Club of Pioneers
Global network of association football clubs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Club of Pioneers is a global network that connects the oldest existing association football clubs from each country. The Club of Pioneers was founded in 2013 by Sheffield F.C., the first and oldest association football club in the world. The Club of Pioneers aims to discover and connect the world's oldest existing association football clubs, to build a global network of like-minded association football clubs to promote the importance of football history and the grass roots and amateur game.
Definition of Pioneers
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:
- Still play football in amateur or professional football competition today.
- Have constantly existed as a sports organisation since their date of foundation. (Exceptions for periods of inactivity due to external reasons, for example war.)
- 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.
- Live and support the values of the game and amateur football: Integrity, Respect, Community.
Staff
The club’s staff includes coaches and administrators with experience in football.
| Office | Staff |
|---|---|
| President |  Richard Tims |
| Partnerships | Dylan Ralph |
| Ambassador |  Tom Simons |
| Ambassador |  Robert Zitzmann |
| Latam Ambassador |   Juan Alvarez |
Current members
- As of 11 April 2026
Pioneers Cup
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.
| 2013 Pioneers Cup | |
|---|---|
| Date | 16 November 2013 |
| Venue | Sheffield F.C. Stadium - England |
| Participating teams | Sheffield F.C. with Chris Waddle, Carlton Palmer, John Beresford Recreativo de Huelva Genoa CFC with Tomáš Skuhravý, Gennaro Ruotolo |
| Winners | Sheffield F.C. |
| 2014 Pioneers Cup | |
|---|---|
| Date | 30 August 2014 |
| Venue | Haarlem - Netherlands |
| Participating teams | Sheffield F.C. with Chris Dolby Koninklijke HFC with Tom Van Schaick Royal Antwerp F.C. |
| Winners | Sheffield F.C. |
| 2014 Pioneers Cup | |
|---|---|
| Date | 6 September 2014 |
| Venue | Estadio Nuevo Colombino - Huelva - Spain |
| Participating teams | Recreativo de Huelva Koninklijke HFC Genoa CFC |
| Winners | Recreativo de Huelva |
| 2016 Pioneers Cup | |
|---|---|
| Date | 21 May 2016 |
| Venue | Bosuilstadion - Antwerp - Belgium |
| Participating teams | Royal Antwerp F.C. with Jonas De Roeck Koninklijke HFC with Tom Van Schaik, Paulo Meijnderhagen CS Fola Esch with Pascal Welter |
| Winners | Koninklijke HFC |
| Notes | Pioneers Cup Ambassador: László Fazekas |
| 2019 Pioneers Cup | |
|---|---|
| Date | 31 August 2019 |
| Venue | Haarlem - Netherlands |
| Participating teams |  FK Sveikata Kybartai with Gintaras Cibirka, Audrius Paškevičius Koninklijke HFC Royal Antwerp F.C. |
| Winners | FK Sveikata Kybartai |
| 2024 Pioneers Cup | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 September 2024 |
| Venue | Haarlem - Netherlands |
| Participating teams | FK Sveikata Kybartai Koninklijke HFC Royal Antwerp F.C. |
| Winners | FK Sveikata Kybartai |
