The team was originally based on various grounds around Sheffield, including Bramall Lane, now home of Sheffield United. They are now based at the Bright Finance Stadium in Dronfield, Derbyshire. The club are also noted for participating in the world's oldest footballing rivalry. Sheffield competed against Hallam in the world's first inter-club match during 1860 the match is known as the "Sheffield" or "Rules" derby.
The club's finest hour came in 1904 when they won the FA Amateur Cup, a competition conceived after a suggestion by Sheffield. They also finished as runners up of the FA Vase in 1977. They have been bestowed with the FIFA Order of Merit and inducted in to the English Football Hall of Fame for their contribution to football.
In 1855, members of a Sheffield cricket club organised informal kick-abouts without any official rules. Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest formed the Sheffield Football Club. The inaugural meeting of Sheffield F.C. took place on 24 October 1857 at Parkfield House in the suburb of Highfield. The original headquarters became a greenhouse on East Bank Road and the adjacent field was used as their first playing ground. Initially, Sheffield FC games were played among club members themselves and took the format of "Married v Singles" or "Professionals v the Rest". The Sheffield club is officially recognised by FIFA as the oldest football club in the world.
Creswick and Prest were responsible for drawing up the club's rules of play, which decided upon at the clubs AGM on 21 October 1858. They were referred to as the Sheffield Rules. At the time, before the formation of the Football Association (FA), many different kinds of football were popular in England. For example, each of the various public schools played football according to their own individual rules, and these varied widely.
The first rules were distinctive. There was no offside rule and was the first to introduce free kicks for foul play. Australian rules football, which began to develop the following year, resembles the original Sheffield code in various respects.
Sheffield's near neighbour, Hallam, was formed in 1860 and in the same year the two clubs first played each other in a local derby which is still contested today. By 1862 there were 15 clubs in the Sheffield area. These rules were later adopted by the Sheffield Football Association when it was formed in 1867. By this time the club had decided only to play teams outside Sheffield in order to seek a bigger challenge.
They became members of the FA in 30 November 1863 but continued to use their own set of rules. On 31 March 1866, there was a match between a team representing Sheffield and one representing London clubs, at Battersea Park. Rules that differed only slightly from the FA rules were used. However, Sheffield continued to play by their own rules, with modifications, until they adopted the FA rules in 1878.
After the legalisation of professionalism Sheffield Club suggested to the FA the creation of a cup exclusively for amateur clubs. This would become the FA Amateur Cup and gave Sheffield their first ever cup success in 1904.
Sheffield F.C. are now based at the Coach and Horses Ground in Dronfield, Derbyshire, the first ground they have owned themselves. They play in the Northern Premier League Division One South, which is directly below the Northern Premier League Premier Division in the National League System. There are now 2 senior teams, 9 junior teams, 1 women's team (formed by a merger with Norton FC) and 1 disability team.
They have recently started a membership drive, notable members are Sven-Göran Eriksson, Sepp Blatter and Michael Vaughan. They have also enjoyed links with Real Madrid since both clubs received the FIFA Order of Merit and there were plans to play a match against them to celebrate their 150th Anniversary.
Sheffield FC's opponents for the 150th anniversary match in November 2007 were Italian Serie A side Inter Milan; Brazilian legend Pelé was guest of honour and was introduced to the teams and the fans before the game. The match ended 5-2 to Inter, with 18,741 supporters attending the match at Bramall Lane, Inter's side included World Cup winner Marco Materazzi. The day of the anniversary was marked with a church service and gala dinner attended by Geoff Thompson and Geoff Hurst among other major figures in the sport. Continuing their celebrations, Sheffield played Ajax on 13 April, 2008, celebrating a historic 2-0 win. The match was again played at Bramall lane in front of a crowd of 5,000, with the Premier League's Uriah Rennie refereeing the match.
There was much reluctance from the owners of Bramall Lane to see the pitch be used for football. They didn't relent until a charity match between Sheffield and Hallam was suggested in late 1862. The ground was used by Sheffield F.C. for its more important fixtures but relations with the owners remained strained. They collapsed altogether in 1875 when the club vowed never to play at the ground again.
Eventually Sheffield settled at Abbeydale Park with occasional forays to Owlerton Stadium. During the 1990s they played at Hillsborough Park, Owlerton Stadium and Don Valley Stadium before purchasing some land next to the Coach and Horses pub in Dronfield that was previously being used by the Coach and Horses pub team.
| FA Amateur Cup | Winners | 1903-04 |
| FA Vase | Runners-up | 1976-77 |
| Yorkshire League Division Two | Champions | 1976-77 |
| Yorkshire League Cup | Winners | 1977-78 |
| Whitbread Trophy | Winners | 1987-88 |
| Northern Counties East League Premier Division | Runners-up | 2006-07 |
| Northern Counties East League Division One | Champions | 1988-89, 1990-91 |
| Northern Counties East League Cup | Winners | 2000-01, 2004-05 |
| Northern Counties East League Cup | Runners-up | 2002-03, 2005-06 |
| Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup | Winners | 1993-94, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2007-08 |
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