St Gallen FC, founded in April 1879, claims to be the oldest club in continental Europe. The club was founded by young businessmen who had been exposed to football when they studied with English students.
Although the members played almost daily, the early years saw only casual football and an idiosyncratic set of hybrid rules. It was in 1892 that St Gallen's first documented fixture took place- a visit from Grasshopper Club Zürich, who protested that the goals used in St Gallen were far smaller than the regulation size. The return match in Zurich saw Grasshopper win 6-0 (they had won 1-0 with the mini goals at St Gallen). Following this fixture St Gallen adopted the standard sized goals.
The club first featured in Swiss Championship in 1899-1900 (the 3rd edition) under their temporary guise of United FC St. Gallen, but finished bottom of their group. They were champions in 1904, a feat they did not repeat for 96 years.
