Wednesday, October 24, 2007
The oldest club in the world
A dinner tomorrow to celebrate the founding of Sheffield FC, 150 years ago, will feature Sepp Blatter, the president of Fifa, in the same room for the first time as many of the key figures who may use the occasion to persuade him to bring the ultimate and richest prize in football to England in 2018 - the World Cup.
The irony is not lost on Richard Tims, the Sheffield FC chairman.
His club might be the oldest in the world – set up by pioneers who wrote the modern laws of the game in a garden shed – but it is also one of the smallest, playing on a pitch that, until recently, belonged to a pub.
“To think that a club like ours, with a few hundred fans up in Sheffield, will be the centre of attention for that one night is amazing,” he said.
As well as Blatter, guests at the celebratory dinner will include Ramón Calderón, president of Real Madrid, as well as Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Bobby Robson.
Crucially, though, Geoff Thompson, the FA chairman, will be there alongside Richard Caborn, the former Sports Minister, who is Gordon Brown’s ambassador for the 2018 World Cup bid.
The irony is not lost on Richard Tims, the Sheffield FC chairman.
His club might be the oldest in the world – set up by pioneers who wrote the modern laws of the game in a garden shed – but it is also one of the smallest, playing on a pitch that, until recently, belonged to a pub.
“To think that a club like ours, with a few hundred fans up in Sheffield, will be the centre of attention for that one night is amazing,” he said.
As well as Blatter, guests at the celebratory dinner will include Ramón Calderón, president of Real Madrid, as well as Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Bobby Robson.
Crucially, though, Geoff Thompson, the FA chairman, will be there alongside Richard Caborn, the former Sports Minister, who is Gordon Brown’s ambassador for the 2018 World Cup bid.
