rdearman wrote:Speakeasy wrote: real football teams, not soccer teams
It isn't football if you use your hands!
Speakeasy wrote:Actually, it should be called something like "Rugby, American Rules", but that would never sell.brilliantyears wrote: ... A sport played with your hands and not with your feet simply cannot be called football ...
Football > Soccer > Rugby >>>> Rugby, American Rules (sic)
The following history of Football/Soccer/Rugby is drawn from the “England Rugby” website:
“There were at least seven schools playing their own version of what was known as “football” of the 19th century. These were: Eaton, Harrow, Charterhouse, Westminster, Winchester, Shrewsbury, Rugby. These games of “football” bore little relation to modern soccer and were run and managed by the boys with no influence from the masters.
They were largely derived from the riotous handling and kicking “folk football” games of the Middle Ages, when a village would play against a neighbouring village over large areas of ground and with very few (if any) rules. There were many similarities between the different versions of “football” played by the boys at these schools. Each game used a single ball, two teams, two “goals” and a rectangular pitch with a centre line running parallel to the goal lines.
At Eaton, “football” was known as the “Field Game” – the famous “Wall Game” is a later derivative. Most of the schoolboys allowed players to handle the ball, for example being able to catch a ball and claim “a mark.” However, there were core differences between each school’s version of “football” and when boys of these various schools wanted to continue playing football at university, there was a problem.
Boys who had been to Eaton could play against boys who had been to Eaton and boys who had been to Harrow could play against boys who had been to Harrow, but they could not play against each other. If players from a number of schools took part in a match there was usually chaos. It is reported that when, in one such game, boys who had been to Rugby started running with ball in the hands, the boys from Eaton howled in anger.
We have reports of a particular match between Eatonians and Harronians at Cambridge University in November, 1862. The rules for this “compromise” game seem to have been produced by taking the rules common to both and eliminating the rest. On other occasions (when teams had to decide between conflicting rules) one set of rules was played in the first half and the other in the second half.
An attempt was made to create a single compromise code that would allow everyone to play against each other without disagreement. This was the formation of the Football Association. The word “soccer” was derived from the word “association.” It was never the intention, however, that this compromise code would take over from all the other school rules and eventually drive them into extinction – which is exactly what happened when soccer’s popularity exploded.
At the original meetings of the Football Association in 1863, clubs were invited to attend regardless of the type of football they played. As a consequence, there were members of teams such as Blackheath, who played football according to the Rugby School rules, in attendance. The delegate from Blackheath, Francis Campbell, walked out after a few FA meetings when it became clear that hacking (tackling below the knee) would not be allowed. He must have realized that running with the ball in the hands (the major distinguishing feature of the Rugby School football game) was also under pressure from the other delegates.
The original laws of Association Football allowed the ball to be caught and “a mark” to be made. However, with the departure of the delegate most vocally in favour of Rugby School football, the FA soon removed most of the handling laws and the brand new game of “soccer” became a mainly dribbling game. Evidence of soccer’s early handling can still be seen through the goalkeeper and throw-ins.
Players from the major public schools were, over time, happy to accept the brand new game of soccer. However, the boys who had played “football” at Rugby, found that the difference was too great and they continued to play “their” football. So, Rugby School’s football not only survived, but prospered, while the others largely vanished. By 1871, the clubs who were playing “rugby football”, as it was now commonly known, needed their own governing body. The RFU (Rugby Football Union) was formed and split between rugby and the rest was complete.”
Lesson of the day? Yes, you can call it "football" and still touch it with your hands!
EDITED
Typos.