Football Enter - The History of Football

The History of Football

Written by admin

Wednesday, 09 July 2008

It might surprise you to know that football is a very ancient game. Yes, the origin of football can be traced thousands of years back. Archaeological evidences suggest that ball games similar to that of football were a part of ancient Chinese and Egyptian civilizations. Even Greek, Roman and Japanese civilizations had some or the other form of football as a common sport. Over the years football has evolved to its present form. No one is sure as to how or where this game originated.

Football flourished in England around the eighth century BC. Football was initially played among the peasant class. It was the tillers of the soil who played the football in the old days. It was a rural custom hardly ever played in the cities. The games were played in a disorganized manner. They could even get violent. There were no rules and regulations. Even a thousand players could play in one match. Slowly the game began to be more organized and played between teams. In the 11^{th century rival villages would play games against each other. There was no clearly defined playing ground. It would be played all over the place on streets and fields destroying fences and hedges and even disrupting people’s business. The game was violent. Opponents kicked and punched each other all the time.}

^{Football came to the cities by the twelfth century. By the second half of the 12th century, the game had come to London. It became so popular that every year an annual event of football was held on the Shrove Tuesday. A lot of people watched the game and participated in it with a lot of interest and enthusiasm. Modern form of football came into prominence around the nineteenth century when it was picked by the seven major public schools of England as a sport. Some of these schools were Eaton, Harrow and Winchester. Six of these games played what we know today as association football or soccer and the seventh played rugby. These names came into being much later. The game was standardized and it acquired a specific form. In 1863 England the laws of the game were laid down. Soon after, the first national team was formed following which the first football association and the first governing body for football came into existence.
This game very soon engulfed the earth. It is a fast paced game that keeps you on the move from the word Go. Tempers fly and passion runs high in a football match. Football has a huge fan following all over the world. Spectators watching the match can be seen shrieking and shouting in support of their favorites. This huge fan following makes football matches a great way of making money. The present day football players roll in money. It is an irony that this game started off as a game of the peasants, the exploited land tillers. Football clubs, betting on matches are all money minting techniques. Fans all over the world are wild and crazy about football.}