As the most beloved sport in the world, football can be a bridge between different parts of the world and different cultures. England is considered to be the birthplace of modern football, so it attaches importance to football. English football clubs have a long history and great strength. The UK is home to some of the oldest football clubs in the world, as well as world-famous football matches. So, which are the oldest football clubs in England? This article will introduce the top 10 England’s oldest football clubs.
List of England's oldest football clubs
The football clubs in England have had great significance for the development of world’s football teams. And the history of the oldest football club in England can date back to the mid-19th century. Below is the list of top 10 England’s oldest football clubs.
| Rank | Club | Founding Year | Current League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts County | 1862 | EFL League Two |
| 2 | Stoke City | 1863 | EFL Championship |
| 3 | Wrexham AFC | 1864 | EFL League One |
| 4 | Nottingham Forest | 1865 | Premier League |
| 5 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1867 | EFL Championship |
| 6 | Reading | 1871 | EFL League One |
| 7 | Grantham Town | 1874 | Northern Premier League |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 1874 | Premier League |
| 7 | Bolton Wanderers | 1874 | EFL League One |
| 10 | Birmingham City | 1875 | EFL League One |
| 10 | Blackburn Rovers | 1875 | EFL Championship |
Top 10 oldest football club in England [detailed]
#1 Notts County: Founded in 1862
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- Founding Year: 1862
- Location: Nottingham, England
- Current League: EFL League Two
- Legendary Players: Neil Warnock, Sam Allardyce, Paul Ince, Kasper Schmeichel
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Second Division (Level 2) | Champion | 1896-97, 1913-14, 1922-23 |
| Runner-up | 1894-95, 1980-81 | |
| Play-off winner | 1991 | |
| Third Division South/Third Division (Level 3) | Champion | 1930-31, 1949-50 |
| Runner-up | 1972-73 | |
| Play-off winner | 1990 | |
| Fourth Division Third Division/League Two (Level 4) | Champion | 1970-71, 1997-98, 2009-10 |
| Runner-up | 1959-60 | |
| National league (Level 5) | Play-off winner | 2023 |
Notts County Football Club is a professional football club based in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, and is also the surviving oldest football club in the world. It was founded in 1862, before the Football Association of England was set up. Thus, it is considered one of the pioneers of the modern game. At the same time, Notts County are also known as the originator of the “offside trap” tactic. In the early days of its foundation, Notts County, like other major sporting teams, was a gentlemen-only club. Although Notts County has not won many major competitions, it is still regarded as one of the most famous football small clubs in England.
#2 Stoke City: Founded in 1863
- Founding Year: 1863
- Location: Stoke-on-Trent, England
- Current League: EFL Champion
- Legendary Players: Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Geoff Hurst, Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Second Division/Championship (Level 2) | Champion | 1932-33, 1962-63 |
| Runner-up | 1921-22, 2007-08 | |
| Promoted | 1978-79 | |
| Third Division North/Second Division (Level 3) | Champion | 1926-27, 1992-93 |
| Play-off winner | 2002 | |
| Football Alliance | Champion | 1890-91 |
| Birmingham & District League | Champion | 1910-11 |
| Southern League Division Two | Champion | 1909-10, 1914-15 |
| Runner-up | 1910-11 |
Stoke City Football Club was founded in 1863 and is based in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Its name was changed from Stoke Football Club in 1925. Its home stadium is the Britannia Stadium. Regarded as the second oldest football club in the world after Notts County, Stoke City is one of the founding members of the Football League and currently competes in the English Champions League. From the mid-1960s to most of the mid-1980s, Stoke City played in the top division at that time, the First Division. But after relegation in 1985, the team spent the next 23 years in the lower divisions until it won runners-up in the English Champions League in the 2007/08 season. Then, it was promoted to one of the English Premier League football teams.
#3 Wrexham AFC: Founded in 1864
- Founding Year: 1864
- Location: Wrexham, Wales
- Current League: EFL League One
- Legendary Players: Daniel Allsopp, Chris Armstrong, Billy Ashcroft, Bryan Hughes
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Third Division North/Third Division (Level 3) | Champion | 1977-78 |
| Runner-up | 1932-33 | |
| Fourth Division/Third Division/League Two (Level 4) | Runner-up | 1969-70, 1992-93, 2023-24 |
| Promoted | 1961-62, 2002-03 | |
| National League (Level 5) | Champion | 2022-23 |
| Runner-up | 2011-12, 2021-22 | |
| The Combination | Champion | 1900-01, 1901-02, 1902-03, 1904-05 |
| Welsh Senior League | Champion | 1894-95, 1895-96 |
Wrexham AFC, nicknamed the “Red Dragons”, or more traditionally the “Robins”, is a football club based in Wrexham, North East Wales. Founded in 1872, it is one of the oldest football club in UK and the oldest professional football club in Wales. Wrexham are one of three Welsh teams to cross divisions to play in the English Football League system. Its home stadium is Racecourse Ground. Wrexham now trains daily at the purpose-built Colliers Park training ground in Gresford. Wrex the dragon is the official team mascot of Wrexham.
#4 Nottingham Forest: Founded in 1865
- Founding Year: 1865
- Location: Nottingham, England
- Current League: Premier League
- Legendary Players: Viv Anderson, Duncan McKenzie, Garry Birtles, Ian Bowyer
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| First Division (Level 1) | Champion | 1977-78 |
| Runner-up | 1966-67, 1978-79 | |
| Second Division/First Division/Championship (Level 2) | Champion | 1906-07, 1921-22, 1997-98 |
| Runner-up | 1956-57, 1993-94 | |
| Promoted | 1976-77 | |
| Play-off winner | 2022 | |
| Third Division South/League One (Level 3) | Champion | 1950-51 |
| Runner-up | 2007-08 | |
| Football Alliance | Champion | 1891-92 |
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a football club based in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, founded in 1865 and currently playing in the English Premier League. The club has played its home games at the City Ground, on the south bank of the River Trent, since 1898. Founded in 1865, Nottingham Forest played in the FA Cup for the first time in 1879 and was a founding member of the Football Alliance (1889-90) and the Premier League (1992-93). It is also the oldest club in the English professional Football League.
#5 Sheffield Wednesday: Founded in 1867
- Founding Year: 1867
- Location: Sheffield, England
- Current League: EFL Championship
- Legendary Players: Viv Anderson, Mel Sterland, Gary Bannister, Chris Waddle
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| First Division (Level 1) | Champion | 1902-03, 1903-04, 1928-29, 1929-30 |
| Second Division (Level 2) | Champion | 1899-1900, 1925-26, 1951-52, 1955-56, 1958-59 |
| Runner-up | 1949-50, 1983-84 | |
| Promoted | 1990-91 | |
| Third Division/League One (Level 3) | Runner-up | 2011-12 |
| Promoted | 1979-80 | |
| Play-off winner | 2005, 2023 | |
| Football Alliance | Champion | 1889-90 |
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is one of two professional football clubs located in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, northern England. The other is Sheffield United. Sheffield Wednesday was founded in 1867 and played at Hillsborough Stadium, but relegated to the English First Division after the 2009/10 season. Two years later, they returned to the Champions League as runners-up. Sheffield Wednestday moved from Olive Grove to Hillsborough Stadium, formerly known as Owlerton Stadium, in 1899 due to a railway diversion. After a major renovation, the capacity of the stadium was increased to 45,000.
#6 Reading: Founded in 1871
- Founding Year: 1871
- Location: Reading, England
- Current League: EFL League One
- Legendary Players: André Bikey, Ívar Ingimarsson, Kerry Dixon, Jem Karacan
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Second Division/Championship (Level 2) | Champion | 2005-06, 2011-12 |
| Third Division South/Third Division/Second Division (Level 3) | Champion | 1925-26, 1985-86, 1993-94 |
| Runner-up | 2001-02 | |
| Fourth Division (Level 4) | Champion | 1978-79 |
| Promoted | 1975-76, 1983-84 |
Reading Football Club is a professional football team based in Reading, Berkshire, southeast England, currently playing in the English First Division. It is also one of the oldest football club in England. The club was founded in 1871 and plays at the Midyski Stadium. On 25 March 2006, after a 1-1 draw against Leicester City, Reading secured promotion to the Premier League, reaching the top flight for the first time in 135 years. Reading finished 22nd in the Championship in 2022/23 and was relegated to League One the following season. Reading has a lion mascot named Kingsley Royal.
#7 Grantham Town (tie): Founded in 1874
- Founding Year: 1874
- Location: Grantham, England
- Current League: Northern Premier League
- Legendary Players: Dan Haystead, Jonasz Gadomski, Brad Munns
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Premier League | Division One South Champion | 2011-12 |
| Southern League | Division One North Champion | 1972-73, 1978-79 |
| Midland Division Champion | 1997-98 | |
| Midland League | Champion | 1963-64, 1970-71, 1971-72 |
| League Cup winner | 1968-69, 1970-71 | |
| Central Alliance | Champion | 1924-25 |
| Division B Champion | 1924-25 | |
| Midland Amateur League | Champion | 1910-11 |
| Lincolnshire Senior Cup | Winner | 1884-85, 1971-72, 1982-83 |
| Lincolnshire County Senior Cup | Winner | 1936–37 |
| Lincolnshire Senior Cup “A” | Winner | 1953-54, 1960-61, 1961-62 |
| Lincolnshire County Shield | Winner | 2003-04, 2004-05, 2011-12 |
Grantham Town Football Club is a football club based in Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. It is currently a member of the Northern Premier League Division One Central Region and plays its matches at South Kestevan Stadium. The club was founded in 1874 as Grantham Football Club. It played at London Road for most of its history until its departure in the 1990-91 season. It briefly shared ground with Spalding United before moving to the council-owned South Kestevan Stadium in October 1991.
#7 Aston Villa (tie): Founded in 1874
- Founding Year: 1874
- Location: Aston, Birmingham, England
- Current League: Premier League
- Legendary Players: Juan Pablo Ángel, Darren Bent, Wilfred Bouma, James Collins
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| First Division / Premier League (Level 1) | Champion | 1893-94, 1895-96, 1896-97, 1898-99, 1899-1900, 1909-10, 1980-81 |
| Runner-up | 1888-89, 1902-03, 1907-08, 1910-11, 1912-13, 1913-14, 1930-31, 1932-33, 1989-90, 1992-93 | |
| Second Division/Championship (Level 2) | Champion | 1937-38, 1959-60 |
| Runner-up | 1974-75, 1987-88 | |
| Play-off winner | 2019 | |
| Third Division (Level 3) | Champion | 1971-72 |
Aston Villa is a football club based in Birmingham, Central England. Founded in 1874, it now plays in the English Premier League. It played in the First Division (England’s first football League) in 1888 and the first Premier League in 1992. It plays at Villa Park in Birmingham City. Aston Villa was formed in 1874 by members of the Birmingham Area Church. Just a few years after it was founded, it won a high reputation in the English Midlands. Aston Villa won its first FA Cup in 1887 and later became a founding member of the Football League when the English Top Flight was formed in 1888.
#7 Bolton Wanderers (tie): Founded in 1874
- Founding Year: 1874
- Location: Bolton, Greater Manchester, England
- Current League: EFL League One
- Legendary Players: Bryan Edwards, Warwick Rimmer, Alex Finney, Ted Vizard
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Second Division/First Division (Level 2) | Champion | 1908-09, 1977-78, 1996-97 |
| 2nd Place Promoted | 1899-1900, 1904-05, 1910-11, 1934-35 | |
| Play-off winner | 1995, 2001 | |
| Third Division/Football League Second Division/League One (Level 3) | Champion | 1972-73 |
| 2nd Place Promoted | 1992-93, 2016-17 | |
| Fourth Division/League Two (Level 4) | 3rd Place Promoted | 1987-88, 2020-21 |
Bolton Wanderers F.C. is an English football club that currently plays in the EFL League One. It was founded in 1874 and is one of the founding members of the English Football League. Bolton Wanderers’ home ground is at the Macron Stadium in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, which has a capacity of 28,723. Macron Stadium, formerly known as Reebok Stadium, is located in Horwich, near Bolton. It opened in 1997 to replace the Burnden Park stadium and was named after its sponsor Reebok. In addition to football matches, the Reebok Stadium can also be used for concerts, conferences, exhibitions and banquets.
#10 Birmingham City (tie): Founded in 1875
- Founding Year: 1875
- Location: Birmingham, England
- Current League: EFL League One
- Legendary Players: Darren Anderton, Steve Bruce, Scott Dann, Christophe Dugarry
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Second Division/First Division/Championship (Level 2) | Champion | 1892-93, 1920-21, 1947-48, 1954-55 |
| Runner-up | 1893-94, 1900-01, 1902-03, 1971-72, 1984-85, 2006-07, 2008-09 | |
| Play-off winner | 2002 | |
| Third Division/Second Division (Level 3) | Champion | 1994-95 |
| Runner-up | 1991-92 |
Birmingham City Football Club is one of the two main professional clubs in Birmingham. The other is Aston Villa, and the Derby between the two teams is called the “Birmingham City Derby”. Originally known as the Small Heath Alliance, Birmingham City F.C. changed its name to Birmingham F.C. in 1905 and then to Birmingham City F.C. in 1945. It plays at St Andrew’s Stadium in Birmingham. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Birmingham City became the first English team to play in Europe. Birmingham City began playing in the Championship in 2012 and has been in the middle and lower reaches of the Championship for many years. In the 2023/24 season, Birmingham City finished 22nd, failed to avoid relegation and were relegated to League One.
#10 Blackburn Rovers (tie): Founded in 1875
- Founding Year: 1875
- Location: Blackburn, Lancashire, England
- Current League: EFL Championship
- Legendary Players: Callum Brittain, Harry Pickering, Aodhan Doherty, Dilan Markanday
- Notable Achievements:
| Competition | Honours | Years |
|---|---|---|
| First Division/Premier League (Level 1) | Champion | 1911-12, 1913-14, 1994-95 |
| Runner-up | 1993-94 | |
| Second Division/First Division/Championship (Level 2) | Champion | 1938-39 |
| Runner-up | 1957-58, 2000-01 | |
| Play-off winner | 1992 | |
| Third Division/League One (Level 3) | Champion | 1974-75 |
| Runner-up | 1979-80, 2017-18 |
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire. It was formed on 5 November, 1875 and joined the Lancashire Football Association on 28 September, 1878. It was also one of the founding member clubs of the English Football League in 1888 and won the Premier League in 1994-95. Since 1890, Blackburn Rovers Football Club has played its home ground at Ewood Park. Ewood Park was built in 1882 by four local businessmen at a cost of £10,000, and can accommodate 31,367 spectators. It can be used for athletics, dog racing and horse racing, as well as major football matches.
Major football competition in the UK
England is considered to be the birthplace of modern football, so the UK is also known as the “mother of modern football”. On October 26, 1863, the world’s first official football organization, the Football Association of England, was founded in London. The United Kingdom was also the first to establish a football club and the first to start a professional football league. Below is a list of leagues in the United Kingdom.
1. FA Premier League
The FA Premier League is the highest level of football league under the English Football Association, formerly known as the English First Division. The Premier League is one of the “five major leagues of European football”, consisting of 20 teams, which are run by the Super League. At the end of the season, the bottom three were relegated to the Championship. The Premier League has always been regarded as one of the best leagues in the world, with a fast pace, fierce competition and many strong teams. It is also the most commercially successful league and the highest revenue league in the world.
2. EFL Championship
The EFL Championship is the second highest league in the English football League system, just after the Premier League. There are 24 teams in the Championship, and teams play each other twice in the same season, one for host and one for guest. Thus, each team plays 46 games each season. At the end of the season, the top two teams were promoted directly to the Premier League, while the bottom three were relegated to the third tier of English football league. The inaugural championship was won by Sunderland.
3. EFL League One
The EFL League One is ranked third in the English Football League system, behind the FA Premier League and the EFL Championship. There are 24 teams in League One that play once at home and once guest during the season. The two teams with the most points at the end of the season were promoted directly to the Championship, while the bottom four were relegated to League Two.
4. EFL League Two
The EFL League Two is the lowest division of the English Football League, ranked fourth. There are 24 teams in League Two, and they compete with each other once at home, and once as guest. The top three teams at the end of the season, together with the fourth to seventh teams who win through the play-offs, are promoted to the EFL League One, while the bottom two teams are relegated to the Parliamentary National League.
Everything about England’s oldest football clubs
England is the birthplace of modern football. According to historical records, in the Middle Ages in England, the football game that is similar to today’s has appeared. By the beginning of the 19th century, football had become quite popular in Britain. The Football Association was formed to unify the rules of football. In 1862, the first football club in England, Notts County was established. Since then, various football clubs in England have been established. Today, there are more than 160 professional football clubs. These England’s oldest football clubs have witnessed the development of English football and will continue to lead the English game to greatness.
FAQ
The oldest football club in England is Notts County. It was founded in 1862, and located in Nottingham, England.
Although the oldest clubs may have appeared in England as early as the 15th century, there are few records of these clubs and they have been dissolved. The Football Club of Edinburgh is believed to be the oldest soccer club in the world, with records dating back to 1824.
The most successful English clubs are listed here, including Liverpool F.C., Manchester United F.C., Arsenal F.C., Chelsea F.C., Manchester City F.C., Aston Villa F.C., etc.
| No. | 2024-25 Club | 2023-24 Position | First Season in Premier League |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 2nd | 1992–93 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 4th | 1992–93 |
| 3 | Bournemouth | 12th | 2015–16 |
| 4 | Brentford | 16th | 2021–22 |
| 5 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 11th | 2017–18 |
| 6 | Chelsea | 6th | 1992–93 |
| 7 | Crystal Palace | 10th | 1992–93 |
| 8 | Everton | 15th | 1992–93 |
| 9 | Fulham | 13th | 2001–02 |
| 10 | Ipswich Town | 2nd (EFL) | 1992–93 |
| 11 | Leicester City | 1st (EFL) | 1994–95 |
| 12 | Liverpool | 3rd | 1992–93 |
| 13 | Manchester City | 1st | 1992–93 |
| 14 | Manchester United | 8th | 1992–93 |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 7th | 1993–94 |
| 16 | Nottingham Forest | 17th | 1992–93 |
| 17 | Southampton | 4th playoffs (EFL) | 1992–93 |
| 18 | Tottenham Hotspur | 5th | 1992–93 |
| 19 | West Ham United | 9th | 1993–94 |
| 20 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 14th | 2003–04 |
Manchester United won the inaugural champion in the Premier League and immediately became the dominant team in this competition.
