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Event of 1862: Notts County F.C. is founded in Nottingham, England, making it the world's oldes

When
1862–1888
Where
Nottingham, England; Meadows Cricket Ground, Nottingham
Episodes
5

Notts County Football Club, founded in 1862, is recognized as the world's oldest professional football club. Although formally organized in December 1864, its traditional foundation date remains 1862. The club played its first recorded match in 1864 and became a founding member of the Football League in 1888, establishing a long-standing rivalry with Nottingham Forest.

Episodes

  1. 1862 · Nottingham, EnglandTraditional Foundation Date

    Notts County is recognized as the world's oldest professional football club, with a traditional foundation date of 1862.

  2. 7 December 1864 · Nottingham, EnglandFormal Organization

    The club was formally organized on 7 December 1864, establishing 'Notts Foot Ball Club' as an abbreviation for Nottinghamshire.

  3. 8 December 1864 · Meadows Cricket Ground, NottinghamFirst Recorded Match

    Notts County played its first recorded match on 8 December 1864 against Trent Valley at the Meadows Cricket Ground.

  4. March 1866 · Nottingham, EnglandFirst Nottingham Derby

    Notts County first played Nottingham Forest in March 1866, establishing one of football's oldest fixtures.

  5. 1888 · Nottingham, EnglandFootball League Founding Member

    Notts County became one of the 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888.

Background and detail

Background. Notts County is a professional football club based in Nottingham, England. While the club was formally organized on 7 December 1864, its traditional foundation date is 1862, which establishes it as the oldest professional football club in the world. Early meetings involved informal kickabouts, which moved to the Meadows Cricket Ground by 1863.

Early Development. The club was variously described as Nottinghamshire, Nottingham, or Notts Club. The name 'Notts County' likely arose to distinguish the club from other local teams and the Nottinghamshire County Football Association. The first recorded match took place on 8 December 1864 against Trent Valley at the Meadows Cricket Ground.

Rivalry and League Membership. Notts County first played Nottingham Forest in March 1866, creating one of football's oldest fixtures. The club became a founding member of the Football League in 1888, despite experiencing a poor season. Professionalism was legalized in 1885, and Notts immediately recognized six players as professionals.

People involved

Sources

  1. Notts County F.C. Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-25

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.