A new blue plaque to commemorate Sheffield’s role in the growth of football has been unveiled to recognise “where it all started”.

The plaque marks the site of the former Adelphi Hotel, where members of Sheffield FC agreed to the Sheffield Rules of football in 1858.

It was organised by the Sheffield Home of Football charity, which was also responsible for the erection of blue plaques for Cemetery Road Church FC and Sheffield FC co-founder Sir Nathaniel Creswick earlier this year.

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The role Sheffield played in the growth of football has been marked with the unveiling of a blue plaque at the spot where the rules of the game were agreed and adopted

placeholder image — The role Sheffield played in the growth of football has been marked with the unveiling of a blue plaque at the spot where the rules of the game were agreed and adopted

Abtisam Mohammed, MP for Sheffield Central, attended the plaque unveiling and said: “I think it’s fantastic news for Sheffield and the recognition needs to be there.

“There are many people that are not from Sheffield that don’t realise that Sheffield is the home of football. I think this plaque is the first step of many steps in terms of recognising this is the home of football, and we need to get the word out.”

The charity also announced former Sheffield Central MP and Minister for Sport Richard Caborn as their new trustee at the event.

Speaking to The Star, he said: “There is no doubt that this is a very significant event because all roads of football – worldwide – come back to this plaque. This is where it started. And I think that now needs to be recognised.”

A blue plaque marks the spot where the rules of football were agreed and adopted in Sheffield

Mr Caborn also said that he and Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield Attercliffe, are writing to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport, Lisa Nandy, and Minister for Sport, Stephanie Peacock, to give recognition to Sheffield as the home of football.

They also plan to write to UNESCO, in the belief that this should also be recognised as part of their World Heritage portfolio.

Chairman of Sheffield FC, Richard Tims, who unveiled the plaque, said the city needed to “shout louder” about “where football all kicked off”.

“It’s another momentous occasion that we are finally getting the recognition we deserve – both as a club but also as a city.”

Steve Wood, historian and trustee of Sheffield Home of Football explained that so many of the elements of football seen today originate from Sheffield, including: corners, free kicks, throw-ins, goal kicks, penalties, referees, 11-a-side, the crossbar, formations, heading, 90 minute matches, and switching sides at half-time.

He said: “No other city has what we’ve got in terms of football heritage and football history, that’s what we should be celebrating.”

There are also plans for more memorials across the city, including one to Jack Hunter – a footballer who was born in Crookes in 1851 and went on to make seven appearances for England – and to Sheffield-born goalkeeper Gordon Banks, who went on to win the World Cup with England in 1966.

As Mr Wood continued: “We’ve got statues, more plaques – we’ve got four more in production as we speak. So when you come to the city you will know that this is the home of football.”

Also unveiled following the event was a new children’s book called ‘A Children’s Illustrated History of Football’.

Written by Steve Wood and fellow historians John Stocks and Dr John Wilson, it aims to further educate younger people about this part of the city’s history.