Last Updated (Wednesday, 21 October 2009 14:09) Written by Ian Feeley Wednesday, 21 October 2009 12:53

Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, has agreed to take on a role with The World’s First Football Club Sheffield FC.

Sepp Blatter has today officially accepted the honorary presidency of the Sheffield FC Foundation. 

Club Chairman Richard Tims and Commercial Manager Guy Higton are today at Fifa Headquarters in Zurich meeting with Mr Blatter to settle the details of the new role as head of a foundation to help to continue the transformation of Sheffield.

Sheffield are the world's oldest club and have a history which stretches back to 1857. Over a century and a half ago, their members devised the first Laws of the Game and introduced the concept of corners, free-kicks and a solid crossbar.

Now, over 150 years on, the club are believed to have one of the biggest and most effective football in the community programmes in the English game, with 25 different teams, including women's, juniors and disability sections. The club's coaching staff also goes to great lengths to pass on their knowledge of the beautiful game to 42 schools in the local area.

Club officials are also targeting a return to the centre of Sheffield from their current location in the city's suburbs.

"The Sheffield FC foundation is the charitable arm of our club," explained chairman Richard Tims. "In this uncertain financial world we want to preserve our history, protect our heritage and promote community projects. We want to relocate to where football was born.

"With the involvement of FIFA President Blatter we hope to encourage other key figures to support our foundation. Football is a great family, and in a family you help each other and take care of each other. We want to build a small, but iconic stadium with a capacity between 5,000 and 10,000 with a visitor centre where we would like to showcase the original laws of the game. We want it to become a place for fans from all over the world so that they can witness where the game was born."

The Times Online today carries a large article on the visit which can be viewed here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article6880156.ece 

Fifa's own website information can be viewed here: http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/president/news/newsid=1120256.html#blatter+accepts+sheffield+role