History of Football
Football history is a complex one, but how does one of the most popular and sponsored sports in the world truly evolved ? We have listed some of the most important facts on football history so that you can comprehend how the sport has evolved from the day. Football’s origins are divided into two categories: modern and historical. More than 100 years ago in 1863 the modern roots of football began in England. Rugby soccer and football associations once went their own separate ways, and the first recognised regulating organisation for sport, the Football Association, was founded.
Books of history state that for thousands of years humans had a great fun kick-starting the ball, but not all of these games would be recognised as what we today regard as football. However, the many periods of soccer, or sports utilising a ball to kick more precisely, were all significant for the evolution of the game. We could never have played football up to present standards without the changes we have undergone over the years. The farthest way back from the history of football is to China, as early as the third century BC, where the military manuals reference a game like football. The Han Dynasty played a game called Tsu’ Chu, with a 30-40cm-opening ball kicked and we now viewed canes as the target for a net attached to them. The ball used was constructed of leather and was stuffed with hair and plumes.
The Greek invented ‘Harpastum,’ a game that used a ball less than football but had regulations identical to the contemporary game. Play was in a rectangular, boundary- and center-level field and was designed to bring a team across the boundary of its competitors. Based on what we know about the history of ball sports, where foot use dominates, we can clearly observe the impact that the game we play today has had on other cultures and variations. Football in the city was banished by the Lord Mayor of London in 1314, because of the ‘chaos.
You might be imprisoned if you had been found playing the game in London. This was developed throughout the 100 years during which England and France were at war, as Kings Edward II, Richard II, Hentry IV and Henry V rendered the game illegal throughout the United Kingdom because of ‘taking away the concentration from the useful military disciplines.’ Although soccer prospered in England in the 8th and 19th centuries in spite of the game’s hostility, it was a rare version of the game that was standardised, as local variants were quite popular.
These distinct versions are designed so that football, rugby and Gaelic soccer eventually can form an association, all of which contribute to the modern counterpart of today’s game. The ideal way to play the leagues of the Sunday is to play Village Village games, where communities assembled and their teams, generally on unknown fields, played against each other.
