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Today, football—known as soccer in some parts of the world—is the most popular sport globally, with millions of men and women showcasing their skills through dribbling, passing, and shooting on the pitch.
However, many people may be surprised to learn that football is older than they think, with roots that extend back hundreds of years. Evidence of primitive ball games resembling football can be found in various cultures, and historical records reveal that football-like activities in the Middle Ages often disrupted the peace in cities and small towns.
Fortunately, football has evolved significantly over the years, leading to the establishment of new rules and organizations that have transformed it into the enjoyable and competitive sport we know today.
In the following sections, we will explore the largely unknown history of football, tracing its journey from traditional games of centuries past to the athletic sport we celebrate today.
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- Know the History of Football | A Brief Tale of the Popular Sport
The Over-Hundred-Years of History of Football!
The first use of the word ‘foot-ball’ in English, according to records, dates back to 1314. In that age, London’s mayor banned ball games in the city because they often caused ‘great uproar’ and ‘tumults.’
Rules to Govern the Game
These rules regulated the number of players for each team and the match length. They also determined the pitch, goals, and ball sizes.
In 1581, the boys of London’s Merchant Taylors’ School were encouraged to play football with two teams, a set number of players, and even a referee.
The “Camp ball” was another form of foot-ball, which means campen ball, or a struggle with a ball. This game also has regulated pitch sizes and rules. An investigator and historian, David Dymond, effectively identified 105 pitches in East Anglia used between the 15th and 19th centuries.
There were also other foot-ball practices, such as one in which two matched teams played in large streets with big gates on both sides. These gates were called “gaols” (goals). The first team to put the ball through the gate won this primitive football match.
New Aspects in the 19th Century Football
Due to increasing public disturbances when playing primitive football, most cities in England banned this sport from centers and public sites. However, scientific advances and better communication allowed teams to agree on matches and competitions.
The Football League was founded in 1888, but it received diverse criticism from journalists, critics, and others.
Until today, there has been a deep controversy between the English and Scottish since both claimed to have invented football!
History tells us that modern football was created by English gentlemen who regulated the sport and laid the foundations for the sport we know today.
The Cambridge Rules
In 1848, the University of Cambridge published a set of rules to better organize the team game of football and standardize matches against other universities and public school teams. This code had a significant impact on the development of modern football rules and regulations.
As mentioned earlier, the game played before the establishment of rules was quite rudimentary and chaotic. The evolution of football was significantly influenced by the Cambridge Rules, which played a crucial role in shaping the first Laws of the Game established by the Football Association.
Some rules implemented by Cambridge Rules clarified the following:
Players can score a goal at any height.
The width of the goals, a new dimension of the ground, and the word “bases” for goals;
All handling was forbidden, as in the Eton Field Game;
A player was offside unless four players of the opposing team were between the goals and the player.
The Laws of the Game
The game of association football, the governing body of association football in England, is played according to the Laws of the Game, implemented in 1863. This document made no mention of handling the ball. At this point, football was differentiated from rugby, which allows one to touch and take the ball with the hand.
The Laws of the Game helped the growth of the Association of Football by motivating the proliferation of amateur clubs that are commonly linked to churches, businesses, and other organizations. This way, multiple new clubs appeared in cities in the north.
The first women’s football match took place in 1881. The participating teams were the national teams from Scotland and England. This event was really strange for that time since women did not participate strongly in sports. Still, this event brought together more than a thousand people, which was impressive!
Scotland won the match 3-0 against England.
After this, football gained popularity and reached distant corners of the Empire, thanks to businessmen, sailors, travelers, teachers, and engineers who flew around the world.
Still, the history of football is a little darker than we may believe. The Football Association banned women from playing football between 1921 and 1971. This was because women’s football gained a lot of popularity after the Great War, and companies and factories encouraged their female workers to play football. However, over time, many companies and society began to think football was not “suitable” for women. In this way, the Association echoed these comments and banned this women’s competition.
The Early 20th Century
At the beginning of the 20th century, just a few national football teams existed, but local clubs emerged around worker houses and factories. Hence, they received the support of communities. Over time, many cities in England, Europe, and even South America had two major clubs. Therefore, many natural rivalries were born, especially in the newly emerging English football league.
The running game created fierce competition between clubs. So, clubs started to recruit even players from far away cities to strengthen their alignment. For example, the team that won the cup for Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 was made completely of players from other locations. These circumstances were very common in domestic leagues, just like in other sports.
Clubs were mainly made with working-class players, but later, in the 30s, players started to receive important salaries for their contributions, reaching a salary of £400 in England. In this age, new sports papers appeared, satisfying the need for sports news and promoting matches and brands related to them.
Football After the World War II
The post-war period is often called “the golden age of football,” and during this period, professional football grew as never before. At that time, the Asian Football Confederation, the Oceania Football Confederation, the Caribbean Association Football, and the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), among others, started to grow and get their spot in international football.
This was when the game began to be more competitive, which gave crucial relevance to the emerging World Cups and Champions League. The football of South and Central America also rose in those years, creating important tournaments, such as the Copa Libertadores de América.
International Organizations
Now, let’s take a look at some of the most crucial international football tournaments in the world. Below, you’ll discover the key aspects and moments of how these cups became what they are today.
The First Copa América
Few people know that the first international football tournament was the Copa América. This cup took place in Argentina between July 2 and 17, 1916, to commemorate the nation’s first Centenary. The participants were Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil. This way, teams chose the first international champion, Uruguay.
Due to the tournament’s success, Héctor Rivadavia Gómez, a Uruguayan journalist, proposed the foundation of a confederation to bring together different associations. This way, the Conmebol, or South American Football Confederation, was created.
The next year, a new tournament took place, this time in Uruguay, that summoned the federations of Conmebol. The Confederation bought a silver cup for the champion. That trophy is the same one that South American teams receive today!
The First FIFA World Cup
The first World Cup took place in 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay. Thirteen nations participated from July 13 to 30. This tournament featured three groups of three participants and one of four participants. Yugoslavia, the United States, Argentina, and Uruguay reached the semifinals. The final involved Uruguay and Argentina, with the local team winning 4-2.
The second World Cup took place in Italy in 1934, with the final featuring Italy and Czechoslovakia. Italy emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. In the third World Cup, held in France, Italy triumphed again, this time defeating Hungary in the final.
Following this, the tournament was suspended for twelve years due to the Second World War and resumed in 1950 in Brazil. This edition is famously remembered for the dramatic final, known as the “Maracanazo,” in which Uruguay stunned the heavily favored Brazil with a 2-1 victory in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium.
There have been twenty-two World Cups so far, with Brazil winning five editions, Italy and Germany winning on four occasions, Argentina on three occasions, France and Uruguay on two occasions, and England and Spain on one occasion.
A Brief History of the Champions League
No other club football tournament in the world has the fame and prestige of the UEFA Champions League. This incredible competition summons the best clubs in European countries to choose the best team on the continent.
The first edition of this tournament took place in the 1955-56 season, with Real Madrid FC winning the trophy in a furious match in Parc des Princes, París, against Stade de Remis. This match was remarkable since the French team had a two-goal lead, yet Real Madrid did an excellent job and turned the score around! Since then, Real Madrid has won the most Champions League titles, with a total of 15 first-tier European championships!
This international tournament has helped to build a football industry that has attracted sponsors, fans, and big brands to the world of football, converting this sport into a major phenomenon that broke the world.
Soccer or Football?
Early soccer leagues and other competitions in the United States mostly adopted the name ‘football’ for their activities. Still, a common confusion between association football and American football required a change in the term “football.” This is when the term ‘ soccer’ emerged, which was later used in the 10s and 20s to describe English football.
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