“There’s nothing quite like taking on your biggest local rival. The tension, the passion and a desire to defend your own turf make these tussles ‘must-see’ events, a point surely not lost on those who earlier this month attended either the Old Firm clash between Rangers and Celtic or Arsenal fronting up to Tottenham Hotspur in the 196th north London derby. On a bone-chilling Tuesday night in south Yorkshire, as temperatures hover just above zero, another derby is taking place. And while Hallam versus Sheffield FC will never compete with the tribalism of Glasgow or the glamour of the English capital, it does possess the unique boast of being the oldest derby in world football. Way back on December 26, 1860, the two clubs met for the first time at the same Sandygate ground where a sell-out crowd of 1,496 assembled to watch a Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup quarter-final. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
W – Hallam F.C.
Hallam F.C.: Playing football since 1860 at Sandygate, The World’s Oldest Football Ground