The East Surrey Regiment

The East Surrey Regiment, Kolkata, 1890.

It's never particularly cool in Kolkata- about 25C in December and January, so that heavyweight kit and boots must have been hard work.
The British Military helped to spread football with their penchant for recreating English life wherever they went. 
Football was particularly popular in Bengal , with the locals founding clubs and aspiring to be able to challenge the English.
The first notable triumph for an Indian club  came in 1892 when Kolkata's Savabazar FC  defeated The East Surrey Regiment  in the Trades Cup final . 

The East Surrey Regiment feature in another curious episode. On July 1st, 1916 , The first day of the Battle of The Somme, Captain Billy Nevill gave his players 2 footballs with which to lead their assault on the enemy positions. On the balls was written: The Great European Cup-Tie Final. East Surreys v Bavarians. Kick off at zero and NO REFEREE.

Remarkably, given the carnage that followed, one of the balls was retrieved and returned to the regiment's HQ.

Valencia

A lovely, dynamic poster from the pre Civil War era. A balletic Valencia player heads the ball under pressure. 

A friendly in April 1929 against a selection from The Royal Navy. The Navy were great ambassadors for football, and there are records of them playing numerous matches in Spain in the 1920s.

Valencia used this poster throughout the 1920s and 30s. The games advertised were played at the Mestalla. Inaugurated in 1923 the grand stadium was developed during the 20s, the capacity growing from 17,000 to 25,000. During the Civil War the ground fell into disrepair when it was used as a prison camp. 

This match ended in a 1-1 draw. Real Madrid were officially Madrid Football Club at the time, as Spain was a republic. Madrid went on to win the title.  

Valencia's goal was scored by Sanchez Pia.

A 0-0 draw was the outcome of this match. Barcelona finished 3rd in the league, and Valencia 7th (from 10),

Capillas was Valencia' leading scorer in the 1931-32 season (9 goals in 10 matches).

Former Derby County player Randolph Galloway was the manager. 

1914-18

These balls were destined for the troops on the western front

There are many accounts of balls being booted into no mans land before a charge...

Haiti

HMS Curlew - football team v Haitians at Port au Prince, 1924

The photograph shows the crew team of HMS Curlew, a light cruiser of the Royal Navy, about to play a match in  Port au Prince on March 8th 1924. In July that year Curlew went to Brazil, but not for football, but to intercede in a rebellion. 
The Haitian team are identified simply as Haitians.
One of the principal teams in Port au Prince , Violette Athletic Club (founded in 1918), plays in blue and whirte stripes, and Racing Club Haïtien (founded 1923) also wear stripes in some early photographs. 
There is a possibility, however, that the team were a proto national side. Early pictures of the national team, who played their first international in March 1925 (against Jamaica) , show that they, too, sported striped jerseys. 
Domestic histories are sketchy, but there is evidence of a Haitian championship as early as 1912 and a cup competition in 1927.  
 Fédération Haïtienne de Football dates from 1904, and the country attained FIFA affiliation in 1933.

Acknowledgements to Mr Gordon Smith at http://www.naval-history.net/

Football in The Raj

During the British occupation of India the soldiers and civil servants engaged in a variety of sporting activities, many of which were adopted by locals who came into contact with the British or served alongside them. Here are some photographs of football teams featuring Indian soldiers in the service of the British Empire.

Football team of the 20th Duke of Cambridge's Own Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis), 1920.

Football team from the 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force), 1921.

The Tochi Scouts HQ Wing football team, the winners of the Company League, North West Frontier, 1933.