1863
One of the most significant dates in the history of soccer was
Monday 26th October 1863, when representatives of eleven clubs
met at the Freemason’s Tavern, London, to form themselves
into the Football Association. Since then the formation of other
national associations has spread, until there are now over 200
members of the world body – the Federation Internationale
de Football Association (FIFA).
The game is played in all countries under the same laws, controlled
by a universal authority, the International Football Association
Board. This consists of the four British associations and an
equal representation from FIFA.
The part played by the Football Association, and later by the
Football League, in the progressive future of soccer cannot
be stressed highly enough. At every major stage the influence
of the two bodies is clearly recognizable.
It is interesting to record that the inaugural meeting of the
FA attracted representatives of eleven London and suburban clubs,
one public school (Charterhouse) and a number of interested
parties. Mr Pember, of No Names, Kilburn, was voted into the
chair and the following clubs were enrolled at the cost of 1
guinea a year: No Names, Kilburn, Barnes, War Office, Crusaders,
Forest, Leytonstone, Perceval House, Blackheath Proprietary
School, Blackheath, and Crystal Palace. Blackheath subsequently
withdrew when the laws were drawn up and Hacking was disallowed,
which also marks the establishment of rugby as a separate game.
At this stage the game was not confined to England. Football
was introduced to Argentina in the 1860s by the British, with
Buenos Aires FC being formed in 1865. Italians later developed
the game after emigrating to Argentina.
1867
In 1867, Queen’s Park, Glasgow, formed a club, which
maintains its amateur tradition to this day, while still playing
in the professional Scottish League, at the massive Hampden
Park stadium. They immediately become a leading figure in
football, not conceding a goal until January 1875 –
seven years after they first began playing!
Around 1870 Association rules were first played in Germany,
and a team from Oxford University visited the country in 1875,
the first overseas tour by a football team. As a result of
this meeting, several German universities were encouraged
to take up the game.
English residents in Lisbon began introducing soccer there
in 1870, and the Lisbon club was formed in 1875. The game
acquired a national footing in Portugal in 1893.
Around this time there was, too, the first mention in FA rules
of a Goalkeeper being allowed to use his hands to stop the
ball; a further development was the adoption of the corner
kick in 1872, though the Sheffield rules had included it since
1868. In those early days a wing-half took a corner kick,
and it was not until the 1890s that wing-forwards finally
took over this task.
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