| Football is the name given to a number | | | | played between neighbouring towns and |
| of different, but related, team sports. | | | | villages, involving an unlimited number |
| The most popular of these world-wide is | | | | of players on opposing teams, who would |
| association football (also known as | | | | clash in a heaving mass of people |
| soccer). The English word "football" is | | | | struggling to drag an inflated pig's |
| also applied to American football, | | | | bladder by any means possible to markers |
| Australian rules football, Canadian | | | | at each end of a town (sometimes instead |
| football, Gaelic football, rugby | | | | of markers, the teams would attempt to |
| football (rugby union and rugby league), | | | | kick the bladder into the balcony of the |
| and related games. Each of these codes | | | | opponents' church). There is no evidence |
| (specific sets of rules) is to a greater | | | | to support the legend that these games |
| or lesser extent referred to as | | | | in England evolved from a more ancient |
| "football" and sometimes "footy" by its | | | | and bloody ritual of kicking the "Dane's |
| followers. | | | | head". Shrovetide games have survived |
| These games involve:a large spherical or | | | | into the modern era in a number of |
| prolate spheroid ball, which is itself | | | | English towns (see below). |
| called a football.a team scoring goals | | | | The first detailed description of |
| and/or points, by moving the ball to an | | | | football in England was given by William |
| opposing team's end of the field and | | | | FitzStephen in about 1174-1183. He |
| either into a goal area, or over a | | | | described the activities of London |
| line.the goal and/or line being defended | | | | youths during the annual festival of |
| by the opposing team.players being | | | | Shrove Tuesday: |
| required to move the ball mostly by | | | | After lunch all the youth of the city go |
| kicking and - in some codes - carrying | | | | out into the fields to take part in a |
| and/or passing the ball by hand.goals | | | | ball game. The students of each school |
| and/or points resulting from players | | | | have their own ball; the workers from |
| putting the ball between two | | | | each city craft are also carrying their |
| goalposts.offside rules, in most codes, | | | | balls. Older citizens, fathers, and |
| restricting the movement of players.in | | | | wealthy citizens come on horseback to |
| some codes, points are mostly scored by | | | | watch their juniors competing, and to |
| players carrying the ball across the | | | | relive their own youth vicariously: you |
| goal line.in most codes players scoring | | | | can see their inner passions aroused as |
| a goal must put the ball either under or | | | | they watch the action and get caught up |
| over a crossbar between the | | | | in the fun being had by the carefree |
| goalposts.players in some codes | | | | adolescents.[3] |
| receiving a free kick after they take a | | | | Most of the very early references to the |
| mark/make a fair catch. | | | | game speak simply of "ball play" or |
| Many of the modern games have their | | | | "playing at ball". This reinforces the |
| origins in England, but many peoples | | | | idea that the games played at the time |
| around the world have played games which | | | | did not necessarily involve a ball being |
| involved kicking and/or carrying a ball | | | | kicked. |
| since ancient timesWhile it is widely | | | | In 1314 , Nicholas de Farndone, Lord |
| believed that the word "football" (or | | | | Mayor of London issued a decree banning |
| "foot ball") originated in reference to | | | | football (in the French used by the |
| the action of a foot kicking a ball, | | | | English upper classes at the time. A |
| there is a rival explanation, which has | | | | translation reads: "[f]orasmuch as there |
| it that football originally referred to | | | | is great noise in the city caused by |
| a variety of games in medieval Europe, | | | | hustling over large foot balls [rageries |
| which were played on foot.[1] These | | | | de grosses pelotes de pee] in the fields |
| games were usually played by peasants, | | | | of the public from which many evils |
| as opposed to the horse-riding sports | | | | might arise which God forbid: we command |
| often played by aristocrats. While there | | | | and forbid on behalf of the king, on |
| is no conclusive evidence for this | | | | pain of imprisonment, such game to be |
| explanation, the word football has | | | | used in the city in the future." This is |
| always implied a variety of games played | | | | the earliest reference to football. |
| on foot, not just those that involved | | | | The earliest mention of a ball game that |
| kicking a ball. In some cases, the word | | | | involves kicking was in 1321, in |
| football has even been applied to games | | | | Shouldham, Norfolk: "[d]uring the game |
| which have specifically outlawed kicking | | | | at ball as he kicked the ball, a lay |
| the ball | | | | friend of his... ran against him and |
| Throughout the history of mankind, the | | | | wounded himself".[4]. |
| urge to kick at stones and other such | | | | In 1363, King Edward III of England |
| objects is thought to have led to many | | | | issued a proclamation banning |
| early activities involving kicking and | | | | "...handball, football, or hockey; |
| or running with a ball. Football-like | | | | coursing and cock-fighting, or other |
| games predate recorded history in all | | | | such idle games", showing that |
| parts of the world, and thus the | | | | "football" - whatever its exact form in |
| earliest forms of football are not | | | | this case - was being differentiated |
| knownDocumented evidence of what is | | | | from games involving other parts of the |
| possibly the oldest activity resembling | | | | body, such as handball. |
| football can be found in a Chinese | | | | King Henry IV of England gives the |
| military manual written during the | | | | earliest documented use of the English |
| Warring States Period in about the 476 | | | | word "football", in 1409, when he issued |
| BC-221 BC. It describes a practice known | | | | a proclamation forbidding the levying of |
| as cuju, which involved kicking a | | | | money for "foteball".[5] |
| leather ball through a hole in a piece | | | | There is also an account in Latin from |
| of silk cloth strung between two 30 foot | | | | the end of the 15th century of football |
| poles. | | | | being played at Cawston, |
| Kemari being played at the Tanzan | | | | Nottinghamshire. This is the first |
| Shrine, Sakurai, Japan.Another Asian | | | | description of a "kicking game" and the |
| ball-kicking game, which was influenced | | | | first description of dribbling: "[t]he |
| by cuju, is kemari. This is known to | | | | game at which they had met for common |
| have been played within the Japanese | | | | recreation is called by some the |
| imperial court in Kyoto from about 600 | | | | foot-ball game. It is one in which young |
| AD. In kemari several people stand in a | | | | men, in country sport, propel a huge |
| circle and kick a ball to each other, | | | | ball not by throwing it into the air but |
| trying not to let the ball drop to the | | | | by striking it and rolling it along the |
| ground (much like keepie uppie). The | | | | ground, and that not with their hands |
| game appears to have died out sometime | | | | but with their feet... kicking in |
| before the mid-19th century. (It was | | | | opposite directions" The chronicler |
| revived in 1903, and it can now be seen | | | | gives the earliest reference to a |
| played for the benefit of tourists at a | | | | football field, stating that: "[t]he |
| number of festivals.) | | | | boundaries have been marked and the game |
| Mesoamerican ballgames played with | | | | had started.[6] |
| rubber balls are also well-documented as | | | | Other firsts in the mediæval and early |
| existing since before this time, but | | | | modern eras: |
| these had more similarities to | | | | "a football", in the sense of a ball |
| basketball or volleyball, and since | | | | rather than a game, was first mentioned |
| their influence on modern football games | | | | in 1486.[7] This reference is in Dame |
| is minimal, most do not class them as | | | | Juliana Berners' Book of St Albans. It |
| football. | | | | states: "a certain rounde instrument to |
| The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known | | | | play with ...it is an instrument for the |
| to have played many ball games some of | | | | foote and then it is calde in Latyn |
| which involved the use of the feet. The | | | | 'pila pedalis', a fotebal." [8]a pair of |
| Roman writer Cicero describes the case | | | | football boots was ordered by King Henry |
| of a man who was killed whilst having a | | | | VIII of England in 1526. [9]women |
| shave when a ball was kicked into a | | | | playing a form of football was in 1580, |
| barber's shop. The Roman game harpastum | | | | when Sir Philip Sidney described it in |
| is believed to have been adapted from a | | | | one of his poems: "[a] tyme there is for |
| team game known as | | | | all, my mother often sayes, When she, |
| "επισκ...ρος" (episkyros) or | | | | with skirts tuckt very hy, with girles |
| pheninda that is mentioned by Greek | | | | at football playes."[10]the first |
| playwright, Antiphanes (388-311BC) and | | | | references to goals are in the late 16th |
| later referred to by Clement of | | | | and early 17th centuries. In 1584 and |
| Alexandria. These games appears to have | | | | 1602 respectively, John Norden and |
| resembled rugby. | | | | Richard Carew referred to "goals" in |
| There are a number of references to | | | | Cornish hurling. Carew described how |
| traditional, ancient, and/or prehistoric | | | | goals were made: "they pitch two bushes |
| ball games, played by indigenous peoples | | | | in the ground, some eight or ten foote |
| in many different parts of the world. | | | | asunder; and directly against them, ten |
| For example, in 1586, men from a ship | | | | or twelue [twelve] score off, other |
| commanded by an English explorer named | | | | twayne in like distance, which they |
| John Davis, went ashore to play a form | | | | terme their Goales".[11] He is also the |
| of football with Inuit (Eskimo) people | | | | first to describe goalkeepers and |
| in Greenland.[2] There are later | | | | passing of the ball between players.the |
| accounts of an Inuit game played on ice, | | | | first direct reference to scoring a goal |
| called Aqsaqtuk. Each match began with | | | | is in John Day's play The Blind Beggar |
| two teams facing each other in parallel | | | | of Bethnal Green (performed circa 1600; |
| lines, before attempting to kick the | | | | published 1659): "I'll play a gole at |
| ball through each other team's line and | | | | camp-ball" (an extremely violent variety |
| then at a goal. In 1610, William | | | | of football, which was popular in East |
| Strachey of the Jamestown settlement, | | | | Anglia). Similarly in a poem in 1613, |
| Virginia recorded a game played by | | | | Michael Drayton refers to "when the Ball |
| Native Americans, called Pahsaheman. In | | | | to throw, And drive it to the Gole, in |
| Victoria, Australia, indigenous people | | | | squadrons forth they goe". The word |
| played a game called Marn Grook ("ball | | | | "football", when used in reference to a |
| game"). An 1878 book by Robert | | | | specific game can mean any one of those |
| Brough-Smyth, The Aborigines of | | | | described above. Because of this, much |
| Victoria, quotes a man called Richard | | | | friendly controversy has occurred over |
| Thomas as saying, in about 1841, that he | | | | the term football, primarily because it |
| had witnessed Aboriginal people playing | | | | is used in different ways in different |
| the game: "Mr Thomas describes how the | | | | parts of the English-speaking world. |
| foremost player will drop kick a ball | | | | Most often, the word "football" is used |
| made from the skin of a possum and how | | | | to refer to the code of football that is |
| other players leap into the air in order | | | | considered dominant within a particular |
| to catch it." It is widely believed that | | | | region. |
| Marn Grook had an influence on the | | | | Globally, and not necessarily in native |
| development of Australian rules football | | | | English speaking countries, the word |
| (see below). | | | | "football" usually refers to association |
| These games and others may well go far | | | | football as this is the most widely |
| back into antiquity and may have | | | | played code of football. The name |
| influenced later football games. | | | | "soccer" (or "soccer football") was |
| However, the main sources of modern | | | | originally a slang abbreviation of |
| football codes appear to lie in western | | | | association football and is now the |
| Europe, especially England. | | | | prevailing term in the United States, |
| The Middle Ages saw a huge rise in | | | | Canada, Australia and New Zealand where |
| popularity of annual Shrovetide football | | | | other codes of football are dominant. |
| matches throughout Europe, particularly | | | | Of the 45 national FIFA affiliates in |
| in England. The game played in England | | | | which English is an official or primary |
| at this time may have arrived with the | | | | language, only three (Canada, Samoa and |
| Roman occupation, but there is little | | | | the United States) actually use "soccer" |
| evidence to indicate this. Reports of a | | | | in their organizations' official names, |
| game played in Brittany, Normandy, and | | | | while the rest use football (although |
| Picardy, known as La Soule or Choule, | | | | the Samoan Federation actually uses |
| suggest that some of these football | | | | both). However, in some countries, such |
| games could have arrived in England as a | | | | as Australia and New Zealand, use of the |
| result of the Norman Conquest. | | | | word "football" by soccer bodies is a |
| An illustration of mob football.These | | | | recent change and has been |
| archaic forms of football, typically | | | | controversial. |
| classified as "mob football", would be | | | | |