Wrexham FC have gotten a huge amount of attention over the last few years having been taken over by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. One of the reasons the club gets so much attention is because of its incredible history.
Is Wrexham the oldest football club? Wrexham is the oldest football club in Wales as well as the third oldest professional football club in the world. They are certainly one of the most historic teams in football history.
Wrexham are certainly one of the oldest football clubs in the world having been formed in October 1964. They are certainly the oldest football club in Wales as well as currently being the third oldest professional club in the world. Only Notts County and Stoke City are older professional teams.
In terms of football clubs, Wrexham are the eighth oldest in the world that are still active today. Despite being so old, they have not had a huge amount of success, but are certainly on the upturn thanks to new investments from Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
What is the oldest club in football?
The oldest team in football history is actually a team very few people would have heard of. Despite being recognised by FIFA as the oldest existing club still playing football in the world, the club is not massively successful and does not have a huge fan base.
Sheffield FC are the oldest football club in the world. The team was formed all the way back in 1855 when the members of the Sheffield Cricket Club organised in-formal games of football without using any official rules. It was off the back of this that Sheffield Football Club was created.
The club itself was founded in October 1857 and therefore they are the oldest recognised football club in the world still playing today. Despite this, the team has never had a huge amount of success. In 1904 the team won the FA Amateur Cup, as well as being runners up in the 1977 FA Vase.
At the moment the team are playing in the Northern Premier League Division One East, having narrowly avoided relegation in the 2021-22 season. So despite being one the oldest football clubs in the world, Sheffield FC have never been massively successful but are still playing football today.
Despite that, they have still got a crucial place in the history of football. To celebrate the team’s 150th anniversary, Brazilian legend Pele was the guest of honour at the club’s first game, being introduced to fans before the game.
They even played games against Inter Milan and Ajax to celebrate this achievement. At the team’s anniversary dinner, FIFA president Sepp Blatter was in attendance. So while the club has not had a huge amount of on-the-field success, they have certainly been celebrated as a crucial point in football history.
What is the oldest professional football club in the world?
While Sheffield FC are the oldest football club in the world, they are not playing at the level that would make them a professional team. It is a different team in the UK that is actually the oldest professional football club in the world.
The oldest professional team in the world is Notts County. Notts County was founded on the 25th of November 1862, which was even before the FA was created. This also makes them one of the oldest football clubs in the world, with no other professional team being created prior to Notts County.
They were one of the founding clubs of the football league, one of only 12 clubs to form the football league which is now almost 100 clubs every year. Their iconic black and white striped kit inspired Juventus to have the same kit. Despite a long history, they have never had a huge amount of success.
The club has won the second tier of English football three times, most recently in 1922-23. They have also won the FA Cup, which happened in 1894. They have spent a decent amount of time in the top flight, but have not been in the Premier League since its creation having been relegated in the final season of the First Division.
Since that relegation, the club has struggled massively. They have not made it close to the Premier League again since then and are now playing outside of the football league for the first time in the club’s history. They were relegated from League Two to the National League in 2019, failing to get promoted in the season.
A lack of financial backing has meant that Notts County has slipped down the leagues in recent years. But they are still a professional club and therefore are still the oldest professional football club in the world.
What is the second oldest professional club in the UK?
While most people know that Notts County is the oldest professional club in the UK, not a lot of people know who is the second oldest professional club in the UK.
Stoke City are actually the second oldest professional football club that are still active in the world today. The Stoke Ramblers were founded in 1863, just a year after Notts County was founded. They later changed their name to Stoke City in 1925, which is the name they are now known as.
Stoke were another of the 12 teams who became the founding members of the Football League. The team has had a lot more success than the oldest team in the world, Notts County, even winning a major trophy and playing a few seasons in the Premier League. Stoke won the League Cup in 1972, the club’s only major trophy.
The team were a mainstay in the top flight around the 1970s but spent quite a few years outside of the top flight. Despite being in the top flight, they could not make it to the Premier League until 2008.
Stoke spent a decade in the top flight, even playing in the UEFA Europa League in 2011-12.
They were a consistent mid-table team until being relegated back to the Championship at the end of the 2017-18 season where they are still today.