Club of Pioneers

Network of association football clubs

Countries of origin of member clubs, as of May 2024.

The Club of Pioneers is a worldwide network of the oldest continuing association football clubs from each country.

The Club of Pioneers was founded in 2013 by Sheffield FC, the first and oldest association football club in the world. The Club of Pioneers aims to discover and connect the world's oldest existing football clubs, to build a global network of like-minded football clubs to promote the importance of football history and the grass roots and amateur game.

## Definition of Pioneers

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According to today's historical knowledge and available sources of football history, the Sheffield Football Club Foundation awards the honorary membership within the Club of Pioneers to those football clubs, who:

1. Still play football in amateur or professional football competition today.
2. Have constantly existed as a sports organisation since their date of foundation. (Exceptions for periods of inactivity due to external reasons, for example war.)
3. Are by definition the oldest existing football club of their country, referring to the foundation date of a football team as part of a multi-sport club or as a proper football club, playing to association football rules.
4. Live and support the values of the game and amateur football: Integrity, Respect, Community.

## Team Work

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The club has a work team made up of great professionals who have been working in the field of football for many years.

1. President: Richard Tims
2. Partnerships: Dylan Ralph
3. Ambassador: Tom Simons (Belgium)
4. Latam Ambassador: Juan Alvarez (France - Uruguay)
5. Ambassador: Robert Zitzmann (Germany)

## Current members

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Club | Country | founded in  | League Season 23/24  | Level | Continent

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Sheffield FC |  England | 1857, 24 October | Northern Premier League Division One East  | 8 | Europe
Wrexham AFC |  Wales | 1864, 4 October | League One | 3 | Europe
Queen's Park FC |  Scotland | 1867, 9 July | Scottish Championship | 2 | Europe
Kjøbenhavns Boldklub |  Denmark | 1876, 26 April | Copenhagen Series | 6 | Europe
FC St. Gallen |  Switzerland | 1879, 19 April | Swiss Super League | 1 | Europe
Koninklijke HFC |  Netherlands | 1879, 15 September | Second Division | 3 | Europe
Cliftonville FC |  Northern Ireland | 1879, 20 September | NIFL Premiership | 1 | Europe
Royal Antwerp FC |  Belgium | 1880  | Pro League | 1 | Europe
Savages FC Pietermaritzburg |  South Africa | 1882, 26 August  | Not applicable[1] | n.a. | Africa
Balgownie Rangers F.C. |  Australia | 1883  | Not applicable  | n.a. | Oceania
Hong Kong F.C. |  Hong Kong | 1886, 12 February | Hong Kong Premier League | 1 | Asia
Yokohama C&AC |  Japan | 1886, 26 December | Not applicable[2] | n.a. | Asia
Associação Académica de Coimbra |  Portugal | 1887, 3 November | Liga 3 | 3 | Europe
North Shore United AFC |  New Zealand | 1887  | NRFL Division 1 | 3 | Oceania
Örgryte IS |  Sweden | 1887, 4 December | Superettan | 2 | Europe
BFC Germania 1888 |  Germany | 1888, 15 April | Kreisliga Berlin B Staffel 6  | 10 | Europe
Mohun Bagan Super Giant |  India | 1889, 15 August | Indian Super League[3] | 1 | Asia
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva |  Spain | 1889, 23 December | Primera Federación | 3 | Europe
St. George's FC |  Malta | 1890  | National Amateur League | 3 | Europe
Albion Football Club |  Uruguay | 1891, 1 June | Primera División | 2 | South America
Tvøroyrar Bóltfelag |  Faroe Islands | 1892, 13 May | 1\. deild | 1 | Europe
Santiago Wanderers |  Chile | 1892, 15 August | Primera B de Chile | 2 | South America
Genoa CFC |  Italy | 1893, 7 September | Serie A | 1 | Europe
Odds Ballklubb |  Norway | 1894, 31 March | Eliteserien | 1 | Europe
First Vienna FC |  Austria | 1894, 22 August | 2\. Liga | 2 | Europe
CS Fola Esch |  Luxembourg | 1906, 9 December | National Division | 1 | Europe
Botev Plovdiv |  Bulgaria | 1912, 11 March | First Professional Football League | 1 | Europe
FK Ljuboten |  North Macedonia | 1919, 28 March | Third Football League | 3 | Europe
FK Sveikata |  Lithuania | 1919, 8 June | II Lyga | 3 | Europe
SV Voorwaarts |  Suriname | 1919, 1 August | Topklasse | 1 | South America
Ittihad FC |  Saudi Arabia | 1927, 26 December | Saudi Pro League | 1 | Asia
AC Libertas |  San Marino | 1928, 4 September | Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio | 1 | Europe

(December 2024)

## Pioneers Cup

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Members of the Club of Pioneers, can also take part in a Pioneers Cup: a football tournament where only 'oldest' clubs can participate, to showcase their pioneering heritage. The teams themselves do not play, but are represented by 'Pioneer' teams of fans, former-players, and staff of the club.

Pioneers Cup 2013 - Sheffield

Date | 16 November 2013
Venue | Sheffield F.C. Stadium - England
Participating teams | Sheffield F.C. (England) with Chris Waddle, Carlton Palmer, John Beresford,
RC Recreativo de Huelva (Spain)
Genoa CFC (Italy) with Tomáš Skuhravý, Gennaro Ruotolo
Winners | Sheffield F.C.
Pioneers Cup 2014 - Haarlem

Date | 30 August 2014
Venue | Haarlem \- Netherlands
Participating teams | Sheffield F.C. (England) with Chris Dolby
Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands) with Tom Van Schaick
Royal Antwerp Fc (Belgium)
Winners | Sheffield FC
Pioneers Cup 2014 - Huelva

Date | 6 September 2014
Venue | Nuevo Colombino \- Huelva \- Spain
Participating teams | RC Recreativo de Huelva (Spain)
Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands)
Genoa CFC (Italy)
Winners | RC Recreativo de Huelva
Pioneers Cup 2016 - Antwerp

Date | 21 May 2016
Venue | Bosuilstadion \- Antwerp \- Belgium
Participating teams | Royal Antwerp F.C. (Belgium) with Jonas De Roeck
Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands)  with Tom Van Schaik, Paulo Meijnderhagen
CS Fola Esch (Luxembourg) with Pascal Welter
Winners | Koninklijke HFC
extra info | Pioneers Cup Ambassador: Laszlo Fazekas
Pioneers Cup 2019 - Haarlem

Date | 31 August 2019
Venue | Haarlem \- Netherlands
Participating teams | FK Sveikata (Lithuania) Gintaras Cibirka, Audrius Paškevičius
Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands)
Royal Antwerp Fc (Belgium)
Winners | FK Sveikata
Pioneers Cup 2024 - Haarlem

Date | 7 September 2024
Venue | Haarlem \- Netherlands
Participating teams | FK Sveikata (Lithuania)
Koninklijke HFC (Netherlands)
Royal Antwerp Fc (Belgium)
Winners | FK Sveikata (2)

## Notes

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1. ^ "Info". Facebook. 20 November 2022. "(...)Savages has junior teams from U6 to U17, and senior teams: Over 35 and Over 50"
2. ^ Yokohama Country & Athletic Club (20 December 2021). "Football". Retrieved 20 November 2022. "OVER 30/40 SECTION: The Masters play every weekend against teams from the local community and beyond, and stick behind afterwards for beers at the bar. In the summer, a select squad of Over 40s play in the difficult Kanagawa Senior Masters League. All matches are played at home.(...)"
3. ^ Mohun Bagan Super Giant represents the football section of Mohun Bagan AC since 2020.

## Sources

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* Sheffield fc \- the world's first.
* Cliftonville fc : Introduction to the Club of Pioneers, 10 March 2013
* Genoa CFC
* St-Gallen fc
* R Antwerp FC - Club of Pioneers Archived 24 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine
* Globalise then localize Game of the People, 27 juli 2013
* Sheffield Pioneers Cup BBC.com, 17 November 2013
* El Recreativo de Huelva ingresa con honores en el “Club of Pioneers”, Cihefe.es, 5 May 2013
* Entra en el ‘Club of Pioneers’ HuelvaYa.es, 5 May 2013
* KHFC new member for the Club of Pioneers TheStar.co.uk 5 September 2014
* St-Gallen aufnahme in Club of Pioneers Blick.ch, 23 September 2015
* FC St-Gallen kommt inden Club of Pioneers Tagblatt, 22 August 2014
* Antwerp Pioneers Cup GvA, 18 May 2016
* Antwerp treedt toe tot Club of Pioneers GvA, 23 May 2016
* Fola Esch, entering Club of Pioneers FuPa Lux, 14 November 2016
* Fola fir 110. Anniversaire am "Club of Pioneers" opgeholl RTL.lu, 13 December 2016
* Odds Ballklubb celebrated their place in "Club of Pioneers" at halftime in their match against Strømsgodset 13 May 2017
* Odds BK - Club of Pioneers
* Vi ønsker at folk skal kjenne til Odd når de snakker om fotball i Norge[permanent dead link] Vardens, 15 May 2017
* Classic Football Shirts, 19 July 2017
* Savages celebrate in style The Witness, 21 August 2017
* Academica integrase no Club of Pioneers Archived 16 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine Académica-oaf.pt, 4 November 2017
* Academica integrase no Club of Pioneers DSport.pt, 6 November 2017
* First Vienna FC neue mitglieder ,21 April 2018
* KB i eksklusivt selskab Archived 20 April 2022 at the Wayback Machine (in Danish) "Club website", 5 November 2018.
* ljuboten-enters-club-of-pioneers "Ljuboten enters Club of Pioneers" ,11 May 2019
* Ceremonia de ingreso Club of Pioneer "Corporation Wanderers", 24 August 2019
* Invitation for Cracovia Twitter, 13 June 2023
* Ботев официално е един от най-старите клубове в света "Botev is officially one of the oldest clubs in the world", 2 May 2024
* [1] Website, 10 July 2024
* [2] Website, 18 April 2024
* [3] Website, 3 May 2024

## External links

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* Official website of the 'Club of Pioneers'
* Club of Pioneers – Marca
* Oldest football clubs – Habra Sports Journal