by Aleks V |

2017 marks the 160th anniversary of the world's first football club, Sheffield FC. Founded on October 24, 1857, the club went on to become a part of many other firsts. The founders, Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, wrote the first official rules of the game. Sheffield FC's rivalry with Hallam FC became the world's first derby. They were pioneers of heading the ball. In more recent history, Sheffield FC were awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, an honor given to only one other football club, Real Madrid. Although the club currently competes in the 8th tier of English football, their popularity knows no geographic bounds.

Sheffield 160 is a bi-weekly series that goes behind the scenes of the historic club through interviews with players and staff.


This week, Aleks V chats with Sheffield FC stadium announcer Lee Holland.

Photo courtesy of Ben Webster

Did you always want to be a stadium announcer, or did you have ambitions to play soccer?
Being a stadium announcer had never even entered my head until I volunteered to do so at Sheffield FC. I played football (soccer) as a young kid but I was never good enough to take it further so I always knew I'd never be a pro footballer.

How long have you been calling games at Sheffield FC? How did you first get involved?
I've been the stadium announcer around two years now, I think. A good friend and I used to watch the games as supporters and he then became the stadium announcer. He and his family were planning to move away so I offered to take over when his move finally came.

What's one thing most people probably don't know about your job?
How nerve-racking it is! It's a horrible feeling when you screw up because you've screwed up in front of a couple of hundred people. When I first started I was petrified - especially as I was no good at speaking to groups of people. One of the the reasons I wanted to to do the job was to become more confident speaking to people and it has certainly helped.

How do you prepare for games? Any tips you've taken from notable announcers?
I always check on opposition social media in case someone has a landmark coming up like 100 appearances, etc. so I can announce it before the game. I follow the league quite closely anyway, so I have an idea who is who and how well teams are doing. I'm a big Sheffield United supporter and the stadium announcer there is very clear and confident, so I always try and be the same and try to get across how much I enjoy the job.

Actor Alfie Allen (right) with Sheffield FC Chairman Richard Tims. Photo: Sheffield FC

Was there anyone interesting you've gotten to meet because of your job?
As I mentioned I'm a Sheffield United supporter, so I've got to meet some ex players at a few of the games who were heroes of mine when I was younger. Probably the only 'celebrity' I've met was a guy called Alfie Allen who was in 'Game of Thrones' while he was at the ground filming a TV documentary on football.

How has Sheffield FC changed during the time you've worked there?
Social media has played a massive part in promoting the club, which wasn't as widely available as it is now. As the club currently play in a stadium outside of the city of Sheffield, there is a big effort at the moment to raise the money to move back to the city, to the area where the club was actually formed. A lot of this wouldn't have been possible without Twitter and Facebook, etc.

Favorite game you've called? 
Any game in which we win! In all seriousness, I've enjoyed all of them but I believe the best game is yet to come.

Anything funny ever happen? 
We had a floodlight failure at a night game so the ground was in near pitch black. I had the Bob Marley tune 'Three Little Birds' (Don't Worry About a Thing) on a CD so I played that and the spectators had a good sing-a-long until the floodlights came back on.
There seems to be a very tightly knit community around the club. Have any stories outside the pitch made it into the local folklore?
Yes, there is a good community spirit around the club from the Chairman all the way down to the supporters. I don't believe we've done anything to make local folklore I'm afraid - perhaps we aren't trying enough!

You got to play at the San Siro as part of the Sheffield FC Veterans' SC tour of Milan. You've compared that experience to being on the X Factor. Any other events worthy of that analogy?
Nothing will come close as long as I live to playing in the San Siro stadium - living the dream 100%. I've been fortunate enough to play on the Sheffield FC pitch a couple of times but nothing will ever come close to the trip to Milan. Playing at Bramall Lane, the home of Sheffield United, would push it close but I'm yet to realise that dream!

You've also been to the Netherlands for the Pioneers Cup, scoring a goal against Koninklijke. So Holland was in Holland! What was that like?
That was a great trip and scoring a goal made it a little more memorable. I got to play with some ex Sheffield FC players and an ex pro which was great. The whole weekend was fantastic - a great way to spend some time with some good friends and great people. Yes, my name did cause a few comments from the border controls, but all in good fun. It was always somewhere I wanted to visit so it was great to do it while playing football in a Sheffield FC shirt.

I noticed you're a sci-fi fan. Do you ever slip in the occasional movie reference during games?
I don't think I have, but I'll consider it as a challenge for the next game!

Photo: Sheffield FC via Flickr

If you could travel back in time in a DeLorean (or a Tardis), what past game would you announce?
For the 150th celebrations, Sheffield FC played Inter Milan at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane stadium with Pelé as the special guest, so to have possibly met him and announce in such a great stadium would have been fantastic.

Any plans for Sheffield FC's 160th?
I'm sure the club will have big plans to celebrate such a momentous milestone but I'm not aware of anything at the moment. If I'm lucky enough to still be the stadium announcer and be part of such a great club, then I'll be more than happy.

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Read more on Sheffield 160 here.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #Sheffield160.

by Aleks V | 

2017 marks the 160th anniversary of the world's first football club, Sheffield FC. Founded on October 24, 1857, the club went on to become a part of many other firsts. The founders, Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, wrote the first official rules of the game. Sheffield FC's rivalry with Hallam FC became the world's first derby. They were pioneers of heading the ball. In more recent history, Sheffield FC were awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, an honor given to only one other football club, Real Madrid. Although the club currently competes in the 8th tier of English football, their popularity knows no geographic bounds.

Sheffield 160 is a bi-weekly series that goes behind the scenes of the historic club through interviews with players and staff.

This week, Aleks V chats with Sheffield FC Ladies captain Carla Ward. The midfielder, who joined the Ladies in 2010, has since become a SFC legend, contributing to five league title wins, winning multiple individual honors, and equaling a record for scoring in consecutive matches. Her 100th appearance for the club, which also included a goal, marked a triumphant return after undergoing back surgery for a herniated disk. A year later, she reached 100 goals.

With Ward in the mix, the SFC Ladies became the first team to win promotion to the FA WSL 2. 

Off the pitch, she runs Havana Stitch and Print, a company that supplies custom clothing and accessories.

Away vs Wolverhampton Wanderers, 2014. Photo: Sheffield FC via Flickr

Growing up on the Isle of Wight, playing for clubs in Bristol, Leeds, and elsewhere, did you ever think you'd end up in Sheffield?
Honestly...no. However, it's proved to be the best move I ever made. I originally joined on loan from Lincoln in the transition year from WPL to WSL and immediately felt at home. The way the club operates and the "family" atmosphere they have was something I was really impressed with.  

I read that you played a year at S.P.A. Alicante in Spain before joining Leeds. What did you learn from that?
I spent two seasons there and learnt a lot, it's a far more technical game out there and training every day I felt I learnt a huge amount. They really put a lot of time into individual work as well as collective and that really did start to show in my game. I would say those two seasons really developed me as a player.

Carla Ward vs Newcastle United, 2014. Photo: Sheffield FC via Flickr

How is Sheffield FC different from all the other teams you played for?
As I mentioned earlier, it's a club that, in my opinion, has done things very different to any other club I've been at. The management and committee are not only interested in players at football, they go out of their way to understand you personally, and I think that's a great thing. In football nowadays we know the loyalty is falling away, with money coming into the game we don't see too much of it anymore. Each year over the past 6 seasons at Sheffield with so many promotions you would expect a lot of signings, yet each year they have trusted and rewarded the players who got them there whilst adding 3/4 each season, and that's credit to them.


You've been with the Sheffield Ladies since July 2010. How has the club changed over the years? How have you changed?
You might be surprised by this answer, but I don't feel it's changed a massive amount. The philosophy has stayed the same, a lot of the same faces are still here and the attitude and mentality is still the same - can we improve, can we progress, how will we get there?! This season obviously has been a little more challenging, but I feel we've really learnt some valuable lessons and hopefully that will stand us in good stead moving forward. 

Photo: Sheffield FC via Flickr

Winning five league titles must be exciting. What was the most difficult victory?
Without question the play off final against Portsmouth. That was one of the most mentally and physically demanding games. With so much at stake, the game was so tight from start to finish. It was always going to be heart-breaking for the losing team, but for us it was definitely a day to savour, and the work of Helen Mitchell over the previous 13 years was rewarded with the big prize of joining the country's elite. 

You've had offers from several WSL clubs. Why did you decide to stay at Sheffield?
Again, it's a club that's massively close to my heart now, the ambition was always to make it to the WSL and I'm proud to be a part of that. To lead the side at this level means a lot to me, and I wouldn't want to be playing anywhere else. 

Great day coaching at Benalmadena International school, talking all things @SFCLadies and the #WorldsFirst pic.twitter.com/ktxQpjTgmY

— Carla Ward (@cwardy7) June 3, 2016

In June 2016, you became a UEFA B licensed coach. You've already coached at Benalmadena International school. What have you learned from coaching that can be applied to playing?  
I've learnt a lot in the past two years coaching. Thankfully, I've had some great people to learn off. Current first team manager Zoe Johnson has been a great mentor, along with a couple of others, so I'm thankful to have great coaches around me to learn off. No matter your age or experience, you learn every time you coach or train, and it's definitely helped me as a player.

Where do you see yourself coaching in the future?
I'm currently head coach of our scholarship education programme, and have enjoyed a good spell with our development side when I had a long term injury, so I think it's fair to say I would see myself within Sheffield FC. In what role, I'm not sure yet, but my end goal would be the top job. 

Photo: @cwardy7 via Twitter

How do you balance playing, your coaching aspirations, and running a business (Havana Stitch and Print)?
It's tough at times, and a lot of people tell me I do too much but I enjoy it all so I manage it, thankfully I work around my football so if I need to go in early or stay late sometimes that has to happen.

Compared to the men's team, the women's team have only been around since summer 2003, yet they've already made their mark in the club's history and in women's football. Do the men's and women's teams at Sheffield ever collaborate on or off the field?
Not massively. However, we have closer links with the men's team now, the first team manager shows a lot of interest in the Ladies, which is great. 

2017 marks Sheffield FC's 160th anniversary. Is there a special edition kit in the works?
I think that's a question for the club, not myself. However, the club and Havana have a very strong relationship, so if there's anything I can do I most certainly will. 

Photo: Ben Webster via Flickr

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Read more on Sheffield 160 here.
Join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #Sheffield160.

by Aleks V |

Misimovic in action for Guizhou Renhe. Photo: sop.ba

Former Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, Galatasaray, and Dynamo Moscow midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic has retired from professional football. Despite having a year left on his contract with Chinese side Beijing Renhe (formerly Guizhou Renhe), the 34-year-old decided to hang up his boots.

At club level, Misimovic made 506 appearances in all competitions, scoring 136 goals and making 141 assists.

Although he struggled to break into the first team at Bayern Munich at the start of his career, he shone for the reserves, netting in 44 goals in 103 games.

His career includes a historic 2008/09 season at Wolfsburg. "The Plum", as he was known in Germany, helped the club win their first Bundesliga title, ending the season with the most assists (20). He also helped teammates Grafite and Edin Dzeko become the league's top scorers with a combined record total of 54 goals. The three formed a memorable attacking trio.

Misimovic had a decade-long presence at Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he wore the captain's armband. He's the national team's second most-capped player and third all-time goal scorer. One of his most notable performances was a hat-trick in Bosnia's 7-0 win over Estonia in a 2010 World Cup Qualifier.

The attacking midfielder joined Dynamo Moscow from Galatasaray in 2011 and quickly became one of the club's key players. He could always be counted on in the toughest of games, from derbies to Cup competition. Misimovic was a true playmaker. Although goal scoring wasn't his main line of duty, he netted in quite a few, many of which were late goals from the spot. His penalties in the quarterfinal and semifinal of the 2011-12 Russian Cup included a match winner against Zenit and a 73rd minute equalizer against Volga Nizhny Novgorod, respectively. Without a doubt, Mr. Penalty was always a joy to watch.

Setting up goals, though, was his forte. Championat.com writer Sergei Titov wrote in 2015:

"Misimovic, who can come up with a brilliant assist, sitting on a chair and drinking coffee, would be useful even to the current Dynamo, who have Valbuena."

Misimovic assists Kevin Kuranyi in his debut for Dynamo, a derby against Lokomotiv.

The midfielder spent the last three years of his career in China. As one fan put it, he went there "before it was mainstream". With Guizhou Renhe, he won the 2013 Chinese FA Cup and 2014 Chinese Super Cup. He played 105 games at his last club, scoring 18 goals and making 50 assists.

Misimovic first announced his retirement in 2015. That year, I compared another Dynamo Moscow player, Kevin Kuranyi, with basketball's Michael Jordan. Yet it was Zvjezdan Misimovic who compared himself to Jordan when he chose to un-retire. He had hoped Beijing Renhe would retain their position in the Chinese Super League. Unfortunately, the team finished 15th that season and were relegated to the second tier. A fourth place finish in 2016 was not enough to win promotion to China's top division.

There were, of course, other players - and rock bands - that have retired and come back again. Paul Scholes played a testimonial, but then decided to have one more go. The Rolling Stones did multiple Farewell Tours, only to keep on touring. Like many a football and music fan, they just "can't get no satisfaction". Misimovic, it seems, finally has.

A "legend" and "the last romantic" to his fans, he only ever got one straight red card in his 16-year career.

Misimovic and Dzeko at Wolfsburg.

Zvjezdan Misimovic, your country thanks you.

Your clubs thank you.

And I thank you.

by Aleks V |

2017 marks the 160th anniversary of the world's first football club, Sheffield FC. Founded on October 24, 1857, the club went on to become a part of many other firsts. The founders, Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest, wrote the first official rules of the game. Sheffield FC's rivalry with Hallam FC became the world's first derby. They were pioneers of heading the ball. In more recent history, Sheffield FC were awarded the FIFA Order of Merit, an honor given to only one other football club, Real Madrid. Although the club currently competes in the 8th tier of English football, their popularity knows no geographic bounds.

Sheffield 160 is a bi-weekly series that goes behind the scenes of the historic club through interviews with players and staff.

In this installment, Aleks V chats with club photographer Ben Webster on his vision, his greatest challenge, and the best thing about working at Sheffield FC.




This is sort of an over-asked question, but how did you first get into photography? Any particular influences? 
I've always carried a camera in some form or other from being very young - my parents would display infinite patience on days out, holidays, etc. waiting around for me to get a shot that I was happy with. Of course this was in the days before everyone had the convenience of digital. Nowadays, besides the obligatory action shots, I sometimes focus on the incidental stuff going on around the game - spectators, structural oddities, the landscape surrounding the ground. With a sense of humour added wherever possible. Good pointers for this kind of style would be David Bauckham's football photo journals and Martin Parr's studies of English seaside resorts.

Do you have a favorite piece of equipment?
Anything that won't quit on me at the wrong moment! Seriously though, having carried a point-and-shoot around with me as a fan for several years, followed for just as long by an entry-level Canon SLR with kit lens, you learn how to grow with your equipment whatever its limitations. I shoot pro these days - a Canon 5D and 70-200/16-35mm lenses - and it's great, but I only made the upgrade when it felt like a natural progression from the last camera.



What is your vision as a sports photographer?
To promote the strange world of Sheffield FC, where a seemingly unremarkable non-league football club commands an international audience like no other club its size. And everywhere else, to document football as it is played by thousands of people every week, less for the financial reward it brings than for the pleasure of playing, and the thousands of volunteers helping them do it.

Have you photographed anything outside of sports?
Not so much outside of football just yet - my phone usually suffices for that. But I do like to travel around watching football in other parts of the UK and Europe, and keep a gallery for such things [here]. 

How has photographing games at Sheffield influenced your approach/style?
I'm a supporter first and foremost so in some ways photography mirrors my many moods as a fan. When we've got a winning side I expect at least some goalmouth action at the end we're shooting towards, so position myself accordingly. Recent seasons have brought leaner times, with less able teams, so I've found myself gravitating more towards the halfway line. Although currently we're on our best unbeaten run for years so perhaps a rethink is required! We also have a very successful women's team who play just below the top tier of the game in this country, who can always be relied upon to provide celebratory shots. 

What drew you to Sheffield? Why do you think the club is so appealing to fans all over the world, even though it's not a Premier League club?
Actually it was more a case of the club coming to me - I live just a short distance from the ground they moved to 15 years ago. I'd heard a little about the club, knew they were the world's oldest, but otherwise had next to no knowledge about non-league football and the hundreds of clubs plying their trade beneath the radar of most Premier League fans. I went down for a match one day with my dad and that was that really - the standard of football was a pleasant surprise, you could stand wherever you wanted and could even nip to the pub next door for a pint at half time. I think many of our well-wishers from overseas see the romance in that sort of thing; that a club so pivotal to the history of football has somehow kept going at a level far removed from the trappings of the modern game. This has been a recurring theme in the club's social media campaigns for years now and it seems to have resonated. The phenomenon is nothing new however - I've seen letters from the 1940s addressed to the club from Germany and the former Yugoslavia!

Any must-see sights in the city you'd suggest to traveling fans?
Besides having the oldest club, Sheffield is also home to the oldest football ground in the world at Hallam FC, and its famously sloping pitch. Any visit to Sheffield FC should really go hand-in-hand with a visit there. The city is famous for its steel production in the past, so there is a lot of industrial heritage here, but we are also right on the edge of the Peak District national park which provides a very appealing contrast. Also in my (completely unbiased) opinion, it is the best place to go for a drink in the UK, with a never-ending supply of good quality, historic pubs. Including the one at our ground!



What's a typical day like at Sheffield FC?
As far as photography goes, very relaxed compared to many of the other staff. By the time I arrive at the ground the match secretary will be already be going over team details with the first team manager, a welcoming committee will be entertaining the away team officials in the boardroom, and the catering staff will have finished preparing the matchday food and started serving a few early arrivers. The manager may have signed new players that week so we arrange to have their profile pictures taken before the warm-up. Similarly, a presentation with the chairman or another club official may be made out on the pitch before kick off. I go and sit pitchside during the match itself - you sometimes hear players mutter things under their breath that weren't intended to be heard by others, and I've often ended up in conversation with one or two of them during breaks in play! We usually announce a man of the match over the tannoy before the final whistle and, if we have any overseas visitors on the day (this is common), they will often be asked by the chairman to present the award as the players are coming off the pitch. Afterwards I may hang around with the media guy to share some photos for the website and matchday programmes, but the real reason will be so we can both slip off for a pint together at the pub next door. That's where many of the supporters, officials and players, home and away, will also end up - it gives everyone the chance to unwind, discuss the match and chat to some of the opposition fans. 

What's been the best thing about working at Sheffield?
The friendships I've formed and the interest the club generates. The fact that I'm fielding questions from a New York-based blog shows the kind of parallel universe we live in.


Is there anything people would be surprised to know about the World's Oldest Football Club? Any stadium secrets or legends?
A familiar question I hear with regard to being the oldest club is who did Sheffield play when they were first formed, if there were no other clubs? They got around this not insignificant obstacle by staging matches between members - married men versus unmarried men, names in the first half of the alphabet versus second half, etc. After all, the original purpose of the club was not to pioneer a new sport but to keep members of the local cricket club fit in the winter, when the cricket season had finished. And in the early days there was no such thing as a playing kit - a team's player was identified by the colour of a cloth cap he wore on his head.

Tell me about your favorite photograph that you've taken. 
I think my photos have generally improved over time, but I still like this black and white one of the Sheffield ground from my earlier days snapping at the club. 


What's the greatest challenge you've faced as a photographer, and how did you overcome it?
Nothing technical so much as psychological, really. I'm quite a shy person so sometimes find it hard not to be self-conscious when looking for more candid shots or assuming unusual angles and positions to get the composition right. That's particularly the case when I'm shooting away from Sheffield, around people I may not have met before. What keeps me going is knowing that deliberately searching for spontaneity has resulted in many of the best shots. Like this one at fellow league club Gresley FC...

...and this one of a ladies' team player and her dad having won promotion last year:


Is there anything you haven't done yet as a photographer? Any person or event you'd like to photograph in the future?
England is full of weird and wonderful folk games that have been played for centuries before more organised sports like football came along. A lot of pageantry is usually involved and I'd love to photograph this. Some events, like the annual cheese-rolling race in Gloucestershire are well known, but there are others local to me with brilliant names like Haxey Hood and the Upperthong Welly-Wanging championships, and the famous Shrovetide football match at Ashbourne which attracts hundreds of participants and lasts for two days. 

You're part of the Sheffield FC Veterans SC, correct? What's that like? 
That was the original name for a supporters' team that was formed partly as a response to the many requests Sheffield received for matches from amateur clubs in Europe. It once resulted in a group of fans playing a team from Milan on an open day at the San Siro, and a day later at a neoclassical arena built during the rule of Napoleon. I played about 10 minutes on the San Siro pitch, was more than happy with that, then got back to snapping the others! Other trips have taken veteran's teams to Rome, Hamburg, and a triangular tournament with fans of the two oldest football clubs in Holland and Belgium, Haarlem and Royal Antwerp.

Will you be involved in any events for the club's 160th? Will there be any special games for the club's anniversary?
I've heard the names of one or two clubs doing the rounds but nothing concrete yet. If there's one thing Sheffield FC is good at though it's pulling a rabbit out of the hat when it comes to friendly fixtures, so watch this space. And of course I'll be there on the sidelines snapping away!


Ben Webster is a photographer at Sheffield FC. His work can be seen here. 

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Read more on Sheffield 160 here.
Join the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #Sheffield160.