102-590: The Sheffield Rules was a code of football devised and played in the English city of Sheffield between 1858 and 1877. The rules were initially created and revised by Sheffield Football Club , with responsibility for the laws passing to the Sheffield Football Association upon that body's creation in 1867. The rules spread beyond the city boundaries to other clubs and associations in the north and midlands of England, making them one of
204-867: 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 , 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
306-427: 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
408-414: A Sheffield family of silver plate manufacturers that dated back several centuries. After being educated at the city's Collegiate School he became a solicitor . Prest's family had moved from York while he was a child. His father bought a wine merchants that William subsequently took over. Both men were keen sportsmen. Creswick enjoyed a number of sports including cricket and running. Prest played cricket for
510-615: 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
612-404: 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
714-443: A close match, to distinguish what players were "off," and what "on" side. ... It was, therefore, abandoned, and now, as formerly, the only restriction upon the position of any player in the field is, that he must not be nearer to his adversaries' goal than the nearest of the defending side.' Surviving club records indicate that the rules could be varied for individual matches (e.g. 9 May 1863 v. Garrison "allowed striking & throwing
816-597: 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
918-585: 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
1020-477: 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 ,
1122-416: 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
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#17327651962881224-620: A goal to the opponents." After a "long and noisy discussion", the change was rejected. The continued importance of the Sheffield Football Association was reflected in the selection of its treasurer, William Peirce Dix , as one of two delegates to represent England at the International Football Conference of December 1882. This meeting resulted in one unified set of rules for association football across Britain and Ireland. It prefigured
1326-506: A letter to The Field in February 1867, Sheffield FC secretary Harry Chambers wrote that Sheffield FC had adopted a rule at the beginning of the 1863 season requiring one opponent to be level or closer to the opponent's goal. This claim is supported in a letter from secretary William Chesterman to the FA in 1863. At Sheffield FC's 1865 annual general meeting, it was resolved that "[t]hat for
1428-542: A man in favour of Sheffield". The Derbyshire group was "determin[ed] to join the Sheffield Association, should that body decide to abolish catching". After this, a total ban on handling was proposed. Objectors countered that "the grounds in Sheffield and neighbourhood were unfit for the non-catching rule, on account of their hilly nature", but they were voted down, with the following changes being made: It
1530-481: A meeting at which a new set of rules was considered. The rules were confirmed one week later, and published later the same year as Sheffield FC's second formal set of laws. The major changes made in the 1862 rules were: A contemporary newspaper report of the 1862 Sheffield FC meeting reported that the 'most important alteration is the adoption of "rouges," which will have the effect of preventing matches to result [ sic ] in "draws."' The rouge originated in
1632-505: 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
1734-441: 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
1836-416: 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
1938-464: A rouge being scored is found in a contemporary report from the Youdan Cup final of March 1867: After half an hour's play the ball was kicked by Elliott, not through the goal, but just over it, and was touched down by Ash in splendid style, after running round two of his opponents before getting to the ball, thus securing a rouge. The 1862 laws, like those of 1858, made no provision for offside. In
2040-487: 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
2142-446: 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"),
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#17327651962882244-455: 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
2346-458: Is a substantial similarity in wording between many of the Sheffield rules and the older Rugby School rules. Local influences may also have played a role: many of the original members of Sheffield FC were from the local Collegiate School, which favoured the kicking style of the game, rather than handling the ball. The kicking game was also prevalent in the local villages of Penistone and Thurlstone . The club rules also dictated that any disputes on
2448-513: 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
2550-523: 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
2652-730: 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
2754-486: 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
2856-670: 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
2958-438: 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
3060-551: The Adelphi Hotel on 28 October 1858. The club's minutes book is still available, and records changes made during the laws' development. Notable features of the rules included: The origin of the 1858 Sheffield rules has been the subject of some academic debate. Adrian Harvey denies any public school influence, arguing that the rules were derived from "ideas generally current in the wider society". In response, prominent football historian Tony Collins has demonstrated that there
3162-501: The Eton Field Game , where it was awarded when a player touched the ball down behind the opponents' goal-line in a somewhat similar manner to today's "try" in rugby. Sheffield FC encountered the rouge in a match of 17 December 1860, when the club played against the 58th Regiment, winning by one goal and 10 rouges to one goal and 5 rouges. Reports of later Sheffield FC games during 1860 and 1861, however, do not mention rouges. At
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3264-502: The International Football Association Board , which would be the final authority on the laws of the game from 1886 onwards. 9 ft high 9 ft high Initially the code was only played among Sheffield F.C. members. Games initially teamed players with surnames in the first half of the alphabet against players with surnames in the latter half of the alphabet. They, however, discovered that
3366-641: 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
3468-618: The West of Scotland Cricket Club 's ground in Partick , Glasgow under the authority of the FA. Tony Collins (historian) Tony Collins is a British social historian specialising in the history of sport. He is emeritus professor of history at De Montfort University, a Research Fellow at the Institute of Sports Humanities, and in 2018 was a visiting professor at Beijing Sports University. He has written several award-winning books on
3570-413: The fair catch , and the origins of the goalkeeper and forward positions. In 1867, the world's first competitive football tournament was played under Sheffield Rules. The oldest recorded football match in Sheffield occurred in 1794 when a game of mob football was played between Sheffield and Norton (at the time a Derbyshire village) that took place at Bents Green . The game lasted three days, which
3672-462: 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
3774-416: 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
3876-467: 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
3978-617: The 2019 New Zealand TV series The Story of Rugby , and 2020’s Shane Williams: Rugby Concussion and Me . He has also been a board or committee member of a number of public organisations including Rugby League Cares, the World Rugby Museum, Hull Kingston Rovers’ Community Trust, the historians’ panel of the National Football Museum's English Football Hall of Fame , and the Yorkshire and Humber region of
4080-464: The All England XI and also captained Yorkshire on several occasions. The inaugural meeting of Sheffield F.C. took place on 24 October 1857 at Parkfield House in the suburb of Highfield . The original headquarters would become a greenhouse on East Bank Road. The adjacent field was used as their first playing ground. The first laws of Sheffield Football Club were approved at a general meeting at
4182-542: 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
Sheffield Rules - Misplaced Pages Continue
4284-459: The FA laws in 1877, the Sheffield Association continued to consider proposed alterations to the rules independently. At its February 1879 meeting: It was proposed by Mr. T. Banks, on behalf of the Norfolk Club , to add to law 8 — "If any player of the defending side, except the goalkeeper, stop the ball with his hands within three yards of the goal, when it is going in goal, it shall count
4386-489: The FA was held on the 17th of April, at which the Clydesdale amendment was reconsidered and passed. As a result of this change in the FA laws, the Sheffield Association held a meeting one week later at which it agreed to abandon its own rules and accept the FA laws. The principal changes made by the Sheffield Association in going from its own laws of 1876 to the FA laws of 1877 were the following: Despite its adoption of
4488-523: The FA's stricter offside law was rejected, with a contemporary report stating "[w]e do not doubt that if the Londoners [i.e. the FA] had shown a more conciliatory spirit [with respect to the throw-in rule], the off-side rule would have been accepted". Another proposal to introduce the FA's 3-player offside law was "negatived by a large majority", with opponents citing the rough nature of the grounds played on by
4590-526: The Sheffield 1862 rules, as at Eton, the rouge was immediately followed by a set-piece in front of goal ("one of the defending side must stand post two yards in front of the goal sticks"). In the Eton game, detailed descriptions show that this situation was somewhat similar to a rugby scrummage. The new laws were adopted almost immediately, with Sheffield recorded as beating Norton on 22 February 1862 by "one goal and one rouge to nothing". A detailed description of
4692-424: The Sheffield Association and the FA came to a head in 1877. At the regular meeting of the FA, in February, the Sheffield Association again proposed its kick-in rule, while Clydesdale FC proposed a compromise rule which retained the throw-in but allowed it to go in any direction. The Sheffield Association agreed to withdraw its own proposal in favour of Clydesdale FC's compromise. However, even this compromise proposal
4794-416: The Sheffield Association and the FA remained over the questions of throw-ins/kick-ins and offside. The FA had repeatedly rejected Sheffield's laxer offside rule at its own 1872, 1873 and 1874 meetings. Furthermore, the FA had that very same month rejected a proposal by the Sheffield Association to introduce kick-ins instead of throw-ins. At the Sheffield Association's meeting, a proposal for Sheffield to adopt
4896-462: The Sheffield FA voted to adopt the FA laws, following the adoption of a compromise throw-in law by the FA. The Sheffield rules had a major influence on how the modern game of football developed. Among other things they introduced were the concepts of corners , and free kicks for fouls. Games played under the rules are also credited with the development of heading, following the abolition of
4998-444: The Sheffield teams, and claiming that "the strong defence it [the FA's offside rule] admits of would in many instances prevent any likelihood of a score being made". The FA's rejection of Sheffield's kick-in law at its own annual meeting (held one week earlier) was said to have influenced the feeling of the Sheffield meeting. Only one change to the laws was made, with the FA's law on handling the ball being adopted. The dispute between
5100-466: 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
5202-480: 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
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#17327651962885304-464: 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
5406-479: 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
5508-400: 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
5610-510: 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
5712-457: 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
5814-490: The ball", 28 October 1865 v. Mackenzie "played the offside rules", 11 November 1865 vs. Norton "Played at East Bank to the old rules"). Sources for the exact laws played during this period are scarce, but a letter written to The Field newspaper from club secretary William Chesterman to the Football Association in February 1866 strongly supported an FA proposal to abolish the fair catch, suggesting that there
5916-647: 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
6018-413: 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
6120-429: 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
6222-412: 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"
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#17327651962886324-412: 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
6426-551: The club's annual meeting in October 1861, Sheffield FC specifically rejected a proposal to add rouges to its own code. Although the Sheffield laws defining the rouge bore a great deal of similarity to the equivalent rules of the Eton Field Game, there were also significant differences. Sheffield made use of "rouge flags" on the goal-line at a distance of 4 yards (3.7 m) from each goal-post (these flags had been added to
6528-479: 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
6630-473: 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
6732-549: 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,
6834-479: 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
6936-472: 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
7038-413: The field of play in 1861). A rouge could be scored by touching the ball down only after it had been kicked between the two rouge flags, without going into the goal (Eton did not use rouge flags, permitting a rouge to be scored at any distance from the goal). Sheffield also removed Eton's requirement that the attacking player who kicked the ball behind the goal-line had to be "bullied" (tackled / mauled). In
7140-403: The field would be resolved by any committee members present — an early reference to the position now occupied by the referee . At the club's next annual general meeting in October 1859, a committee was appointed to revise the laws and prepare them for publication. The laws were subsequently published later that year with only minor revisions. On 31 January 1860, a meeting was held where it
7242-409: The future we play the [strict] offside rule, but if the other Sheff[iel]d Clubs do not adopt the same rule, we play our Matches with them according to our present rules". Another resolution stated that "a letter [should] be written to Notts Secretary saying that we will adopt the offside rule if they will give up making the mark in case of a free kick, & also the free kick at goal". This offside law
7344-560: The game: Further changes were made at the Sheffield Association's meeting of October 1869: At an "adjourned general meeting", held in January 1871, the Association voted to prohibit catching or handling the ball (with the exception of defenders within three yards of their own goal). The change was initially made on a temporary basis, until the end of the season, "with a view to its future abolishment". During an "animated discussion" on
7446-653: The history of rugby and the other football codes around the world. In 2020, he was made a member of the Rugby Football League’s Roll of Honour in recognition of his work as a historian of the sport. He has appeared and worked as a consultant on many television and radio programmes, including BBC Radio Four’s Sport and the British series, the History Channel’s Football: A Brief History By Alfie Allen , BBC Wales’ The Rugby Codebreakers ,
7548-712: The history of sport, is the host of the ‘Rugby Reloaded’ history podcast, and is a regular contributor to television and radio programmes. In 1999, his first book Rugby’s Great Split , based on his 1996 PhD thesis, won the Aberdare Prize for Sports History Book of the Year. He has also won the Aberdare Prize for Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain (2007), A Social History of English Rugby Union (2010) and The Oval World: A Global History of Rugby (2016). A Social History of English Rugby Union
7650-605: 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
7752-429: The most popular forms of football during the 1860s and 1870s. In 1863, the newly formed London-based Football Association (FA) published its own laws of football . Between 1863 and 1877, the FA and Sheffield laws co-existed, with each code at times influencing the other. Several games were played between Sheffield and London teams, using both sets of rules. After several disputes, the two codes were unified in 1877 when
7854-465: The most talented players all had surnames in the first half. Various other permutations were tried with professionals versus merchants and manufacturers becoming one of the favourites. In December 1858 they played their first outside opposition, a team from the local 58th Army Regiment . An early inter-club match between Sheffield and the newly formed Hallam F.C. took place on 26 December 1860. The match took place at Hallam's ground, Sandygate Road . It
7956-427: The newly formed Sheffield Football Association issued its first set of laws. The text of the laws of the [London] Football Association , which had been amended the previous month, was used as a starting-point, with the Sheffield clubs making changes to reflect the distinctive features of their game. Significant new features of the 1867 laws (relative to the 1862 Sheffield FC laws) were: In October 1867, an amendment
8058-912: 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 ,
8160-406: 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
8262-427: 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,
8364-547: 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
8466-427: The question, defenders of the fair catch "objected to the continual chopping and changing ... 'catching' having been abandoned on a previous occasion [from 1867 to 1868]". At the annual general meeting, held in October of the same year, the Sheffield Association heard from a representative of the "South Derbyshire Football Association" whose members, having trialled both the FA and Sheffield rules, had "decided almost to
8568-591: The schools. There the football tended to be unorganised and fairly lawless games known as mob football. Although there were matches between small, equal numbered teams it remained a minority sport until the 1860s. During the winter months in 1855 the players of Sheffield Cricket Club organised informal football matches in order to retain fitness until the start of the new season. Two of the players were Nathaniel Creswick (1826–1917) and William Prest (1832–1885), both of whom were born in Yorkshire . Creswick came from
8670-554: 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
8772-482: 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
8874-409: Was abandoned at the end of the 1865-66 season, with Sheffield FC reverting to the weaker one-player rule. A newspaper article of January 1867 reported that '[t]he [stricter, FA-style] off-side rule has been played in Sheffield, but was universally disapproved of. It was found to be the cause of much discontent, and produced a most unsatisfactory state of things, it being so difficult, in the excitement of
8976-489: Was accidentally punched by Waterfall. This was contested in a letter from the Hallam players that claimed that it was in retaliation for a blow thrown by Nathaniel Creswick. Whatever the cause the result was a general riot, which also involved a number of spectators, after which Waterfall was sent to guard the goal as punishment. Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking
9078-427: 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
9180-475: 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
9282-496: Was already some appetite within the club for its removal from the Sheffield code (the fair catch had survived in the 1862 laws, but would later be abolished in the Sheffield Association laws of 1867). A copy of the newly founded (Sheffield) Mechanics' FC rulebook for 1865-66 is largely identical to the Sheffield FC 1862 laws, but with two variations, which may or may not be related to developments at Sheffield FC: In March 1867,
9384-636: Was also a winner of the 2015 'World in Union Book Award' for the best academic book on rugby union. In addition to the social history of rugby league and rugby union, he has also written about the global rise of sport in books such as Sport in Capitalist Society (2013) and How Football Began: How the World’s Football Codes Were Born (2018). In 2018, he launched the history podcast Rugby Reloaded which looks at
9486-507: 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
9588-463: Was made to the laws whereby there was a "kick-out" only after the ball was kicked directly over the crossbar. In all other cases where the ball went out of play over the goal-line, the game was restarted by a throw, from the point where the ball crossed the goal-line, ten yards towards the opposite goal, awarded against the team who put the ball out of play. At its meeting in October 1868, the Sheffield Association made changes that altered many aspects of
9690-540: Was not unusual for matches at the time. It was noted that although there were some injuries no-one was killed during the match. The Clarkehouse Road Fencing Club had been playing football since 1852. The city was home to a number of sports clubs and the popularity of cricket had led to the chairman of Sheffield Cricket Club to suggest the construction of Bramall Lane . By the 1850s there were several versions of football played in public schools and clubs throughout England. Their rules were generally inaccessible outside of
9792-442: Was noted that these changes left Sheffield laws very close to those of the FA, with offside being the biggest remaining difference. The meeting continued by criticising the FA's "ridiculous" offside law (which required three opponents to be closer to the opposing goal), and its arrogance in refusing to play any rules but its own. The following changes were made at the Sheffield Association's meeting of February 1875: Disputes between
9894-591: 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
9996-458: 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
10098-588: 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
10200-539: Was rejected, "to the intense regret of those who desired one common code of rules". This rejection prompted the publication of a pseudonymous letter in The Sportsman decrying the "hasty, ill-judged decision ... bringing the Football Association into disrepute", and denying that it represented "the general body of [Football] Association players -- even of those in London". A subsequent extraordinary general meeting of
10302-566: Was reported that "The Sheffielders turned in their usual Scarlet and White" which suggests that club colours were already in use. Despite playing with inferior numbers Sheffield F.C. beat Hallam 2–0. The game of the time could still be a violent one. A match on 29 December between Sheffield and Hallam became known as the Battle of Bramall Lane . An incident occurred when Nathaniel Creswick was being held by Shaw and Waterfall. Accounts differ over subsequent events. The original report stated that Creswick
10404-476: Was resolved that Law 8 should be expunged and replaced with "Holding the ball (except in the case of a free kick) or knocking or pushing it on is altogether disallowed". This left the fair catch as the only form of handling permitted by the laws. At the annual general meeting of Sheffield FC held in October 1861, the following amendments were made to the rules: Proposals to ban pushing and to introduce " rouges " were rejected. On 31 January 1862, Sheffield FC held
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