On this day (10 July, 1858) Tom Wills wrote a letter to Bell's Life magazine which would create the Melbourne Football club.

Now that cricket has been put aside for some months to come, and cricketers have assumed somewhat of the chrysalis nature (for the time being only, it is true), but at length again will burst forth in all their varied hues, rather than allow this state of torpor to creep over them and stifle their now supple limbs, why cannot they, I say, form a football club, and form a committee of three or more to draw up a code of laws?

If a club of this sort was got up, it would be of vast benefit to any cricket ground to be trampled on, and would make the turf firm and durable, besides which it would help those who are inclined to become stout and having their joints encased in useless superabundant flesh.

If it were not possible to form a football club, why should these young men who have adopted this new country for their motherland - why, I say, do not they form themselves into a rifle club, so at any date they may be some day called upon to aid their adopted land against a tyrant who may some time pop upon us when we least expect a foe at our very own doors. Surely our young cricketers are not afraid of a crack of a rifle when they face so courageously the leather sphere, and it would disgrace no one to learn in time to defend his country and his hearth.

A firm heart and a steady hand and a quick eye are all that are requisite and with practice all these may be attained.

Trusting that someone will take up this matter and form either of the above clubs, or at any rate some athletic games.

You've treated me poorly over my lifetime, but I still love you. Happy 160th birthday Melbourne Football Club!

 

6 minutes ago, wonnabeeri said:

 

You've treated me poorly over my lifetime, but I still love you. Happy 160th birthday Melbourne Football Club!

 

That is so very true.

Oldest on the Planet ? 

Stand up and be Proud MFC

Happy birthday M F C ?

Beat us by 1 year 2nd oldest.

Happy Birthday M.F.C

7 minutes ago, Win4theAges said:

Beat us by 1 year 2nd oldest.

Happy Birthday M.F.C

"Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, although now based in Dronfield, Derbyshire. They play in the Northern Premier League Division One South, at level 8 of the English football league system."

8th Division doesn't count

We play in the top league

 

Yes, I think that is the point that has been made in the past; we are the oldest club to have continuously played at the top flight of its competition

Go Dees

Yes, our club is an old and important part of the history of our great game.  I love reminding supporters of other clubs that the rules of the game are NOT the "rules of Aussie Rules".  They are, rather, the "rules of the Melbourne Football Club"!

(So, why is it that the umpies so often get it so wrong when the officiate at our games...??  LOL)

2 hours ago, wonnabeeri said:

You've treated me poorly over my lifetime, but I still love you. Happy 160th birthday Melbourne Football Club!

 

2 hours ago, dl4e said:

That is so very true.

I've been on this earth for too long to be able to put my hand on my heart, and say with honesty that the Melbourne Football Club has "treated me poorly over my lifetime" .......... but I can say that since the honeymoon period ended late in 1964, I've been treated shabbily, and totally denied what I regard as the football equivalent of my 'conjugal rights'.  Sure, I've been 'teased' occasionally since '64, but this has never amounted to anything of real substance.  Still, my passion has not wained through the 55 years deprivation.  I just want to fall asleep in her ams one more time, for old acquaintance sake.

3 hours ago, wonnabeeri said:

 

If it were not possible to form a football club, why should these young men who have adopted this new country for their motherland - why, I say, do not they form themselves into a rifle club,

 

I love footy, but I've lost count of the number of times over the years that I wished we'd become a rifle club instead. 

Quote

from wikipedia - oldest football clubs

Melbourne and Geelong were founding members of the Australian Football League (AFL), making them the world's oldest football clubs that are now professional.

 

Technically its Correct but they are irrelevant as they aren't in the top 4 divs of The English FA.

M.F.C wins out yay????

53 minutes ago, Vagg said:

Yes, our club is an old and important part of the history of our great game.  I love reminding supporters of other clubs that the rules of the game are NOT the "rules of Aussie Rules".  They are, rather, the "rules of the Melbourne Football Club"!

(So, why is it that the umpies so often get it so wrong when the officiate at our games...??  LOL)

And these are on the walls and kept in sacrosanct retainers at our home ground, the MCG, because of the links of football and cricket seasons since its inception.

1 hour ago, Grapeviney said:

I love footy, but I've lost count of the number of times over the years that I wished we'd become a rifle club instead. 

Club has shot itself in the foot plenty of times over the years.

Let that count.

If I may be a [censored] here, the date Tom Wills' letter was published is in no way the birth of the MFC. More accurate dates:

31 July 1858 - First scratch match featuring players connected to the Melbourne Cricket Club

25 September 1858 - First game played by a team called 'Melbourne' vs South Yarra

14 May 1859 - The day the actual Melbourne Football Club was formed. For mine this is the real date, everything before then was a loose collection of players under the name 'Melbourne'.

Thank you for allowing me to ruin the occasion.

That's actually a ripper letter. Men were men back then.

4 hours ago, Vagg said:

Yes, our club is an old and important part of the history of our great game.  I love reminding supporters of other clubs that the rules of the game are NOT the "rules of Aussie Rules".  They are, rather, the "rules of the Melbourne Football Club"!

(So, why is it that the umpies so often get it so wrong when the officiate at our games...??  LOL)

I sit next to a Richmond supporter at work (in her late 50s/early 60s probably). We were talking about the Yarra Park proposal and she made a comment about us moving in on Richmond's territory - I had to remind her we were there first to which she replied "really?" I had to give her a history lesson and explain Melbourne created the original rules, were the original club, the oldest professional club in the world and only let Richmond play home games on our ground in the mid 60s.

She was surprised to see Richmond were a latecomer not even being a founding member of the league.

1 hour ago, Supermercado said:

If I may be a [censored] here, the date Tom Wills' letter was published is in no way the birth of the MFC. More accurate dates:

31 July 1858 - First scratch match featuring players connected to the Melbourne Cricket Club

25 September 1858 - First game played by a team called 'Melbourne' vs South Yarra

14 May 1859 - The day the actual Melbourne Football Club was formed. For mine this is the real date, everything before then was a loose collection of players under the name 'Melbourne'.

Thank you for allowing me to ruin the occasion.

And I stole the letter from demonwiki too.

5 hours ago, Win4theAges said:

 

Probably makes no difference in this case, but it needs to be borne in mind that as far as 'soccer' is concerned  it is the only code of football. So FIFA and FA would still call it the first 'football' club,  even if it was formed in 1859.

Secondly, when did Sheffield play their first game? Was it before Melbourne did? That should be a consideration

4 minutes ago, xarronn said:

Secondly, when did Sheffield play their first game?

Not sure on the exact date, but I believe it was a Wednesday.

54 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I sit next to a Richmond supporter at work (in her late 50s/early 60s probably). We were talking about the Yarra Park proposal and she made a comment about us moving in on Richmond's territory - I had to remind her we were there first to which she replied "really?" I had to give her a history lesson and explain Melbourne created the original rules, were the original club, the oldest professional club in the world and only let Richmond play home games on our ground in the mid 60s.

She was surprised to see Richmond were a latecomer not even being a founding member of the league.

you did remind her i hope the the tigers punt road homeland is actually in the city of melbourne, not richmond. as is all of yarra park

14 minutes ago, xarronn said:

 

Probably makes no difference in this case, but it needs to be borne in mind that as far as 'soccer' is concerned  it is the only code of football. So FIFA and FA would still call it the first 'football' club,  even if it was formed in 1859.

Secondly, when did Sheffield play their first game? Was it before Melbourne did? That should be a consideration

actually soccer was a later offshoot of the original football which of course was rugby football

soccer is correctly known as "association football"

as for being the "beautiful" game......pfffft... they had to invent something to overcome the sheer boredom of the game

54 minutes ago, daisycutter said:

 

as for being the "beautiful" game......pfffft... they had to invent something to overcome the sheer boredom of the game

Yeah like loonies running around an ikea store. I think the boredom of it leads to a form of brain damage.

1 hour ago, demonstone said:

Not sure on the exact date, but I believe it was a Wednesday.

clever but the wrong club.?