A significant insignificant building

[duckweed]

This building is where Soccer was born.

2 men got together and decided to adapt the mob football games they had seen played in public schools. They had written to the schools for rules and got together and compiled a rule book and formed a football club called Sheffield Football Club.

Remarkably although this is just round the corner from Bramall Lane where Sheffield United play there is nothing to mark this buildings importance in the origin of what is now a worldwide sport. No plaque.

 

[leefer]

Very interesting..........been to Bramall Lane a few times....also delivered to Lavers next door.....the old ground has a lovely old feel to it.
I will be there to watch Swindon in a couple of months.....second last match.

As for the above building maybe one day it will get a plaque..though many woman may rather it be pulled down and good riddance to it

 

[duckweed]

As a woman and a football fan (all my life) I don't want it pulled down. I want it commemorated for all time. My sons wouldn't care as much as they have never been keen on soccer but my daughter who used to play soccer would. She used to live near there and go to some of the matches at Bramall Lane.

But she didn't know the significance of the white house. I suspect most of the fans don't know either.

Just up the hill is the Blades training ground which ironically used to be Sheffield Wednesday's ground. Wednesday played at Bramall Lane but the cricket club took too much of the ticket sales money so Wednesday moved out and up the hill to Olive Grove. So a lot of early football history around there.

 

[leefer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield_Rules

Mob football in Norton.

 

[duckweed]

Yes this was also called Huddling. This was nothing to do with public schools but more in common with village or inter village games. You could have upper village against lower village. If they were lucky no fatalities occurred. Not much like soccer really, more like rugby.

It was traditional to play it on Twelfth Night though other places in Derbyshire played it at Easter.

 

[jay]

Thank goodness for rugby and the Six Nations Championship which starts tomorrow ... I hate soccer!!!

 

[duckweed]

I like both though I must admit I find Rugby rules simpler.

Strange how both Soccer and Rugby are supposed to have their roots in public schools. Frankly I think people said that to make the games sound posher. The idea of a hundred or more country yokels scrambling in the mud for a ball didn't have quite a same image.

 

[leefer]

Thank goodness for rugby and the Six Nations Championship which starts tomorrow ... I hate soccer!!!

Uh hum....football if you please.

Your image caused a stir on the Swindon footy forum Duckweed.......they only found out what house it was when someone researched the agents board on the front of the property



They agreed that a plaque or some recognition would be nice.

 

[duckweed]

Its been really interesting I have been searching through old Sheffield Newspapers and you can see how the game developed. People discussing in one game about a free kick and the ins and out of that.

Someone saying there was several thousand spectators at the football match at Bramall Lane but that they didn't believe it would really catch on and ever be as popular as cricket.


Teams often didn't have a home ground and played wherever they could. There were quite big matches at Meersbrook estate even before it became a public park. Sheffield Football Club only recently bought themselves a home ground in Dronfield.