LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Football dignitaries gathered in Sheffield , northern England , on Wednesday to kick off the 150th birthday celebrations of Sheffield FC -- the sport 's oldest club . FIFA chief Blatter was among those in Sheffield to kick off the 150th birthday celebrations of football 's oldest club . Guests of honor at a service at Sheffield Cathedral included Sepp Blatter , president of football world governing body FIFA , and Massimo Moratti , president of Italian giants Inter Milan who are scheduled to play a friendly against Sheffield FC next month . Other guests attending a dinner in the club 's honor included Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon and England and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton . Pele -- widely recognized as the greatest footballer ever to play the game -- is also due in town next month to attend Sheffield FC 's clash with Inter . Blatter was unveiling a bust of the club 's co-founder William Prest -- one of two cricket fans who founded Sheffield FC , then known simply as Sheffield Club , on October 24 , 1857 after deciding they needed a new sport to keep them active during the winter . Many more football clubs soon sprung up and by 1862 there were said to be 15 in and around the Sheffield area . The Football Association -- which codified the basic rules of the modern game -- was established in London the following year . Sheffield FC was instrumental in developing set rules for the game . The club studied existing rules and laid down a code of laws , which formed the foundation of the first commonly-accepted set of rules for the sport , according to the Sheffield FC Web site . The team was also responsible for several innovations in the game -- including heading , which was unheard of until 1875 , when Sheffield traveled to London for a game . According to the team 's Web site , the sight of the Sheffield players using their foreheads in addition to their feet reduced the London crowd to hysterics . Other innovations attributed to the team include the solid crossbar on the goal , corner kicks , free kicks for fouls , and playing a match under floodlights . Despite its celebrated place in the history of the world 's most popular sport , Sheffield FC has never played at a professional level . The club currently competes in the Unibond League 's First Division South , seven divisions beneath the English Premier League . The city of Sheffield has two professional clubs -- United and Wednesday -- who both currently play in English football 's second tier , the Coca-Cola Championship . Sheffield FC 's proudest achievement on the pitch came in 1904 when the team beat Ealing 3-1 to win the FA Amateur Cup in front of 6,000 people . But 100 years later in 2004 , Blatter presented Sheffield FC with FIFA 's `` Order of Merit '' -- an honor previously awarded only to the nine-time European champions Real Madrid . E-mail to a friend