Sheffield football historians are holding an event later this month to spread the word about Sheffield as the home of Football.
The event, ‘Why Sheffield is the Home of Football’, will be held at the Sheffield Sikh Temple on the April 23rd. It aims to raise awareness of the cities historical role in founding football.
The charity, ‘Sheffield: The Home of Football’ have been passionate about getting the city recognised for more than just steel, but the home of modern football culture.
John Stokes and Steve Woods will speak at the gathering,
It will also commemorate the contribution of Punjabi kings, an annual charity football competition which has greatly contributed to the football charity,
Since being recognised as a charity in August 2023, it has organised many successful events including talks across the city in community hubs.
It has also launched guided tours of historically important football sites in the city and created a football Heritage walking app.
Trustee of the charity and football historian, Steve Woods said: “People have kicked a ball for years, but taking a corner, passes and other football rules are all from Sheffield. This is the most unique thing about Sheffield, its contribution to one of the biggest things on the planet.”
The United Kingdom and specifically England, is already recognised as being the creator of football, although over recent years, there has been a growing discussion about the specific origins.
A leading historian, Ged O’brien claimed in 2019 that Football was invented in Scotland, and should stop being claimed by the English. Steve Woods claims ‘this is all nonsense’.
Sheffield FC is recognised by FIFA as being the oldest football club in the world, while Hallam FC is the oldest football ground. Historians of the charity stress that the cultures of the modern sport should be credited to the Northern city.
Steve Woods added: “Sheffield is bad at promoting itself. If any other English City had even one of the facts about its football involvement, we’d never hear the end of it.
“Looking at Sheffield’s involvement in Football is like looking at the Mona Lisa. People only see the eyes of the Mona Lisa, like only seeing Sheffield and Hallam FC. We need to look at the bigger picture – Sheffield’s greater football involvement.”
The organisation hopes to have Sheffield as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tickets are free and available on Eventbrite here: ‘WHY SHEFFIELD IS THE HOME OF FOOTBALL’ Wednesday 23rd April 2025 7-9pm Tickets, Wed, Apr 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite