Features

The Rules Derby is firm as ever

The history of footballing rivalries was born when the two oldest clubs in the sport first faced off on December 26, 1860.

by
The Non-League Football Paper Team
26 January 2025

By William Okafor-Oregan

A PART OF HISTORY: A crowd of over 1,400 watched the world’s oldest derby, between Hallam and Sheffield FC, held at the world’s oldest football ground
PICTURE: Jacob Flannery

The history of footballing rivalries was born when the two oldest clubs in the sport first faced off on December 26, 1860.
Now, some 165 years later, the ‘Rules Derby’ is still going strong and, on Tuesday night, Hallam and Sheffield FC locked horns once again in the county cup, in a match played at the world’s oldest football ground, Hallam’s Sandy-gate Stadium.
This was the first competit...

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The Rules Derby is firm as ever

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