Happy Birthday Football!

Though our own On This Day feature regularly tweets facts and figures from days gone by at Solitude, today we throw our weight behind celebrations being enjoyed by one of our fellow pioneers of world football.

For it was on October 24, 1857, that Sheffield FC were founded and, as Ireland’s Oldest Football Club, we are only too keen to wish them and indeed the sport itself a very happy 160th birthday and join them in paying tribute to the game’s founding fathers Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest.

As part of the anniversary commemorations, 1857 Football – a project designed to recognise the heritage and legacy of the sport’s family tree – have created a special gallery of football’s founding fathers, where we are proud to say Cliftonville Football Club are featured, with further information available here.