Derby festival earns international attention

Sheffield FC’s profile as the world’s first football club has been boosted again thanks to a unique international football festival at the EVO-STIK League club.

The World’s First Derby Festival took place last weekend to mark the latest staging of the first ever derby match between Club and local rivals Hallam FC in 1860 and attracted ‘a fans and legend’ team from German giants Borussia Dortmund and Austrian team ASK-PSV Salzburg with fans from both European clubs joining locals.

Held over to days at Club’s Coach and Horses ground at Dronfield following the First Division South club’s recent signing of a kit deal with global sports giants PUMA, the football was accompanied by the Dronfield Music Festival on the Sunday with performances from 16 bands from Sheffield and Yorkshire.

In matches that attracted the attention of the international sporting media, Mick Wadsworth’s side beat ASK-PSV Salzburg 3-0 on the Saturday in the club’s first meeting with Austrian opposition but in the feature game lost 3-1 to Hallam FC who took home the Barstool Trophy.

Before that, the crowd was treated to a seven goal thriller with Borussia Dortmund running out 5-2 winners against a Club side featuring Chris Wilder and John Beresford, with Lars Ricken, the Dortmund legend best remembered for scoring a long range goal against Juventus in 1997 a record-breaking 16 seconds after coming on as a substitute in the Champions League, pulling the strings for the visitors.

Sheffield FC chairman Richard Tims said afterwards: "It was a wonderful occasion promoting friendship through football and the event attracted international media which can only help spread the word on a global stage about ourselves and Hallam."

Image Ben Webster & Barry Dyke/www.sheffieldfc.com