William Shakespeare

References to the game of football became more and more widespread in England at the time. Even the great William Shakespeare referred to football in his writings. In King Lear (Act I, Scene IV) Kent taunts Oswald by calling him a ‘base football player’. In Comedy of Errors (1592, Act II) Shakespeare writes: Am I so round with you as you with me, that like a football you do...

Richard Mulcaster

During Elizabethan times the game still maintained a huge level of support and participation despite the numerous laws passed to ban the game. In fact football found one very prominent supporter in Richard Mulcaster, headmaster of the famous Merchant Taylor’s school and St. Paul’s. He publicly declared that football had many educational benefits as well as improving health and...

The Puritans

During the 16th Century there were further attempts to contain the spread of football. The Puritan movement during the reign of Elizabeth I (1533-1608) took up the cause against football. They believed that ‘frivolous amusements’ were time wasting exercises and inherently evil.One Puritan leader, Philip Stubbes wrote extensively about such evils. He constantly criticized the theatre and acting...

Football Banned!!

Although the game was gaining popularity amongst commoners, it was still largely disliked by the aristocracy and royalty. In fact on 13th April 1314 King Edward II actually banned football from London where street matches had become incredibly popular. King Edward himself proclaimed, "For as much as there is great noise in the city, caused by hustling over large balls from which many...

History of English Football (8th - 18th century)

The game of football generally flourished in England from around the 8th Century onwards. The game was incredibly popular with the working classes and there were considerable regional variations of the game throughout the country. Games were normally violent and disorganised affairs with any number of players - it was not uncommon for 1000 people to play in a single game. By the 11th Century,...

The French and Choule or Soule

The Romans introduced Harpastum into France around 50 BCE. The French took the game and developed their own version called ‘Choule’ or ‘Soule’. Apparently the nobility called the game ‘La Soule’ and ordinary people called it ‘La Choule’. Earliest reports of the game date back to the 12th century. The game was played on Sundays until sunset and the pitch varied in length. It could...

The Italians and Calcio

The history of Calcio officially stretches back to the 16th Century. However the roots of Calcio can be found in the Roman game of Harpastum.The most famous game of Calcio took place on 17th February 1530 in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence. At the time the entire city of Florence was under siege from the Medici. Even though the siege was taking its toll, the people of Florence...

The Aztecs and Tlachtli

Tlatchi was a game played by the Aztecs and some individuals have claimed that it is over 3000 years old. We cannot verify this but it is quite possible that the game was being played around 500 BCE. This would make it older than the Chinese game of Tsu Chu. However Tlachtli was more a mix of basketball, volleyball and football rather than just a forerunner of football. One key rule was that...

The Eskimos and Aqsaqtuk

No one knows for sure how long the Inuit have been playing their specific style of football called Aqsaqtuk, which literally means soccer on ice. However the game has been mentioned in the myths and legends of the Inuit for hundreds of years. One belief of the Inuit is that the spirits of the dead travel to the northern lights where they play an eternal game of football using the head...

The American Indians and Pasuckuakohowog

It's a mouthful isn't it? Records show The Native American Indians played football or Pasuckaukohowog from approximately 1620. Although it is highly likely that they were actually playing football earlier. The word Pasuckuakohowog actually means '..they gather to play ball with the foot…'. These games were not very nice and incredibly violent. It was quite often that players would retire with...

Other Earlier Forms of Football

Every civilization has played some type of ball game, many by kicking the ball in the style of football. These games have been played for varying degrees of time and no one is sure how they all originated.We have listed some of the more interesting versions for you to learn abo...

The Romans and Harpastum

To try and put a date on the introduction of Harpastum is hard but we can consider that the Romans conquered Greece in 146 BCE so it is fair to estimate that the Romans discovered the Greek versions of the games shortly after that date. Harpastum was still a rugby style game (you could use your hands and feet) and was used by Julius Caesar and his generals as a form of...

The Greeks and their Games

Very little is known about Greek ball games and their influence on modern-day football. It is claimed that the game of Episkyro was practised in Greece as long ago as 800 BCE. One of the basic rules was that you were allowed to use your hands, which really suggests that it is a closer relation to rugby than football. However many of the characteristics of the game are similar...

The Japanese and Kemari

Legend has it that slightly later than the Chinese, the Japanese started playing a football game called Kemari. Official records show the game of Kemari may have started a few hundred years later but it is highly likely that some type of game existed earlier. In fact a recently discovered text states that there was a game between Chinese Tsu Chu players and Japanese Kemari...

The Chinese and Tsu Chu

The Chinese are credited with the earliest form of football, commonly recognised as approximately 255 - 206 BCE. However as mentioned previously there are a number of opinions on the dates involved - some go all the way back to 5000 BCE! The game was called Tsu Chu (sometimes spelt as cuju) and records show mention of this game in military manuals dating back to the Tsin Dynasty (255 - 206 BCE)....

Origins of Football

The Origins of football can be found in every corner of the Globe. Civilizations throughout history all played ball games and many of these can be considered forerunners to the modern game, which was established in England in the late nineteenth century.Ball games were first played in Egypt as early as 1800 BCE. However there are claims that suggest ball games were played even earlier in Ancient...

Introduction - History of Football

Ever wondered how football started? Who was the first person to score from the halfway line??The first to fluff a penalty?? We don't think we can answer those questions but we can certainly tell youabout the history of the beautiful game. Click further to see how it all started....