Gavin Cooke - The Football Pocket Bible

GAVIN COOKE

I would like to thank the following people for their assistance with this book: Holly Ivins for her infinite patience and guidance; Andrew Smith for his suggestions; Scott Reid and Andrew MacLaren for their inspirational trivia; and Paul McCormack and Josef Svernikov for keeping me right. Thanks also to Hugh Brune and Oliver Lester.

The Football Pocket Bible

Gavin Cooke

This first edition is published in 2010 by Crimson Publishing Crimson Publishing, Westminster House, Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 2ND

Crimson Publishing, 2010

Epub edition 2012 ISBN 978-1-907087-39-4

The author Gavin Cooke has asserted his moral rights to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library cataloguing in Publication data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Crimson Publishing ebooks.

Epub file created by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay

The history of football is a captivating and complex story. It has been filled with beauty, controversy and tragedy; moments of great joy and great sadness; life changing euphoria and heart-breaking disappointment. And then with every new season, a new page is turned and a new story is written.

Activities involving the basic premise of football two teams attempting to move a ball into their opponents goal have existed in different forms for centuries. In fact, more than two millennia ago, the ancient Chinese were playing a game, known as Tsu Chu, which involved kicking a ball into what could be referred to as a goal. However, its more likely that the sport of association football that dominates the world today stems from the mass games played in Europe, and particularly Britain, during the Middle Ages.

These games, often referred to as mob football, involved two teams of unlimited size, with ill-defined rules attempting to move some form of ball to a recognised point. Violence was acceptable, although murder was frowned upon, and as there were no recognised pitches, property was often damaged as the game raged across fields and through streets. Although far removed from the modern professional game, the similarities to lower league football are clearly astounding.

Pocket Fact

There are references to football in two of Shakespeares plays. In King Lear, Kent insults Oswald by referring to him as a base football player. And in The Comedy of Errors, Dromio of Ephesus asks Adriana, the wife of his master: Am I so round with you, as you with me, that like a football you do spurn me thus? You spurn me hence, and he will spurn me hither: if I last in this service, you must case me in leather.

The rules surrounding mob football varied throughout countries, counties and even villages, and the game may have remained an occasional pastime were it not for the adoption of football by English public schools. By embracing the game, public schools paved the way for a more regulated version of the mob game. The number of players on each side was limited and the size of the pitch was restricted, signalling the foundation of modern football as we now recognise it.

Although the basics had been established, there were still fundamental variations between schools: for example, some schools allowed the ball to be carried and some required that it only be kicked. There was also vast disagreement on the level of violence which could be inflicted on the person with the ball. By the turn of the 19th century, these differences were becoming more pronounced.

Pocket Fact

English public schools (particularly Rugby School) were also responsible for the creation of rugby. Both rugby and association football share common roots and only began to move downdifferent paths in the mid 1800s, when the schools that favoured rugby emphasised the importance of running with the ball in hand.

Boys moving on from public school to university took their enjoyment of their schools variation of football with them. However, this led to an obvious problem: the university students were unable to play the sport together as they all played using different rules. Fortunately, there was an obvious solution to this problem: the creation of a unified version of football rules using the best and most popular elements from each variant.

Written rules

1848: Students at Cambridge University formulate the first written rules of football. These rules prevented players from handling the ball and hacking opponents.

1858: The Sheffield rules are devised. These include the introduction of free kicks and throw-ins; but there was no rule concerning offside.

1863: The London meetings which create the Football Association also produce a set of written rules, including an early version of the offside rule.

1877: The FA rules and the Sheffield rules are unified the FA accepts the introduction of throw-ins and Sheffield accepts the offside rule.

On 26 October 1863, the Football Association (FA), footballs oldest governing body, was formed at a meeting held at the Freemasons Tavern in London. Initially, interest in the new organisation was limited and so in 1871 it was decided that a cup competition would be organised to encourage interest in the sport and its new ruling authority. Fifteen clubs entered the competition, which became known as the FA Cup, and the trophy was won by Wanderers, who defeated the Royal Engineers 10 in the final.

Pocket Fact

Queens Park from Glasgow participated in the inaugural FA Cup, reaching the semi final without playing a game due to other teams withdrawing. However, they also withdrew after drawing their semi final match 00.

As footballs popularity grew, the northern clubs, dominated by the working classes, pushed for the legalisation of professionalism. However, the southern clubs, who wanted football to remain an amateur sport, strongly opposed this plan. By 1885 the northern clubs had won the argument and the FA accepted professionalism. Eight years later in 1893, the Scottish FA followed suit.

Key moments in the 19th century

1869: Goal kicks introduced

1872: Corner kicks introduced

1873: Scottish FA formed in Glasgow

1874: First shin pads appear

1876: Welsh FA formed in Wrexham

1878: Referees start using whistles

1880: Irish FA formed in Belfast

1891: Penalty kicks introduced in Football League John Heath scores the first for Wolverhampton Wanderers