Rules derby is a football derby played in Sheffield, England between Sheffield F.C. and Hallam F.C.. It was first played on 26 December 1860 and is the oldest football fixture in the world. The name refers to the fact that the fixture was originally played under the Sheffield Rules.
The first match was played at Hallam's home ground, Sandygate Road and resulted in a Sheffield victory by two goals to nil. The teams competed in the first ever football match at Bramall Lane. Due to a fight that erupted it was dubbed the Battle of Bramall Lane.
The derby is currently not a regular fixture as Sheffield is currently in the NPL Division One South, while Hallam is in the NCEL Division 1, two tiers below, however, the teams do regularly meet in pre-season friendles and occasionally Local FA matches. The last meeting between the two sides was a 3–2 win for Sheffield on 9 October 2012 in the Senior Cup at the Coach and Horses Ground, Dronfield.
Famous quotes containing the word rules:
“Playing games with agreed upon rules helps children learn to live by rules, establish the delicate balance between competition and cooperation, between fair play and justice and exploitation and abuse of these for personal gain. It helps them learn to manage the warmth of winning and the hurt of losing; it helps them to believe that there will be another chance to win the next time.”
—James P. Comer (20th century)