Sheffield’s Steel City Derby Holds Unique Place in Football History, Insists Leading Historian

Sheffield can rightly claim to be the home of football, a leading historian of the game has insisted, as the Steel City prepares to stage its latest derby.

A Fixture Steeped in History

With Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday set to face one another next month, Steve Tongue has called on supporters across the globe to recognise the fixture’s “huge” significance.

United, whose stadium Bramall Lane is one of the most historic in the country, host their arch-rivals from Hillsborough on Sunday 10 November. 

Sheffield’s Historic Contributions to Football

Although the match will not take place under the same spotlight as its counterparts in Liverpool, north London and Manchester, Tongue, a former national newspaper journalist turned author who now chronicles the sport’s development in this country, insisted the fact Sheffield gave birth to the world’s oldest existing club, football’s first ever knockout tournament and also the rules which still govern the modern game means it  deserves to afforded top billing.

“There’s so many great things about the Sheffield derby,” said Tongue, whose latest book ‘Yorkshire Turf Wars’ has just been released by Pitch Publishing. 

Red vs. Blue: The Rivalry That Defines Sheffield

“There’s the fact it’s red (United) versus (blue) Wednesday, those two traditional footballing colours. And then the knowledge that, by and large, it’s always so fiercely contested as the record books show - big score lines in favour of one or the other are the exception rather than the rule.”

“Between them, they’ve had about 50 promotions and relegations. It’s a proper derby and whatever level they’ve been playing at, these two have always enjoyed really good crowds.”

“But the one thing which so often gets overlooked is the contribution Sheffield has made to football,” Tongue continued.

“It gave it the laws it uses, Sheffield FC and Hallam FC - the two oldest clubs in the world - and a whole host of other firsts.”

Sheffield’s Overlooked Legacy in Football’s Growth

“When the National Football Museum moved from Preston, which was an understandable choice given what a big and significant club they used to be, to Manchester, I believe there was also a strong case for it to go to Sheffield given the city’s importance to football.”

Relegated from the top-flight last term, United’s home ground has staged association football for longer than any other venue on the planet. It was also the venue for the first ever floodlit match, first ever BBC radio football commentary and previously hosted Test cricket.

Wednesday, four-time champions of England, used to play at Bramall Lane before moving to nearby Olive Grove and then Hillsborough after electing to turn professional.

The Sheffield FA was responsible for introducing fixed crossbars, corner kicks, umpires and free kicks.

Between them, Wednesday and United boast four English championships, seven FA Cup triumphs and were both inaugural members of the Premier League.

Bramall Lane: A Historic Venue for Sporting Firsts

“Bramall Lane quickly established itself as an important sporting venue and if Wednesday had decided to stay there then the history of football in Sheffield could have been very different,” Tongue said.

“When United were founded, they made it clear from the outset that they were going to be a serious professional outfit and put adverts in the newspapers stressing as much.”