115-484: Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports [ edit ] A position in various kinds of football , including: Full-back (association football) , in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position Fullback (gridiron football) , in American and Canadian football (gridiron), a position in the offensive backfield Fullback (rugby league) ,
230-427: A "law" of football: "they must not strike [an opponent's leg] higher than the ball". English public schools were the first to codify football games. In particular, they devised the first offside rules, during the late 18th century. In the earliest manifestations of these rules, players were "off their side" if they simply stood between the ball and the goal which was their objective. Players were not allowed to pass
345-530: A Latin poem by Robert Matthew, a Winchester College scholar from 1643 to 1647. He describes how "...we may play quoits, or hand-ball, or bat-and-ball, or football; these games are innocent and lawful...". That football at Winchester was "innocent and lawful" at this time is very noteworthy. This supports the fact that by the mid-17th century football and other ball games in English public schools had been tamed. Nugae Etonenses (1766) by T. Frankland also mentions
460-615: A ball game played in northern France known as La Soule or Choule , in which the ball was propelled by hands, feet, and sticks, date from the 12th century. The early forms of football played in England, sometimes referred to as " mob football ", would be played in towns or between neighbouring villages, involving an unlimited number of players on opposing teams who would clash en masse , struggling to move an item, such as inflated animal's bladder to particular geographical points, such as their opponents' church, with play taking place in
575-404: A ban that was only lifted in the 1970s. Female footballers still face similar problems in some parts of the world. American football also faced pressures to ban the sport. The game played in the 19th century resembled mob football that developed in medieval Europe, including a version popular on university campuses known as old division football , and several municipalities banned its play in
690-516: A central part of life at 19th century English public schools. In "Five years at an English University" (1852), American Charles Bristed describes his time at Cambridge University in the 1840s. During a discussion on Eton and Rugby School (drawn upon letters from former students there) he states: "[A boy is] proud of the house he belongs to as a man of his college; though in cricket and association football clubs, in regular "long boats" and aquatic sweepstakes, in running and leaping races, he competes with
805-727: A dribbling game with a tight off-side rule (such that all players must remain behind the ball). By 1867 the Football Association had chosen in favour of the Charterhouse and Westminster game and adopted an off-side rule that permitted forward passing. The modern forward-passing soccer game was thus born, as a direct consequence of Charterhouse and Westminster Football. Between the Wars a substantial number of independent schools switched codes from soccer to rugby, at least one, City of London School , switched from rugby to soccer
920-466: A dribbling game, the ball may be chipped into the hands of a team-mate. Most notably the "Combination game" (the predecessor of the modern style of association football involving a lot of player to player passing) is believed to have been invented by the Royal Engineers A.F.C. in the early 1870s. Nearly all of these players were from English public schools. Kicking off from the centre was
1035-781: A few years ago. In addition, many independent schools now offer both codes, and in some schools, including Winchester, Charterhouse and Westminster, association football is a major sport. Three schools maintain their own football games: the Field Game and the Wall Game at Eton; Harrow Football ; and Winchester Football . School Football games also had an influence on the origins of Australian rules football . The earliest recorded association football matches in Australia were English school association football matches. The game played in 1858 between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College
1150-549: A football pitch. Willughby's link with the public school system was that he had studied at Sutton Coldfield school, was a student at Cambridge University and frequented the Bodleian Library at Oxford University . In 1710, football was recorded as being played on the green at Westminster School and the Abbey Chapter failing to repress it. The earliest versions of any football code rules were written down in
1265-597: A game called tepuk among Turks in Central Asia . In the game, people try to attack each other's castle by kicking a ball made of sheep leather. The Middle Ages saw a huge rise in popularity of annual Shrovetide football matches throughout Europe, particularly in England. An early reference to a ball game played in Britain comes from the 9th-century Historia Brittonum , attributed to Nennius , which describes "a party of boys ... playing at ball". References to
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#17327867589491380-585: A game played by Native Americans, called Pahsaheman . Pasuckuakohowog , a game similar to modern-day association football played amongst Amerindians , was also reported as early as the 17th century. Games played in Mesoamerica with rubber balls by indigenous peoples are also well-documented as existing since before this time, but these had more similarities to basketball or volleyball , and no links have been found between such games and modern football sports. Northeastern American Indians, especially
1495-478: A game that excluded handling the ball but had a less restrictive offside rule. There is some evidence that this became a passing game since it allowed forward passes. The division into these camps was partly the result of circumstances in which the games were played. At Charterhouse and Westminster, both schools at the time played on restricted sites in London, the boys were confined to playing their ball game within
1610-477: A game where kicking and dribbling the ball was promoted (as at Eton, Harrow, Westminster and Charterhouse ). The division into these two camps was partly the result of circumstances in which the games were played. For example, Charterhouse and Westminster at the time had restricted playing areas; the boys were confined to playing their ball game within the school cloisters , making it difficult for them to adopt rough and tumble running games. William Webb Ellis ,
1725-416: A gate at either end. The gates are called Goals." His book includes a diagram illustrating a football field. He also mentions tactics ("leaving some of their best players to guard the goal"); scoring ("they that can strike the ball through their opponents' goal first win") and the way teams were selected ("the players being equally divided according to their strength and nimbleness"). He is the first to describe
1840-514: A key feature of the football codes of Harrow and Rugby. The cross bar to the association football goal was a feature of the Eton game and was noteworthy as the ball had to pass under the bar (instead of over it, as in Rugby football). The Sheffield Rules of 1862 later included both crossbars and half time and free kicks were introduced to their code in 1866 or before. In Harrow football, however, there
1955-423: A measure in gyuynge of remedies or sportynge to chyldren, leste they be wery of goynge to theyr boke if they haue none, or waxe slacke if they haue to many". This conflict was discussed further by Christopher Johnson , who was headmaster at Winchester in the 1560s, but it clearly remained a dilemma for public school masters right up to modern times. Christopher Johnson mentions the activities which he enjoyed when
2070-534: A nobis ludatur, de nobis actum est. Eia penes vos victoria est; Io triumphe. Est pilae doctissimus; Asque eo fuisset, reportassimus vicoriam; Age, subservi mihi; Adhuc potiores habemus, scilicet partes . Wedderburn's Latin book is an early reference to what has been rendered in the second version of the translation as "passing" the ball. The word "passing" is not used explicitly: the original Latin states "huc percute" (strike it here) and "repercute pilam" (strike it back - or again). The original word translated as "goal"
2185-505: A number of references to traditional, ancient, or prehistoric ball games played in many different parts of the world. Contemporary codes of football can be traced back to the codification of these games at English public schools during the 19th century, itself an outgrowth of medieval football . The expansion and cultural power of the British Empire allowed these rules of football to spread to areas of British influence outside
2300-534: A number of schools of thought about how association football should be played emerged. Some schools favoured a game in which the ball could be carried (as at Rugby, Marlborough and Cheltenham ). Others preferred a game where dribbling the ball was promoted (in particular Eton, Shrewsbury and Harrow ). This kind of dribbling foot ball with a tight offside rule is still played today as the Eton field game . A third group led by Westminster and Charterhouse pursued
2415-641: A pickup truck based on the Mitsubishi L200 See also [ edit ] Half back (disambiguation) Three-quarter back Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Fullback . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fullback&oldid=1188581632 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
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#17327867589492530-464: A position behind the main line of backs in rugby league football Fullback (rugby union) , a position behind the main line of backs in rugby union football Fullback , one of the Australian rules football positions A similar defence position in (field) hockey Other uses [ edit ] Sukhoi Su-34 , a Russian fighter aircraft, from its NATO reporting name Fiat Fullback ,
2645-441: A pupil at Rugby School, is said to have "with a fine disregard for the rules of football, as played in his time [emphasis added], first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus creating the distinctive feature of the rugby game." in 1823. This act is usually said to be the beginning of Rugby football, but there is little evidence that it occurred, and most sports historians believe the story to be apocryphal. The act of 'taking
2760-416: A referee ("judge over the parties") and a coach "(trayning maister)". Mulcaster's "footeball" had evolved from the disordered and violent forms of traditional football: [s]ome smaller number with such overlooking, sorted into sides and standings, not meeting with their bodies so boisterously to trie their strength: nor shouldring or shuffing one an other so barbarously ... may use footeball for as much good to
2875-542: A scholar at Winchester himself between 1549 and 1553. He says that he "cared much more for balls, quoits and tops than he did for books and school". Sir Henry Wotton , who was at Winchester in the 1560s under Christopher Johnson, makes reference to the English word "football" in one of his poems. Richard Mulcaster , a former student at Eton and later headmaster at Merchant Taylors' School (1561) and St Paul's School (1596), has been described as "the greatest sixteenth Century advocate of football". He tells us that towards
2990-487: A ship commanded by an English explorer named John Davis went ashore to play a form of football with Inuit in Greenland. There are later accounts of an Inuit game played on ice, called Aqsaqtuk . Each match began with two teams facing each other in parallel lines, before attempting to kick the ball through each other team's line and then at a goal. In 1610, William Strachey , a colonist at Jamestown, Virginia recorded
3105-576: A student of Oxford University , found his brother Adam dead, and it was alleged that he was killed by Irish students, whilst playing the ball in the High Street towards Eastgate". The first direct evidence that games probably resembling football were being played at English public schools comes from the Vulgaria by William Horman in 1519. Horman had been headmaster at Eton (1485/6–1494/5) and Winchester College . His Latin textbook includes
3220-485: A top, to toss a handball, to run, or to shoot". The earliest specific reference to football (pila pedalis) at university comes in 1555 when it was outlawed at St John's College , Oxford . Similar decrees followed shortly after at Cambridge University . There is evidence that the rules where "hand tossing" was disallowed and where a player "kept goal" were first developed at Aberdeen Grammar School in Scotland, in
3335-477: A translation exercise with the phrase "We wyll playe with a ball full of wynde", a rough translation of the original Latin "Lusui erit follis pugillari spiritu tumens", which Francis Peabody Magoun translated as "In sport we shall have a ball inflated with air to kick". Even as early as 1519, Horman shows us that he was well aware of the value of sports to children's education and the need to temper their enthusiasm in order not to affect their studies: "There muste be
3450-446: A translation exercise with the phrase "We wyll playe with a ball full of wynde". Richard Mulcaster , a student at Eton College in the early 16th century and later headmaster at other English schools, has been described as "the greatest sixteenth Century advocate of football". Among his contributions are the earliest evidence of organised team football. Mulcaster's writings refer to teams ("sides" and "parties"), positions ("standings"),
3565-455: A week, for more than twelve hours a day. From 1850, they could not work before 6 a.m. (7 a.m. in winter) or after 6 p.m. on weekdays (7 p.m. in winter); on Saturdays they had to cease work at 2 pm. These changes meant that working class children had more time for games, including various forms of football. The earliest known matches between public schools are as follows: Sports clubs dedicated to playing football began in
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3680-419: Is "metum", literally meaning the "pillar at each end of the circus course" in a Roman chariot race. The sentence given as "intercept him" in the second translation above is translated in the original as "Throw yourself against him" (Age, objice te illi). There is a reference to "get hold of the ball before [another player] does" or to "snatch" it (Praeripe illi pilam si possis agere) suggesting that handling of
3795-799: Is a very skilled ball player/Hurrah! He’s a very good player. Had it not been for him, we should have brought back the victory/If it has been for him we should have won. Come, help me. We still have the better chance/Come on, help me. We still have a better side?" The original Latin is cited by Magoun (1938): Sortiamur partes; tu primum socium dilige; Qui sunt nostrarum partium huc se recipient; Quot nobis adversantur; Excute pilam ut ineamus certamen; Age, huc percute; Tu tuere metum; Praeripe illi pilam si possis agere; Age objice te illi; Occurre illi; Repercute pilam; Egregie. Nihil agis; Transmittere metum pila; Hic primus est transmissus. Hic secundus, hic tertius est transmissus; Repelle eum, alioqui, adversarii evadunt superiores; Nisi cavesjam occupabit metam; Ni melius
3910-513: Is an anecdote from the 1878 book by Robert Brough-Smyth , The Aborigines of Victoria , in which a man called Richard Thomas is quoted as saying, in about 1841 in Victoria, Australia , that he had witnessed Aboriginal people playing the game: "Mr Thomas describes how the foremost player will drop kick a ball made from the skin of a possum and how other players leap into the air in order to catch it." Some historians have theorised that Marn Grook
4025-523: Is an early type of ball game where feet were used, in some aspects resembling modern association football . It was possibly played around the Han dynasty and early Qin dynasty , based on an attestation in a military manual from around the second to third centuries BC. In one version, gameplay consisted of players passing the ball between teammates without allowing it to touch the ground (much like keepie uppie ). In its competitive version, two teams had to pass
4140-730: Is believed by many to also be the first match of Australian rules football , although it was played under experimental rules in its first year. The first football trophy tournament was the Caledonian Challenge Cup, donated by the Royal Caledonian Society of Melbourne, played in 1861 under the Melbourne Rules . The oldest football league is a rugby football competition, the United Hospitals Challenge Cup (1874), while
4255-486: Is derived from "huc percute" (strike it here) and later "repercute pilam" (strike the ball again) in the original Latin. It is not certain that the ball was being struck between members of the same team. The original word translated as "goal" is "metum", literally meaning the "pillar at each end of the circus course" in a Roman chariot race. There is a reference to "get hold of the ball before [another player] does" (Praeripe illi pilam si possis agere) suggesting that handling of
4370-479: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal . Unqualified, the word football generally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly called football include association football (known as soccer in Australia , Canada , South Africa ,
4485-443: Is first described in 1862 at Rugby School : here one could see "scientific play", magnificent "drops" and "gallant run ins". It is uncertain if the drops and run-ins constituted what the author meant by "scientific", however it is made clear that this playing style was distinctly less "vicious" than in the past. Clearly there was something systematic about scientific rugby. Further references to scientific play come in match accounts in
4600-670: Is known to have been played within the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto from about 600 AD. In kemari , several people stand in a circle and kick a ball to each other, trying not to let the ball drop to the ground. The Silk Road facilitated the transmission of cuju , especially the game popular in the Tang dynasty , the period when the inflatable ball was invented and replaced the stuffed ball. The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have played many ball games, some of which involved
4715-400: Is no crossbar, quite literally two rugby posts without their crossbar. A base is scored when the ball is hit between the posts. Eleven or fifteen players per side was a feature of association football at Eton and Winchester. Evidence for the establishment of the football season at English public schools comes in "Bentley's miscellany" (1844). In a chapter entitled "Eton Scenes and Eton Men"
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4830-422: Is noteworthy that Magoun does not use the word to "pass". Let us choose sides//Let's pick sides. pick your man first//You have first choice. Those on our side come here//Those who are on our side, come over here. How many are against us?/How many are there in the other team? Kick out the ball so that we may begin the game/Kick off, so that we can begin the match. Come, kick it here/Pass it here. You keep
4945-498: Is officially acknowledged as the first game of Australian rules football , and the annual game between these schools, now known as the Cordner-Eggleston Cup , is the longest-running school fixture of any of the world's association football codes. Each of the English public school games had its own offside rule. Many of these completely prevented forward passing. The 1847 rules of Eton College, however, were probably
5060-438: Is the first description of a "kicking game" and the first description of dribbling : "[t]he game at which they had met for common recreation is called by some the foot-ball game. It is one in which young men, in country sport, propel a huge ball not by throwing it into the air but by striking it and rolling it along the ground, and that not with their hands but with their feet... kicking in opposite directions." The chronicler gives
5175-583: The Iroquois Confederation, played a game which made use of net racquets to throw and catch a small ball; however, although it is a ball-goal foot game, lacrosse (as its modern descendant is called) is likewise not usually classed as a form of "football". On the Australian continent several tribes of indigenous people played kicking and catching games with stuffed balls which have been generalised by historians as Marn Grook ( Djab Wurrung for "game ball"). The earliest historical account
5290-535: The United States , and sometimes in Ireland and New Zealand); Australian rules football ; Gaelic football ; gridiron football (specifically American football , arena football , or Canadian football ); International rules football ; rugby league football ; and rugby union football . These various forms of football share, to varying degrees, common origins and are known as " football codes ". There are
5405-718: The West of Scotland Cricket Club 's ground in Partick , Glasgow under the authority of the FA. English public school football games During the early modern era , pupils, former pupils and teachers at English public schools developed the rules of football , eventually leading to the first written codes of football most notably the Eton College (1815) and Aldenham school (1825) football rules, and rugby football (1845). British public schools football also directly influenced
5520-462: The goalposts . There are conflicting explanations of the origin of the word "football". It is widely assumed that the word "football" (or the phrase "foot ball") refers to the action of the foot kicking a ball. There is an alternative explanation, which is that football originally referred to a variety of games in medieval Europe that were played on foot . There is no conclusive evidence for either explanation. The Chinese competitive game cuju
5635-488: The "Football Fields" at Eton. A more detailed description of football is given in Francis Willughby 's Book of Sports, written in about 1660. This account is particularly noteworthy as he refers to football by its correct name and is the first to describe the following: goals and a pitch ("a close that has a gate at either end. The gates are called Goals"), tactics ("leaving some of their best players to guard
5750-416: The 1840s meant that people were able to travel farther and with less inconvenience than they ever had before. Inter-school sporting competitions became possible. However, it was difficult for schools to play each other at football, as each school played by its own rules. The solution to this problem was usually that the match be divided into two-halves, one half played by the rules of the host "home" school, and
5865-469: The 1860s, including to games under the Association rules. Certain association football historians correctly point out that the forward pass is not permitted in rugby football and therefore see the emergence of the forward pass as a critical development in the evolution of association football (and for this reason do not acknowledge the role of the public school games). They forget, however, that passing
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#17327867589495980-467: The 18th century, for example London's Gymnastic Society which was founded in the mid-18th century and ceased playing matches in 1796. The first documented club to bear in the title a reference to being a 'football club' were called "The Foot-Ball Club" who were located in Edinburgh , Scotland, during the period 1824–41. The club forbade tripping but allowed pushing and holding and the picking up of
6095-542: The City of London issued a decree banning football in the French used by the English upper classes at the time. A translation reads: "[f]orasmuch as there is great noise in the city caused by hustling over large foot balls [ rageries de grosses pelotes de pee ] in the fields of the public from which many evils might arise which God forbid: we command and forbid on behalf of the king, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in
6210-562: The Governor's Cup. The Cup was once a polo trophy of the Governor of Jamaica. The great majority of public schools now play rugby football as a major sport. Football had come to be adopted by a number of public schools as a way of encouraging esprit de corps , competitiveness and keeping youths fit. Each school drafted their own rules to suit the dimensions of their playing field. The rules varied widely between different schools and were changed over time with each new intake of pupils. Soon,
6325-466: The action and get caught up in the fun being had by the carefree adolescents. Most of the very early references to the game speak simply of "ball play" or "playing at ball". This reinforces the idea that the games played at the time did not necessarily involve a ball being kicked. An early reference to a ball game that was probably football comes from 1280 at Ulgham , Northumberland, England: "Henry... while playing at ball.. ran against David". Football
6440-480: The activities of London youths during the annual festival of Shrove Tuesday : After lunch all the youth of the city go out into the fields to take part in a ball game. The students of each school have their own ball; the workers from each city craft are also carrying their balls. Older citizens, fathers, and wealthy citizens come on horseback to watch their juniors competing, and to relive their own youth vicariously: you can see their inner passions aroused as they watch
6555-453: The ball (including forward passing) are all parts of public school games. In addition, the introduction of the FA rules that allowed both dribbling and forward passing of the ball were instigated by former public school boys. These key elements of modern Association football were taken from the various versions of public school association football. Dribbling was a key part of the Eton game and passing, in particular forward passing ("passing on")
6670-418: The ball and running to the opponents' goal in 1823. This act is popularly said to be the beginnings of Rugby football, but the evidence for this bold act does not stand up to close examination and most sports historians believe the story to be apocryphal . In older forms of football, handling the ball was allowed, or even compulsory; for example, the English writer William Hone , writing in 1825 or 1826, quotes
6785-466: The ball forward by kicking is not only completely legal in Rugby but also is a regular tactic employed in most matches—particularly in open, running play. For this reason the public school games can claim to be origin of the forward-passing game. Passing the ball continues to this day in surviving traditional public school association football games. Even in Harrow Football, which is essentially
6900-464: The ball forward, either by foot or by hand. They could only dribble with their feet, or advance the ball in a scrum or similar formation . However, offside laws began to diverge and develop differently at each school, as is shown by the rules of football from Winchester, Rugby , Harrow and Cheltenham , during between 1810 and 1850. The first known codes – in the sense of a set of rules – were those of Eton in 1815 and Aldenham in 1825. ) During
7015-479: The ball in his arms' is often misinterpreted as 'picking the ball up' as it is widely believed that Webb Ellis' 'crime' was handling the ball, as in modern association football, however handling the ball at the time was often permitted and in some cases compulsory, the rule for which Webb Ellis showed disregard was running forward with it as the rules of his time only allowed a player to retreat backwards or kick forwards. The boom in rail transport in Britain during
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#17327867589497130-400: The ball is moved primarily with the feet, and where handling is strictly limited. Common rules among the sports include: In all codes, common skills include passing , tackling , evasion of tackles, catching and kicking . In most codes, there are rules restricting the movement of players offside , and players scoring a goal must put the ball either under or over a crossbar between
7245-413: The ball was allowed. It is clear that the tackles allowed included the "charging" and pushing/holding of opposing players ("Keep him out" above, "drive that man back" in the original, "repelle eum" in original Latin). This game is likely to have been similar to rugby football. Contrary to press reports in 2006 there is no reference to game rules, marking players, team formations, or forward passing. This text
7360-510: The ball was allowed. One sentence states in the original 1930 translation "Throw yourself against him" (Age, objice te illi). King Henry IV of England also presented one of the earliest documented uses of the English word "football", in 1409, when he issued a proclamation forbidding the levying of money for "foteball". There is also an account in Latin from the end of the 15th century of football being played at Caunton , Nottinghamshire. This
7475-457: The ball without it falling, before kicking the ball through a circular hole placed in the middle of the pitch. Unlike association football, the two teams did not interact with each other but instead stayed on opposite sides of the pitch. Cuju has been cited by FIFA as the earliest form of football. The Japanese version of cuju is kemari (蹴鞠), and was developed during the Asuka period . This
7590-405: The ball". His account of the ball itself is also very informative: "They blow a strong bladder and tie the neck of it as fast as they can, and then put it into the skin of a bull's cod and sew it fast in". He adds: "The harder the ball is blown, the better it flies. They used to put quicksilver into it sometimes to keep it from lying still". His book includes the first (basic) diagram illustrating
7705-523: The ball. In 1845, three boys at Rugby school were tasked with codifying the rules then being used at the school. These were the first set of written rules (or code) for any form of football. This further assisted the spread of the Rugby game. The earliest known matches involving non-public school clubs or institutions are as follows: One of the longest running football fixture is the Cordner-Eggleston Cup , contested between Melbourne Grammar School and Scotch College, Melbourne every year since 1858. It
7820-519: The body, by the chiefe use of the legges". As a result of his enthusiasm for the sport and his accurate description of the modern game Richard Mulcaster is considered the father of early modern football. In 1591, it is clear that ball games were being played at Lyon's Free Grammar School in Harrow'. He says that "upon Thursday only sometimes when the weather is fine, and upon Saturday, or half-holidays after evening prayer. And their play shall be to drive
7935-413: The body, by the chiefe use of the legges. In 1633, David Wedderburn , a teacher from Aberdeen , mentioned elements of modern football games in a short Latin textbook called Vocabula. Wedderburn refers to what has been translated into modern English as "keeping goal" and makes an allusion to passing the ball ("strike it here"). There is a reference to "get hold of the ball", suggesting that some handling
8050-575: The body, namely "the hand ball" and "the armeball". He referred to the many benefits of his "footeball" in his personal publication of 1581 in English entitled 'Positions Wherein Those Primitive Circumstances Be Examined, Which Are Necessarie for the Training up of Children'. He states that football had positive educational value and it promoted health and strength. Mulcaster's discussion on the merits of football
8165-429: The case of a man who was killed whilst having a shave when a ball was kicked into a barber's shop. Roman ball games already knew the air-filled ball, the follis . Episkyros is described as an early form of football by FIFA. There are a number of references to traditional, ancient , or prehistoric ball games, played by indigenous peoples in many different parts of the world. For example, in 1586, men from
8280-412: The city in the future." This is the earliest reference to football. In 1363, King Edward III of England issued a proclamation banning "...handball, football, or hockey; coursing and cock-fighting, or other such idle games", showing that "football" – whatever its exact form in this case – was being differentiated from games involving other parts of the body, such as handball. A game known as "football"
8395-412: The city would dress up in fine silk costumes and embroil themselves in a violent form of football. For example, calcio players could punch, shoulder charge, and kick opponents. Blows below the belt were allowed. The game is said to have originated as a military training exercise. In 1580, Count Giovanni de' Bardi di Vernio wrote Discorso sopra 'l giuoco del Calcio Fiorentino . This is sometimes said to be
8510-534: The cloisters making the rough and tumble of the handling game difficult. At Forest School , Walthamstow, matches were played on The Common where chestnut trees and iron railings bounding the playing field were in play. This led to a conflict in the way that association football should be played. Some committee members favoured the rules of Charterhouse and Westminster School and pushed for a passing game, in particular rules that allowed forward passing ("passing on"). Other schools (in particular Eton and Harrow) favoured
8625-479: The creation of modern football codes. First of all, the evidence suggests that they were important in taking football away from its "mob" form and turning it into an organised team sport. Second, many early descriptions of football and references to it were recorded by people who had studied at these schools. Third, it was teachers, students, and former students from these schools who first codified football games, to enable matches to be played between schools. Finally, it
8740-473: The directly controlled empire. By the end of the 19th century, distinct regional codes were already developing: Gaelic football , for example, deliberately incorporated the rules of local traditional football games in order to maintain their heritage. In 1888, the Football League was founded in England, becoming the first of many professional football associations. During the 20th century, several of
8855-549: The earliest code of rules for any football game. The game was not played after January 1739 (until it was revived in May 1930). There have been many attempts to ban football, from the Middle Ages through to the modern day. The first such law was passed in England in 1314; it was followed by more than 30 in England alone between 1314 and 1667. Women were banned from playing at English and Scottish Football League grounds in 1921,
8970-479: The earliest reference to a football pitch, stating that: "[t]he boundaries have been marked and the game had started. Other firsts in the medieval and early modern eras: In the 16th century, the city of Florence celebrated the period between Epiphany and Lent by playing a game which today is known as " calcio storico " ("historic kickball") in the Piazza Santa Croce . The young aristocrats of
9085-545: The early 19th century, most notably by Eton College (1815) and Aldenham School (1825). By the early 19th century, (before the Factory Act 1850 ), most working class people in Britain had to work six days a week, often for more than twelve hours a day. They had neither the time nor the inclination to engage in sport for recreation and, at the time, many children were part of the labour force . Feast day football on
9200-472: The early 19th century, most working-class people in Britain had to work six days a week, often for over twelve hours a day. They had neither the time nor the inclination to engage in sport for recreation and, at the time, many children were part of the labour force . Feast day football played on the streets was in decline. Public school boys, who enjoyed some freedom from work, became the inventors of organised football games with formal codes of rules. Football
9315-402: The end of the 16th century football in England had grown to "greatnes ... [and was] much used ... in all places". Mulcaster's unique contribution is not only referring to "footeball" by its modern English name but also providing the earliest evidence of organised team football. Mulcaster confirms that his was a game closer to modern football by differentiating it from games involving other parts of
9430-415: The first to resemble modern association football , stating: "A player is considered 'sneaking' when only three or less than three of the opposite side are before him and the ball behind him, and in such a case, he may not kick the ball." This is noteworthy as it allowed players to receive a forward pass if more than three opponents were between them and the opponents' goal line. Dribbling and passing of
9545-482: The game. Finally, in the 19th century, former English public school boys, in a meeting organised by two old boys of Shrewsbury , were the first to write down formal codes of rules in order to enable matches to be played between different schools. These versions of football rules were the basis of both the Cambridge Rules and the subsequent rules of association football , of which only one copy survives in
9660-561: The game. This necessity, combined with the availability of sufficient time and money to pursue the sport, was the driving force that led to the creation of modern association football rules by people who had studied or taught at English public schools and universities. This quotation also points to the establishment in English public schools of the "football season" which to this day begins without fail in Autumn. The earliest evidence of coloured shirts used to identify association football teams –
9775-417: The goal"), scoring ("they that can strike the ball through their opponents' goal first win") and the way teams were selected ("the players being equally divided according to their strength and nimbleness"). He is the first to describe a law of football: "They often break one another's shins when two meet and strike both together against the ball, and therefore there is a law that they must not strike higher than
9890-401: The goal/You keep goal. Snatch the ball from that fellow if you can/Get hold of the ball before he does, if you can manage it. Come, throw yourself against him/Go on, intercept him. Run at him/Charge him. Kick the ball back/Pass the ball back. Well done. You aren't doing anything/Well done! You’re slacking. To make a goal/To score a goal. This is the first goal, this the second, this
10005-407: The head of his house". Similarly, in 1848 it was noted at Rugby that "Considerable improvement has taken place in the last few years, in the appearance of a match... in the use of peculiar dress consisting of velvet caps and jerseys". The use of coloured shirts at Winchester college are confirmed again in 1859: "Precisely at twelve o'clock, according to good old custom, the blue jerseys of college and
10120-430: The library of Shrewsbury. That football was probably played at English public schools from earliest times is suggested by early references to such games being played by students at university. In later centuries there is no doubt that football games played at secondary school were taken by former students to university. The earliest reference to ball games at English Universities comes from 1303 when "Thomas of Salisbury ,
10235-412: The mid 17th century. In 1633 (cited in other references as 1636), David Wedderburn, a teacher from Aberdeen , mentioned elements of football games in a short Latin textbook called the "Vocabula". Wedderburn cites phrases that school boys might use during their game. The text below is given in two forms: Francis Peabody Magoun's 1938 original (and more literal) translation and then Marples 1956 version. It
10350-605: The mid-19th century. By the 20th century, the game had evolved to a more rugby style game. In 1905, there were calls to ban American football in the U.S. due to its violence; a meeting that year was hosted by American president Theodore Roosevelt led to sweeping rules changes that caused the sport to diverge significantly from its rugby roots to become more like the sport as it is played today. While football continued to be played in various forms throughout Britain, its public schools (equivalent to private schools in other countries) are widely credited with four key achievements in
10465-912: The oldest rugby trophy is the Yorkshire Cup , contested since 1878. The South Australian Football Association (30 April 1877) is the oldest surviving Australian rules football competition. The oldest surviving soccer trophy is the Youdan Cup (1867) and the oldest national football competition is the English FA Cup (1871). The Football League (1888) is recognised as the longest running association football league. The first international Rugby football match took place between Scotland and England on 27 March 1871 at Raeburn Place , Edinburgh . The first international Association football match officially took place between sides representing England and Scotland on 30 November 1872 at Hamilton Crescent ,
10580-406: The open space between neighbouring parishes. The game was played primarily during significant religious festivals, such as Shrovetide, Christmas, or Easter, and Shrovetide games have survived into the modern era in a number of English towns (see below). The first detailed description of what was almost certainly football in England was given by William FitzStephen in about 1174–1183. He described
10695-427: The other half by the visiting "away" school. The modern rules of many football codes were formulated during the mid- or late- 19th century. This also applies to other sports such as lawn bowls, lawn tennis, etc. The major impetus for this was the patenting of the world's first lawnmower in 1830. This allowed for the preparation of modern ovals, playing fields, pitches, grass courts, etc. Apart from Rugby football,
10810-502: The other schools' games. For example, two clubs which claim to be the world's first and/or oldest football club, in the sense of one which is not part of a school or university, are both strongholds of rugby football: the Barnes Club , said to have been founded in 1839, and Guy's Hospital Football Club , reportedly founded in 1843. Neither date nor the variety of football played is well documented, but such claims nevertheless allude to
10925-462: The popularity of rugby before other modern codes emerged. The first inter-school match was played between Cheltenham College and Rugby school, surprisingly the victors being Cheltenham College, still a prolific rugby school. First played in 1864 the Clifton v Marlborough game lays claim to being the first inter-school Rugby fixture. The fixture continues today and the winning side is presented with
11040-555: The public highway was at an end. Thus the public school boys, who were free from constant toil, became the inventors of organised football games with formal codes of rules. These gradually evolved into the modern football and rugby games that we know today. The boom in rail transport in Britain during the 1840s meant that people were able to travel further and with less inconvenience than they ever had before. Inter-school sporting competitions became possible. While local rules for athletics could be easily understood by visiting schools, it
11155-488: The public school codes have barely been played beyond the confines of each school's playing fields. However, many of them are still played at the schools which created them (see § British schools ). Public schools' dominance of sports in the UK began to wane after the Factory Act 1850 , which significantly increased the recreation time available to working class children. Before 1850, many British children had to work six days
11270-631: The rules of association football . English public schools, as well as Scottish private schools , mainly attended by boys from the more affluent upper, upper-middle, and professional classes, are widely credited with three key achievements in the creation of modern codes of football . First, the evidence suggests that, during the 16th century, they transformed the popular, but violent and chaotic, " mob football " into organised team sports that were beneficial to schoolboys. Second, many early references to football in literature were recorded by people who had studied at these schools, showing they were familiar with
11385-585: The seasonal sports cycle is described thus: "Tamer boys play at cricket in the Summer and Hockey in the Winter; but the manlier youths pull in the boats during the Summer and play at Football in the winter". See also the quotation below which confirms that the association football season began in Autumn. This is noteworthy because traditionally association football had been played in England during Shrovetide . School association football clubs (and other sports) were
11500-450: The social commentator Sir Frederick Morton Eden , regarding "Foot-Ball", as played at Scone, Scotland : In 1845, three boys at Rugby school, William Delafield Arnold , W. W. Shirley and Frederick Hutchins, were tasked with codifying the rules then being used at the school. This further assisted the spread of the Rugby game. During the early 19th century the Rugby school rules appear to have spread at least as far, perhaps further, than
11615-414: The third/This is the second, this the third goal. Drive that man back/Keep him out, otherwise the other side wins. The opponents are, moreover, coming out on top, If you don't look out, he will make a goal/If you’re not careful, he’ll score in a minute. Unless we play better, we'll be done for/If we don’t play better, we’re done for. Ah, victory is in your hands/Hi! You’re the winners. Ha, hurrah. He
11730-482: The tradition of wearing distinctive team strips (i.e. uniforms) — comes from early English public school association football games, for example an image of Winchester football from before 1840 is entitled: "A 'Hot' at Foot Ball. The commoners have red and the college boys blue jerseys". House sporting colours are mentioned in Rugby football (rule XXI) as early as 1845: "No player may wear cap or jersey without leave from
11845-554: The use of the feet. The Roman game harpastum is believed to have been adapted from a Greek team game known as ἐπίσκυρος ( episkyros ) or φαινίνδα ( phaininda ), which is mentioned by a Greek playwright, Antiphanes (388–311 BC) and later referred to by the Christian theologian Clement of Alexandria ( c. 150 – c. 215 AD ). These games appear to have resembled rugby football . The Roman politician Cicero (106–43 BC) describes
11960-482: The various kinds of football grew to become some of the most popular team sports in the world. The various codes of football share certain common elements and can be grouped into two main classes of football: carrying codes like American football, Canadian football, Australian football, rugby union and rugby league, where the ball is moved about the field while being held in the hands or thrown, and kicking codes such as association football and Gaelic football, where
12075-459: The whole school, yet he belongs to an association football club in the autumn, which includes the twenty or thirty boys boarding in his own house and thus matches are made between houses as between colleges". Significantly this shows evidence of the first organised competitions between association football teams not just within schools but between them. For competitions to take place between colleges it would clearly require some agreement over rules of
12190-427: Was adopted by a number of public schools as a way of encouraging competitiveness and keeping youths fit. Each school drafted its own rules, which varied widely between different schools and were changed over time with each new intake of pupils. Two schools of thought developed regarding rules. Some schools favoured a game in which the ball could be carried (as at Rugby, Marlborough and Cheltenham), while others preferred
12305-408: Was allowed. It is clear that the tackles allowed included the charging and holding of opposing players ("drive that man back"). A more detailed description of football is given in Francis Willughby 's Book of Games , written in about 1660. Willughby, who had studied at Bishop Vesey's Grammar School , Sutton Coldfield , is the first to describe goals and a distinct playing field: "a close that has
12420-427: Was argued for by representatives of Charterhouse during the establishment of the Football Association rules in the 1860s. These features of modern soccer had been integrated into the Football Association rules by 1867 and were the consequence of English public school games. In 1856 Lancing College created its own code of association football which was regarded as a means of fostering teamwork. "Scientific" football
12535-452: Was at English public schools that the division between "kicking" and "running" (or "carrying") games first became clear. The earliest evidence that games resembling football were being played at English public schools – mainly attended by boys from the upper, upper-middle and professional classes – comes from the Vulgaria by William Herman in 1519. Herman had been headmaster at Eton and Winchester colleges and his Latin textbook includes
12650-496: Was described in 2006 as "an amazing new discovery" but has actually been well documented in football history literature since the early 20th century and available on the internet since at least 2000. It confirms that organised football games in the 17th century were not confined to English Schools. (An earlier description of goals, defending goals and passing the ball comes from Carew's account of Cornish Hurling ). The next specific mention of football at public schools can be found in
12765-457: Was nearly impossible for schools to play each other at football, as each school played by its own rules. These are the earliest schools to have evidence of regular, organised football. Each school originally played its own code. The earliest known matches involving public schools are as follows: William Webb Ellis , a pupil at Rugby school , is said to have "showed a fine disregard for the rules of football, as played in his time" by picking up
12880-591: Was one of the origins of Australian rules football . The Māori in New Zealand played a game called Kī-o-rahi consisting of teams of seven players play on a circular field divided into zones, and score points by touching the 'pou' (boundary markers) and hitting a central 'tupu' or target. These games and others may well go far back into antiquity. However, the main sources of modern football codes appear to lie in western Europe, especially England. Mahmud al-Kashgari in his Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk , described
12995-458: Was played in Ireland in 1308, with a documented reference to John McCrocan, a spectator at a "football game" at Newcastle, County Down being charged with accidentally stabbing a player named William Bernard. Another reference to a football game comes in 1321 at Shouldham , Norfolk, England: "[d]uring the game at ball as he kicked the ball, a lay friend of his... ran against him and wounded himself". In 1314, Nicholas de Farndone , Lord Mayor of
13110-532: Was played in Scotland as early as the 15th century: it was prohibited by the Football Act 1424 and although the law fell into disuse it was not repealed until 1906. There is evidence for schoolboys playing a "football" ball game in Aberdeen in 1633 (some references cite 1636) which is notable as an early allusion to what some have considered to be passing the ball. The word "pass" in the most recent translation
13225-740: Was the first to refer to teams ("sides" and "parties"), positions ("standings"), the benefits of a referee ("judge over the parties") and a coach "(trayning maister)". Although it is not explicitly mentioned, passing of the ball is strongly implied by the reference to different positions on the field. Mulcaster describes a game for small teams that is organised under the auspices of a referee (and provides clear evidence that his game had evolved from disordered and violent "mob" football): "Some smaller number with such overlooking, sorted into sides and standings, not meeting with their bodies so boisterously to trie their strength: nor shouldring or shuffing one another so barbarously ... may use footeball for as much good to
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