Description

Sheffield has a long history of involvement in sport. Although cricket
was the first organised sport, it has gradually been supplanted by
football. Both the main two local football teams grew out of 19th
century cricket teams.
Sheffield can also claim many firsts in football the most famous one
Sheffield F.C. being the world’s first and oldest football club. The
City also houses the World’s oldest football ground, Sandygate Road
home to Hallam F.C.
Today Sheffield has a club in every major team sport in England.
Sheffield became the first UK National City of Sport in 1995 and is
now home to the English Institute of Sport (EIS).
The city is home to two league clubs Sheffield Wednesday and
Sheffield United, top flight ice hockey Sheffield Steelers and
basketball Sheffield Sharks and a Premier League speedway team
Sheffield Tigers. Sheffield Eagles is the main rugby league club
and operates a level below the Super League.
There have been six boxing world champions from Sheffield,
including the likes of Clinton Woods, Johnny Nelson and Naseem
Hamed. Jonny Marray is a recent Wimbledon Double Champion,
Roger Taylor another tennis player from the city reached quater
finals of all the 4 major tennis tournament in the 1970s and the
former England cricket captains, Michael Vaughan and Joe Root,
were brought up in Sheffield.
The largest stadium is Hillsborough Stadium, the home of Sheffield
Wednesday, which holds around 39,850. The now-demolished Don
Valley Stadium was formerly the largest athletics stadium in the
United Kingdom. Bramall Lane is the world’s oldest major football
ground and holds around 33,000. The World Snooker
Championships has been held at the Crucible Theatre since 1977.