:''This article relates to an English football team. There are also separate articles on the African

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...

and South African peoples.'' The Zulus were a short lived football team established in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

that existed from

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

to 1882. They were initially set up to raise funds for the wives and families of soldiers killed in the Zulu war. The team disbanded after accusations that they were bringing the game into disrepute and receiving payment for playing.Andrew Ward. ''Football's Strangest Matches: Extraordinary But True Stories from Over a Century of Football'', Robson, 2007 ,
pp.1,2
/ref>

Beginnings

In 1879 a match was played at

Bramall Lane Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United. The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall family of file and graver manufacturers. ...

against a Sheffield XI to raise money for the widows and orphans of the soldiers killed that year in the Zulu war. They won their second game 5–4 (their first match took place in Scarborough). Many of the players were taken from local teams, especially The Wednesday. They played in an all black kit and decorated themselves with beads and feathers and, instead of using their own names, they adopted Zulu names such as Ulmathoosi. After the success of the match they started touring the country.The Sheffield Zulus
/ref>

The Zulus on tour

The tour started against Chesterfield touring the town in full costume before the match. They subsequently also took on teams from Barnsley and a combined team from

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

and

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...

.The History of Football in Sheffield
/ref> After it transpired that players were receiving payments for playing they were subsequently banned from playing in official matches. The situation became critical in Sheffield where the 1881 Wharncliffe Charity Cup final was cancelled because of the number of players banned for professionalism.Percy M. Young (1962), ''Football in Sheffield'', S. Paul They subsequently also played in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and had an offer to also tour

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

. They never lost a match. However, they were forced to disband by the Sheffield F.A. in 1882.

Aftermath

After increasing pressure from players and clubs, professionalism was legalised by

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world ...

1885 Events January–March * January 3– 4 – Sino-French War – Battle of Núi Bop: French troops under General Oscar de Négrier defeat a numerically superior Qing Chinese force, in northern Vietnam. * January 4 &ndash ...

. However, opposition remained stronger in the Sheffield area. Sheffield's first professional football club, the short lived Sheffield Rovers, was formed mainly from players of the former Zulus team. The Wednesday followed suit the next year.Keith Farnsworth (1982), ''Wednesday'', Sheffield City Libraries

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zulus Sports teams and clubs in Sheffield Defunct football clubs in England Association football clubs established in 1879 Association football clubs disestablished in 1882 Defunct football clubs in South Yorkshire 1879 establishments in England 1882 disestablishments in England