On this day in 1857, the world’s first football club, Sheffield FC, was founded by a couple of cricket enthusiasts.
Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, who played for the Sheffield Cricket Club came up with the ingenious idea to form a football team. Cricket being a sport exclusively for the summers, the players needed another activity for the winters to keep their fitness levels in check. The two men were familiar with the sport as they frequently engaged in ‘kick-abouts’ with a football. Finally, after two years of contemplation, Sheffield FC was born. Creswick presided as the club’s first secretary while Frederick Ward became the first president.