The history of football is as captivating as the game itself. It’s origins are shrouded in mystery and controversy. From the earliest days of the game issues relating to rules have been up for debate. Conflicts in method of play have led to the different versions of the game available today. The most popular version are soccer, Rugby and American football. All three formats of the game originated from the very same game and same location. Well at least the contemporary origins.
People have been kicking balls around for more than a thousand years. Although the game was played differently in many parts of the world the use of the ball was universal. From the Chinese version of Tsu Chu which used a leather ball to the English equivalent which used an inflated animal bladder. Surprisingly in all early formats of the game a level of trickery was required.
At several stages it was outlawed in England by the Kings of the time. Kings Edward II, Edward III and Henry IV all outlawed the game at some stage of their reigns. The reason for being outlawed was that the game had become so popular that people where no longer practising for war. And this was during war times. Today it is the other way round, wars are being stopped to play a bit of football. This should bring a lot of hope to online gamblers who try to win real money here. The activity which is still outlawed in some countries has gained tremendous popularity. Online gambling’s growing fan base is primarily because of the huge real money jackpots on offer.
Only in the last two centuries did the sport start to develop consistent rules. This was in the 1800’s in England. The formalisation of the sport began with the major public schools. It was out of this regularisation that Rugby was also birthed. Why a section of the society choose Rugby and not soccer has been lost in History.
The American version of football was officially born in 1869. This was with a match between Princeton University and Rutgers. Initially the teams had 20 players each and the greatly resembled Rugby. From then on until today football has continued to evolve.
