Soccer - History

The History of Football

The inception of the sport of football can be traced back for hundreds of years. Football was first wrtitten about in 1170 in London, by William Fitzstephan. The sport quickly grew and there is a plethora of records of games happening over the following years.

The sport was not popular with the English monarchy however. Edward II became the first ruler to outlaw the game, when he felt it became detrimental towards his longbow archers. Several other monarchs have also banned the game throughout history. Following the execution of King Charles I in 1649, football was also successfully banned by Oliver Cromwell. After his death however, football gradually became reintroduced to society.

Football Association

Football as we know it in the modern day is traced back to the founding of 'The Football Association' in 1863. Before this time, many variations on the sport were played, but due to the differences it was difficult to play matches against teams from other regions, who may know the game as something entirely different. The Football Association were responsible for the introduction of standardised rules which have evolved into the game we play today.

'The Wanderers'

The Football Association soon created the first tournament - which we now know as the 'FA Cup'. The inaugural competition was won by 'The Wanderers'. The 'Wanderers' won 5 of the first 7 'FA Cups' and are synonymous with the early days of association football. The club dissolved in the 1880's, however.

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