The oldest football clubs trace their origins to the mid-19th century, a period when football evolved from being a casual pastime to an organised mainstream sport.
An 1881 Australian rules football match between Melbourne and Geelong. The clubs were founded in 1858 and 1859 respectively and currently compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), making them the world's oldest football clubs that are now professional.
Sheffield F.C. (similar Sheffield representative side here pictured in 1875) is the oldest independent (that is, not related with a school or university) association football club in the world
Argentine Rosario A.C. rugby union squad in 1884. This is supposed to be the oldest photo of a rugby team in the country
Australian rules football club Melbourne of 1879. The club (established in 1859) is the oldest in its country and has competed in the AFL since its inception in 1897
Dublin University Football Club
Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) is the rugby union club of Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland, which plays in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League.
Dublin University Football Club
Dublin University team of the 1870s