Sheffield FC, the world's oldest football club, starts a bold new chapter

Every football club in the world owes something to Sheffield FC. Founded on 24 October 1857 at Parkfield House in Highfield by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, it is recognised by FIFA as the oldest existing club still playing the game.

The pioneers did more than form a team. Creswick and Prest drew up the club's own rules, agreed in 1858 and published in 1859, the first detailed set of football rules published by a club. Sheffield also suggested the idea of an FA Amateur Cup, which began in 1893, and the club went on to lift the trophy in 1903-04.

In 2004 that heritage was honoured with the FIFA Order of Merit, an award shared with just one other club, Real Madrid. Since 2001 the club has played at the Coach and Horses Ground in Dronfield, which it bought that year, just outside the city boundary.

Now a new era is under way. Jon McClure, who has fronted Reverend and the Makers since 2002, has been named chairman after buying a stake in the club with IAV Holdings Limited. The new board includes his manager David Bianchi, Andrew Ford and Alexis Krachai, while existing owner Jeremy Levine and his son Jack remain on board.

McClure has been refreshingly honest about his role. "I'm not a football person, and I won't be involved in football stuff," he told Sheffield Magazine. Instead his focus is on the bigger picture, with ideas including returning the club to Sheffield, a football academy, an eSports hub, a national football festival, a clothing brand, a visitor centre and a TV show.

The women's side, which plays in the fourth tier, is a particular priority. "I think the women could be very successful, and we want to prioritise that," he said.

The club has long enjoyed support far beyond South Yorkshire. A crowdfunding campaign launched in 2015 drew backing from more than 2,000 fans in over 60 countries, along with more than 50 clubs from the Champions League down to grassroots.

McClure's message to supporters is simple: "Judge it in a year." His wider hope is for the whole city to share in the story. "Now's our time to stand up and say this city's brilliant," he said.

Fixtures and club news can be found on the Sheffield FC website, and a matchday at the Home of Football is a fine way to connect with where it all began.