Published 8th Jun 2023, 05:00 BST

For campaigners, who want the city to be on the map for football in the same way Wimbledon is for tennis, or St Andrew's for golf, it shows the message is getting through.

Sheffield sports the oldest clubs, grounds, trophies and even many of the rules that shaped the way football is played today.

It has the two oldest existing football clubs in Sheffield FC and Hallam FC, and the world's oldest professional football ground, Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane.

The city has scored a long list of firsts - including the Sheffield Rules, which were created in 1858, setting out laws such as not kicking and tripping opponents.

But its footballing heritage is not celebrated enough, say campaigners who would love there to be something on the ground to see - a visitor centre, an arts and sculpture trail and a summer football festival focussed around womens and girls tournaments tied in with music and dance.

"Suddenly you are creating a reason to visit the city," said Dr John Wilson, who teaches at the University of Sheffield's Management School and believes the city is a missing a trick by not tapping into some 3.5bn followers of the beautiful game across the world.

"There's no major tourist attractions in South Yorkshire apart from Yorkshire Wildlife Park. The only people who come to Sheffield are visiting friends and family.

Heeley Parish Church, Heeley, Sheffield, has buired in it's grounds Sir Nathaniel Creswick KCB an English footballer who co-founded Sheffield FC, the oldest football club in the world, in 1857. Picture By Yorkshire Post Photographer, James Hardisty.

"We are losing Doncaster Sheffield Airport, that's even less people visiting. If they are talking about increasing the number of jobs in tourism where are they?

"The Women's Euros last year was calculated by the FA to have brought £8m to the city - that's way more than snooker at the Crucible."

Having a visitor attraction is an idea that has been kicking about for years - since 1995 when Dr Wilson got together some students to put on an exhibition at Kelham Island for Euro 96 when Britain hosted the Men's Euros.

Dr Wilson said: "The whole purpose was to create the momentum to have a national football museum in the city.

Pictured (left to right) Trustees of the Sheffield Home of Football Trust, John Clarke, (Trustee and Company Secretary), Councillor Denise Fox, (Trustee), John Stocks, (Trustee), and Nick Partridge, BEM, (Trustee). Picture By Yorkshire Post Photographer, James Hardisty.

"What in fact happened was there was no public competition and suddenly a decision was made to host a museum in Preston - who have a long history but not as long as Sheffield.

"It wasn't supported by the government and in the end had to close and moved to Manchester who now have a National Football Museum."

A seven-strong group of trustees is close to confirming charitable status for Sheffield Home of Football, with the hope that opens up a multitude of opportunities.

The charity should give the project a renewed boost. Dr Wilson said: "We'd like to hope that it communicates that we are not for profit, it's all for the benefit of the city, for arts, education, culture, health and well-being and the economy and tourism.

"As a charity it should help us partner with Historic England and the National Lottery to bring to fruition some of the ideas we have.

"We have an advisory group who are from local football clubs and from the city's football association, who are really supportive of what we are doing."

Sheffield Home of Football: Could Yorkshire being getting an attraction dedicated to creation of football?