The Story of Football from a village game to the world cup

Village Football

After 1200 football matches played all over Britain. In London young men played near where the Tottenham ground is today.
Welsh villages played against each other in the early 1800s - and the games usually ended in fights. In the village of Scone in Scotland the married men played against the unmarried men.

A Different Game

Village football was very different to today's game. It was played by men and women on public holidays when people did not have to work.

The aim was to get the ball back to your village – to score an ‘own goal’.

Early rules

The ball was carried more than it was kicked. There was very little passing. Each player ran with the ball until someone stopped him.

There was no time limit. Matches usually lasted from early in the morning until late at night.

Violent Game

Games were very violent because there were no rules. Many players broke arms and legs. Some were even killed.

There were also complaints about footballers ‘breaking many windows’.

First Bans

Many towns and villages they to ban the game: In Chester the annual football match was replaced with horse races in 1539. In London successive kings tried to ban the game in 1314, 1349, 1388 and 1410.

Street football was banned in Manchester in 1610.

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