UK: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - The world's oldest football club, Sheffield FC celebrates its 150th anniversary

The world's oldest football club, Sheffield FC celebrates its 150th anniversary as England prepares to bid for World Cup 2018. Following a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday (October 24) FIFA President Sepp Blatter attended commemorative celebrations in the northern city of Sheffield to mark the 150th anniversary of the world's oldest football club Sheffield FC. The tiny amateur club, long overshadowed by its city neighbours Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday, plays in what is effectively the seventh level of the English league, and rarely gets more than 200 or 300 people for a match. But along with Real Madrid, the world's richest club and nine time European champions, it is the only club to hold FIFA's Order of Merit. Blatter was joined at the celebrations by UK minister for Sport Richard Caborn who will play a central role should England bid for the 2018 World Cup. The FIFA President said he would welcome the bid but was keen to point out the level of competition that any bidding nation will face. "I can only repeat what I have said today to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, that we welcome the bid of the Football Association England, because it is the motherland of football, because they have given so much to football and because the last World Cup played in England was in 1966 so from 66 to go to 2018 it is a long long period and that's why we welcome the bid. But if the bid is open it will not be the only one I can tell you," Blatter told reporters outside Sheffield's Cutler's Hall where a commemorative banquets was held. Caborn expressed the British Government's determination to use the popularity of football to encourage young people to take up sport. "Prime Minister Gordon Brown made it very very clear that if the Football Association are making a bid for 2018, which I think they will be allowed to do now early next year then the government are one hundred percent behind that bid, and as he said it is not just about the tournament itself its about what we can actually do to help young people back into sport through the power of football," he told reporters. Other guests at Wednesday's function included football celebrities from around the world such as Real Madrid chairman Ramon Calderon, England World Cup winner Bobby Charlton and former national manager Bobby Robson. Pele will be the guest of honour when Sheffield play Inter Milan at a celebratory match at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane ground next month. Richard Tims, the proud chairman of Sheffield FC told reporters that the club aims to create a site in Sheffield that football fans from around the world can visit. "Every football fan in the world surely must be interested in where the game kicked off and it's here and we want to create something that every football fan can come and visit," Tims told reporters.

ITN Source | October 26, 2007

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