English football: How it all started
English football: How it all started
Football, also known as soccer, can best be described as one of the most popular sports in the world. In this sport, two teams of 11 players each compete against each other by scoring as many goals as they can while keeping the ball in their possession.
It is no longer surprising that millions of people have already fallen in love with the sport and the thrill that it provides. With the interesting matches that it provides, many people learn about the stories and the performances of every player or team that they root for.
Aside from watching sports matches, many fans also learned how to enjoy soccer inplay betting whenever a match comes up. With its popularity, one can only wonder about how the sport had started, especially in England where it is believed to be where the sport had originated from. Here is a closer look at the history of football in England.
Early football
The sport has already existed a long time ago. Some sources suggest that the sport started in England as early as 1170 while some still believe that it originated from China. Still, there were early references that prove that the sport had existed for a long time in England.
Among these were the 1314 decree issued by the Lord Mayor of London, Nicholas de Farndone which was written in French and a 1409 proclamation issued by King Henry IV written in English. The former forbade the sport to be played in the city while the latter imposed a ban on levying money for football. These bans were implemented as football was believed to be violent back in the day.
School football
In the early 1800s, football became significant in public schools as it was believed to be well-suited for the concept of Muscular Christianity. By the 1820s, different versions of the sport were taught in public schools across the country.
Each school had its variation of the game and it sparked the idea of having football matches. Despite the differences, the schools have settled to follow the rules set by Eton College. With their rules, players were allowed to handle the ball to control it but made it impossible for them to run with it nor pass it by hand.
In the 1880s, students of Oxford University coined another term for the sport. Taking inspiration from the term football association, they shortened the word association to ‘soc’ and added ‘er’ like how rugby players are called ruggers. This eventually evolved into soccer.
Establishment of FA
Years after the sport was held among schools, there had also been numerous football matches held by different sporting clubs across the country. This led to the creation of the Sheffield Football Club in 1857. Today, this is already known as the world’s oldest association football club. After them, a few football clubs were also formed.
In October 1863, the twelve clubs and schools at the Freemasons’ Tavern on Great Queen Street in London had a meeting about the finalization of the game rules. Aside from that, eleven of them agreed to form the Football Association (FA). This became the organizer of the FA Cup which became the most prestigious football event at the time.
Creation of the EFL
In 1888, the English Football League (EFL) was formed. This is a league competition that features professional association football clubs from England and Wales. This used to be the top-level football league in the country until the Premier League was created in 1992.
The EFL started with just 12 teams. Here are the names of the founding clubs:
Accrington (Old Reds)
Aston Villa
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Burnley
Derby County
Everton
Notts County
Preston North End
Stoke City
West Bromwich Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Today, the EFL now has 72 member clubs that are grouped into three divisions. This makes it possible to have a total of 46 games held every season.
Overview
Football has gone a long way since it first started. As people now enjoy soccer inplay betting on their anticipated matches, it is still nice to know the stories that signified the birth of English football.