Who invented football?

The History of Association Football

Part 1 - In the beginning

There are many theories as to the answer to the question, who invented football? - it has certainly been a topic for debate for centuries. The English certainly lay claim to the first organised leagues and organisations such as the FA, but we are lead to believe the first form of the game started way back in the 3rd century AD in China, when an exercise of kicking a leather ball through an opening of one and a half feet in diameter or 35 to 40cm became a pleasant pastime for some.

Then by the 9th century a ball game called 'tlatchi' was played in Central America by the Aztecs, but then there is a claim the game was known to have existed in England in 1066. Attention later turned to the Greeks game of 'episkyros' and the Romans game of 'harpastum' In the 16th century, the latter of which was played on a rectangular surface as the first signs of football as we know it, began to take shape. Also in the 16th century, the Italians started to lay claim as they enjoyed a game they called 'il calcio' which meant and still means association football today. This was played in the streets with no rules and involved alot of physical contact as players literally fought for possession of the ball. Although there were no rules, the object of the game was the same then as it is today, to aim the ball at a target, the basics of the game have not changed.

Banned by the King

So who invented football? - well the 13th century saw the first competition between neighbouring towns and villages, indeed it was in this century the term 'Derby match' was derived when two local teams in Derbyshire competed in the village of Ashbourne, but in 1314 any thoughts of who invented football were nearly never considered when the game was banned by King Edward II because of it's serious threat to life and limb, and also the Lord Mayor of London claimed there was a 'great noise' in the city caused by the amount of players and the 'anything goes' rules. Indeed there was some concern from the king that his soldiers would be unable to serve under him as many put their limbs and indeed in extreme cases, lives at risk! - In addition, Richard II had a similar opinion of banning the game because he could not get his army to train for battle.

Then in 1477 and 1497, Edward IV and Henry VII also issued bans on football but the game continued throughout the Tudor and Stuart eras, by which time, football was becoming well established in England. Even the king was relenting when it was confirmed in 1526, Henry VIII owned a leather pair of shoes marked in his wardrobe as being 'for football'. So was it England who invented football? OR....By 1527 the game was being played in other areas of Great Britain, notably in Ireland and there is evidence of a ball found in Scotland dating back to 1540.

By the mid 1600s, the different elements of the game were beginning to take shape including the goals when very often gates were used and the pitch was rectangle. As football continued to become more and more popular, not everyone wanted to be restricted to the size of goals and pitch or indeed the number of players involved, this meant a continued lack of common decency to fellow players with some matches ending in brawls (good to see some things haven't changed). However, times were beginning to change as the industrial revolution meant longer working hours restricting the amount of time for playing football. Ironically after the outlawing of the game at the main universities, the only thing that kept football going at this time was that it was starting to get popular in the English public schools. Emphasis on teamwork, training and discipline helped the tutors get over the message they wanted to pupils who were happy to be taught in these circumstances.

Part 2 - The FA is formed