World's First and Oldest Football Club Sheffield FC Celebrates 160th Birthday

Sheffield FC are celebrating their 160th birthday on Tuesday, with well wishers from around the world congratulating the team on social media.

The South Yorkshire side were formed on 24th October 1857 and are the oldest surviving football club anywhere on the planet. Notts County are traditionally recognised as the oldest club in the Football League, but non-league Sheffield out date them by six years.

Not to be confused with neighbours Sheffield Wednesday (1867) or Sheffield United (1889), they are so old that their existence pre-dates the FA rulebook - the Football Association in England wasn't formed until 1863 - and so they played by the local 'Sheffield Rules' until 1878.

Sheffield, who currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One South - the 8th tier on the English league ladder, are one of only two clubs to have been awarded the FIFA Order of Merit award - the other is 12-time European champions Real Madrid.

From the likes of Barnsley and Rotherham in the local area, to clubs in Norway, Germany, Spain and further afield, and even Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who shares a birthday with the club, Sheffield have received a barrage of messages on social media.

Happy Birthday Football!