Club of Pioneers
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Club_of_pioneers_-_countries_of_origin_of_member_clubs.png/300px-Club_of_pioneers_-_countries_of_origin_of_member_clubs.png)
The Club of Pioneers is a worldwide network of the oldest continuing association football clubs from each country.
The Club of Pioneers was founded in 2013 by Sheffield FC, the first and oldest association football club in the world. The Club of Pioneers aims to discover and connect the world's oldest existing football clubs, to build a global network of like-minded football clubs to promote the importance of football history and the grass roots and amateur game.
Definition of Pioneers[]
According to today's historical knowledge and available sources of football history, the Sheffield Football Club Foundation awards the honorary membership within the Club of Pioneers to those football clubs, who:
- Still play football in amateur or professional football competition today.
- Have constantly existed as a sports organisation since their date of foundation. (exceptions for periods of inactivity due to external reasons, for example war.)
- Are by definition the oldest existing football club of their country, referring to the foundation date of a football team as part of a multi-sport club or as a proper football club, playing to association football rules.
- Live and support the values of the game and amateur football: Integrity, Respect, Community.
Current members[]
Club | founded in | Country | Continent |
---|---|---|---|
Sheffield FC | 1857, 24 October | ![]() |
Europe |
Wrexham AFC | 1864, 4 October | ![]() |
Europe |
Queen's Park FC | 1867, 9 July | ![]() |
Europe |
Kjøbenhavns Boldklub | 1876, 26 April | ![]() |
Europe |
FC St. Gallen | 1879, 19 April | ![]() |
Europe |
Koninklijke HFC | 1879, 15 September | ![]() |
Europe |
Cliftonville FC | 1879, 20 September | ![]() |
Europe |
Royal Antwerp FC | 1880 | ![]() |
Europe |
Savages FC Pietermaritzburg | 1882, 26 August | ![]() |
Africa |
Hong Kong F.C. | 1886, 12 February | ![]() |
Asia |
Yokohama C&AC | 1886, 26 December | ![]() |
Asia |
Associação Académica de Coimbra | 1887, 3 November | ![]() |
Europe |
North Shore United AFC | 1887 | ![]() |
Oceania |
BFC Germania 1888 | 1888, 15 April | ![]() |
Europe |
Mohun Bagan AC | 1889, 15 August | ![]() |
Asia |
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva | 1889, 23 December | ![]() |
Europe |
St. George's FC | 1890 | ![]() |
Europe |
Albion Football Club | 1891, 1 June | ![]() |
South America |
Tvøroyrar Bóltfelag | 1892, 13 May | ![]() |
Europe |
Santiago Wanderers | 1892, 15 August | ![]() |
South America |
Genoa CFC | 1893, 7 September | ![]() |
Europe |
Odds Ballklubb | 1894, March 31 | ![]() |
Europe |
First Vienna FC | 1894, 22 August | ![]() |
Europe |
CS Fola Esch | 1906, 9 December | ![]() |
Europe |
FK Ljuboten | 1919, 28 March | ![]() |
Europe |
FK Sveikata | 1919, 8 June | ![]() |
Europe |
(Update : July 2020)
Pioneers Cup[]
Members of the Club of Pioneers, can also take part in a Pioneers Cup: a football tournament where only 'oldest' clubs can participate, to showcase their pioneering heritage. The teams themselves do not play, but are represented by 'Pioneer' teams of fans, former-players, and staff of the club.
Pioneers Cup 2013 - Sheffield | |
---|---|
Date | 16 November 2013 |
Venue | Sheffield F.C. Stadium - England |
Participating teams | Sheffield F.C. (England) with Chris Waddle, Carlton Palmer, John Beresford, RC Recreativo de Huelva (Spain) Genoa CFC (Italy)with Tomáš Skuhravý, Gennaro Ruotolo |
Winners | Sheffield F.C. |
Pioneers Cup 2014 - Haarlem | |
---|---|
Date | 30 August 2014 |
Venue | Haarlem - Netherlands |
Participating teams | Sheffield F.C. (England) with Chris Dolby Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands) with Tom Van Schaick Royal Antwerp Fc (Belgium) |
Winners | Sheffield FC |
Pioneers Cup 2014 - Huelva | |
---|---|
Date | 6 September 2014 |
Venue | Nuevo Colombino - Huelva - Spain |
Participating teams | RC Recreativo de Huelva (Spain) Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands) Genoa CFC (Italy) |
Winners | RC Recreativo de Huelva |
Pioneers Cup 2016 - Antwerp | |
---|---|
Date | 21 May 2016 |
Venue | Bosuilstadion - Antwerp - Belgium |
Participating teams | Royal Antwerp F.C. (Belgium) with Jonas De Roeck Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands) with Tom Van Schaik, Paulo Meijnderhagen CS Fola Esch (Luxembourg) with Pascal Welter |
Winners | Koninklijke HFC |
extra info | Pioneers Cup Ambassador : Laszlo Fazekas |
Pioneers Cup 2019 - Haarlem | |
---|---|
Date | 31 August 2019 |
Venue | Haarlem - Netherlands |
Participating teams | FK Sveikata (Lithuania) Gintaras Cibirka, Audrius Paškevičius Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands) Royal Antwerp Fc (Belgium) |
Winners | FK Sveikata |
References[]
- Sheffield fc - the world's first.
- Cliftonville fc : Introduction to the Club of Pioneers, 10 March 2013
- Genoa CFC
- St-Gallen fc
- R Antwerp FC - Club of Pioneers Archived 2017-04-24 at the Wayback Machine
- Globalise then localize , 27 juli 2013
- Sheffield Pioneers Cup BBC.com, 17 November 2013
- El Recreativo de Huelva ingresa con honores en el “Club of Pioneers”, , 5 May 2013
- Entra en el ‘Club of Pioneers’ , 5 May 2013
- KHFC new member for the Club of Pioneers 5 September 2014
- St-Gallen aufnahme in Club of Pioneers Blick.ch, 23 September 2015
- FC St-Gallen kommt inden Club of Pioneers Tagblatt, 22 August 2014
- Antwerp Pioneers Cup , 18 May 2016
- Antwerp treedt toe tot Club of Pioneers , 23 May 2016
- Fola Esch, entering Club of Pioneers , 14 November 2016
- Fola fir 110. Anniversaire am "Club of Pioneers" opgeholl , 13 December 2016
- Odds Ballklubb celebrated their place in "Club of Pioneers" at halftime in their match against Strømsgodset 13 May 2017
- Odds BK - Club of Pioneers
- Vi ønsker at folk skal kjenne til Odd når de snakker om fotball i Norge[permanent dead link] , 15 May 2017
- Classic Football Shirts, 19 July 2017
- Savages celebrate in style The Witness, 21 August 2017
- Academica integrase no Club of Pioneers Académica-oaf.pt, 4 November 2017
- Academica integrase no Club of Pioneers DSport.pt, 6 November 2017
- First Vienna FC neue mitglieder ,21 April 2018
- [1] "Club website" ,5 November 2018
- ljuboten-enters-club-of-pioneers "Ljuboten enters Club of Pioneers" ,11 May 2019
- https://www.corporacionwanderers.cl/noticias/ceremonia-de-ingreso-club-of-pioneers/ "Corporation Wanderers", 24 augustus 2019
External links[]
- Association football organizations
- 2013 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Sports organizations established in 2013