A 90-minute stroll to discover the '3 Johns' who 'got' football in Penistone and then took it to Sheffield, helping establish today's game.

We will be walking around the small but perfectly formed town of Penistone where you will get a greater understanding of Penistone’s remarkable role in the early development of football [controversially pre-Sheffield FC] and how this helped shape the football that developed in Sheffield and became the game we know today. During the walk you will visit and hear the stories about the locations and people that took the seeds of a more progressing game of football and scattered these around Sheffield and beyond.

Starting with John Ness Dransfield and his diaries of the day; the John Charles Shaw who worked for Dransfield's father and had the odd football kick-about with other young men from Penistone, especially the Grammar School; where we find John Marsh as well who, but for an unfortunate injust could have become the gratest player of his time.

Influenced by the football prowess of Rev. Samual Sunderland, who brought a more cultured game with his when he left Cambridge and encouraged the "no handling" game in Penistone.

JC Shaw moved to Sheffield, played for Sheffield FC, founded Hallam FC, captained Hallam to win the Youdan Cup and bacame a leading force in Sheffield FC and the FA.

John Marsh was a legand in The Wednesday team, and then took the game to Thurlstone where his Crystal Palace team held their own against established Sheffield-based teams.

For 2026 we will be adding optional "EXTRA TIME" to our walks.

This means that attendees can optional take some EXTRA TIME for no extra cost. THis allows the Guides to visit extra places and hear about extra personalities that we could not fit in to 90 minutes.

There will be no extra cost for this, just "EXTRA TIME" (and it should not go to penalties!).EXTRA TIME will be required for those that want to get up to the Crystal Palace and get the fuller and tragic end to the John Marsh story.

This is one of FOUR WALKS by SHOF in 2026. They are:

HISTORIC CITY CENTRE

LOST GROUNDS AND YOUDAN CUP

PORTBROOK'S FOOTBALLING HISTORY

PENISTONE'S FOOTBALL TRAIL

Description supplied by the event organiser.