Sheffield FC’s global crowdfunding campaign to help them build a new stadium at Olive Grove, their original roots, has raised around £150,000
12 October ~ Sheffield FC, the world’s oldest football club, have moved a step closer to returning back home to Olive Grove in Sheffield, where football was founded by the pioneers Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest on October 24, 1857.
Since 2001 Sheffield FC have played at the Coach & Horses in Dronfield, a town between Sheffield and Chesterfield. However, during the summer of 2015 the club, one of only two in the world (alongside Real Madrid) to hold the FIFA order of merit, launched a global crowdfunding campaign with the goal to rebuild a stadium in their home city.
With the support and donations of more than 2,000 football fans from more than 60 countries, more than 50 football clubs from Champions League level down to grassroots, with the help of local sponsors, supporting companies and international governing bodies, Sheffield FC have been able to raise the equivalent of £150,000 through both monetary donations and services to the club.
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The support has allowed them to kickstart the multi-year Olive Grove project, while also continuing Sheffield Ladies’ rise to the Women’s Super League and their many grassroots projects. The men’s team has an average matchday attendance of 300 and a membership base of nearly 600.
Sheffield FC chairman Richard Tims has been overwhelmed by the worldwide support: “It’s incredible to see how much power our unique story can unfold and engage football fans from anywhere in the world. Sheffield FC is a global a protector of the beautiful game and a cultural heritage for everyone to be involved with, we are grateful for every loving football fan who joins our path.”
For more information on Sheffield FC’s campaign and to find out how to get involved visit www.theworldsfirst.org.
Photo by Paul Thompson/WSC Photography: Sheffield FC fans celebrate their team’s goal during the world’s older derby against Hallam FC in 2006