the time.

1850

1850s

Sheffield FC, Hallam FC

1860

1860s

Notts County, Stoke City, Nottingham Forest

1870

1870s

Birmingham City, Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers

1880

1880s

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City

1890

1890s

Tottenham Hotspur, Bristol City, Leeds City

1900

1900s

Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Hull City

1910

1910s

Clubs formed during and around WWI

1920

1920s

New clubs in post-war expansion

1930

1930s

Inter-war period clubs

1940

1940s

Post-WWII reformation

1950

1950s

Community and youth clubs

1960

1960s

Local authority and social clubs

1970

1970s

Sunday league boom era

1980

1980s

Post-Heysel community clubs

1990

1990s

Premier League era breakaways

2000

2000s

Fan-owned phoenix clubs

2010

2010s

AFC Wimbledon, FC United, Bury AFC

2020

2020s

Latest community-formed clubs

Key Milestones in English Football

1857

Sheffield FC founded — the world's oldest football club

1863

The Football Association formed at Freemasons' Tavern, London

1871

First FA Cup competition launched

1888

The Football League begins with 12 founding clubs

1904

FIFA founded in Paris

1907

First £1,000 transfer: Alf Common to Middlesbrough (actually 1905)

1920

Third Division of the Football League created

1958

Munich air disaster — 8 Manchester United players killed

1966

England win the World Cup at Wembley

1974

First season of red and yellow cards in English football

1979

First ever live league football broadcast (Match of the Day)

1992

Premier League formed — 22 clubs break away from First Division

2002

AFC Wimbledon founded — the phoenix club movement begins

2005

FC United of Manchester formed by fans protesting Glazer ownership

2015

Non-League Day established to promote grassroots football

2024

Football Governance Bill introduced to Parliament

The Oldest Football Clubs

View all

Sheffield FC1857

World's oldest football club

Hallam FC1860

World's second oldest club

Cray Wanderers FC1860

London's oldest club

Notts County1862

World's oldest professional club

Stoke City1863

Founder member of the Football League

Nottingham Forest1865

Two-time European Cup winners

Our Historical Data

LeaguePages holds match data spanning 22 seasons (2004–2026) across the English football pyramid. Our database includes over 176,000 matches, 14,000+ clubs, and 31,000+ player records.

For clubs with founding years, we track 2,900+ teams with known founding dates, stretching back to 1857. This data lets us map the growth of organised football from the Victorian era through to the modern community game.

The data is sourced from official league records, county FA archives, and the FA's Full-Time system. We cross-reference multiple sources to ensure accuracy.

Phoenix & Fan-Owned Clubs

Some of football's most inspiring stories come from clubs formed by fans after their original team was lost. These "phoenix clubs" start from scratch and work their way back up through the pyramid.

AFC Wimbledon2002

Wimbledon FC → MK Dons

FC United of Manchester2005

Fan protest against Glazer takeover

Bury AFC2020

Bury FC expelled from EFL

Chester FC2010

Chester City wound up in 2010

Hereford FC2014

Hereford United wound up in 2014

1874 Northwich FC2012

Northwich Victoria relocation dispute

Frequently Asked Questions

Sheffield FC, founded on 24 October 1857, is recognised by FIFA and the FA as the world's oldest surviving football club. They currently play in the Northern Premier League (Step 4 of the English pyramid).

Notts County, founded in 1862, is generally recognised as the world's oldest professional football club. They are also the world's oldest club to have played in the Football League.

There are over 40,000 football clubs affiliated with the FA in England. LeaguePages tracks over 14,000 of these across the pyramid system, plus thousands more at grassroots level.

The Football League was founded in 1888 with 12 founding member clubs. It was the world's first professional football league competition.

A phoenix club is formed by fans after their original club ceases to exist — usually due to financial collapse or relocation. Famous examples include AFC Wimbledon (2002), FC United of Manchester (2005) and Bury AFC (2020).

Our match database covers 22 seasons from 2004 to the present, with over 176,000 matches. For founding years, we track clubs dating back to 1857. Historical data is sourced from official league records and FA Full-Time archives.

Explore More

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Complete list by founding date

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