notts county started in 1862. the club was started before the football association and in the beginning they played a game with club rules, rather than association football. when it started, notts county, like most sports teams, were considered to be a "gentlemen-only" club. notts county are thought to be to be one of the starters of the current game, even being credited with the invention of the offside trap. notts county is the oldest of the world's professional association football clubs (there are older professional clubs in other codes of football.)