President's XIV v Secretary's XIV

THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION.

The gentlemen who have expended so much time in arranging the new code of laws for the regulation of the game of football had the gratification of seeing them put to practical and highly-satisfactory test on Saturday last, when the members of the association mustered in good round numbers at Battersea Park, and played a friendly game, there being fourteen on each side. A large muster of spectators, attracted the fine bracing weather and the novelty of the proceedings, attended, and, in common with those who took active part in the game, expressed their entire satisfaction at the working of the new laws. The sides were chosen the Messrs.Alcock, and were distinguishable as President’s and Secretary's,and included following :—Messrs. J. F. Alcock, E. C.Morley, C. M. Tebbutt, C. Hewett, G. T. Wawn, J. P. Phillips, Innes, M'Calmont, Needham, H. Baker, A. Baker, Lloyd, Hughes, Jackson, C. W. Alcock, A. Pember, H.W. Chambers, A. M. Tebbut, Gray, Drew, Graham, Cutbill, Morton, J. Turner, Morris, Renshaw, Lenchars, and Scott. The game commenced shortly alter half-past two, and some very spirited play ensued, which only concluded when twilight was far advanced, and resulted in the President’s Side obtaining two goals. It would be invidious to mention the names of any of the players having distinguished themselves where all were active; suffice it to say, that the afternoon was very pleasantly spent, and so was the evening, by portion of the members and their friends, who retired to the Grosvenor Hotel, Pimlico, where a capital dinner and some excellent wines were discussed the satisfaction of all concerned.The complete list of fixtures of the Barnes Club will appear in Saturday’s paper, and we shall be glad if the secretaries of other clubs will forward lists of their matches to come by Thursday’s post at latest.

 Sporting Life - 06.01.64

...too fierce a character to be popular

Sporting Life 05.12.63

A letter supporting the initiative of the Football Association to unify the laws of the game goes on to make a prediction that football played by grown men would never catch on.

Football in Germany

In November 1899 the Football Association sent a team to Germany and Austria on the invitation of Walter Bensemann. The tourists, as expected, thrashed the hosts.
Back home The Athletic News anticipated the matches with a rather uncharitable caricature of the portly and eccentrically equipped bon vivants reputed to represent The German Empire.

Corner Kicks

A corner kick, Falkirk vs Queen's Park 1914

Most of the changes in the Laws of The Game in the 1860s and 70s concerned what happened when the ball went out of play.
Here we will look at Law 7:

1863
In case the ball goes behind the goal line, if a player on the side to whom the goal belongs first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick from the goal line at the point opposite the place where the ball shall be touched. If a player of the opposite side first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick (but at the goal only) from a point 15 yards from the goal line opposite the place where the ball is touched. The opposing side shall stand behind their goal line until he has had his kick.

Notice that the ball 'going behind the goal line' wasn't out of play as such: there was still the matter of getting the touch on it.  For the attacking team getting the touch down meant a shot at goal from 15 yards (Some similarities to Rugby here - in early Rugby rules the 'touchdown' or 'try' counted for nothing, but depended on the 'conversion' to a 'goal') . I can only assume that the 11 defenders would line up between the goalposts and just behind the goal line. As the attacking players all had to be behind the ball when it was kicked and that the ball had to be shot directly at goal I imagine that very few goals would have resulted from this process,

1866
Following the February 1866 AGM  the FA adopted the Sheffield principle of using secondary scoring to decide matches finishing equal on actual goals:
...if a player of the opposite side first touches the ball after it has gone behind the goal line of his adversary, one 'touch down' shall be scored by his side, and in the event of no goal being got by either side, or an equal number of goals being got on each side, the side obtaining the greater number of 'touches down' shall be the winners of the match.

 It was a relatively short lived experiment, the touch down disappearing from the rules altogether following the 1867 AGM, being replaced by a free kick for the defending team to be taken within 6 yards of their goal. 


Sheffield, 1868
The corner kick first made an appearance in the revised Sheffield rules of 1868. Having dispensed with rouges (touch downs) Sheffield introduced the following:
When the ball is kicked over the bar of the goal it must be kicked off by the side behind whose goal it went, within 6 yards from the limit of their goal...
when the ball is kicked behind the goal line a player of the opposite side to that which kicked it out shall kick it in from the nearest corner flag...

The 1870  FA rules had when the ball is kicked behind the goal line, it must be kicked off by the side behind whose goal it went, within 6 yards from the limit of their goal. 
and in 1872 the FA adopted the 1868 Sheffield rule verbatim.





It was in 1873 that the FA rules gave us the clear distinction between a goal kick and a corner kick (though neither term was used):
When the ball is kicked behind the goal line by one of the opposite side it shall be kicked off by any one of the players behind whose goal line it went, within 6 yards of the nearest goal post; but if kicked behind by any one of the side whose goal line it is , a player of the opposite side shall kick it from the nearest corner flag post. 

As the corner kick fell under the category 'free kicks' it was not permissible to score a goal directly from a corner kick.

Football publications of the 1860s

The Laws of the Game

Shortly after the Football Association formulated The Laws of the Game in 1863 they were published by John Lillywhite of Seymour Street in a booklet that cost a shilling and sixpence.

Kicking the ball- simply explained with the aid of annotated diagrams(!)

Beeton's Football

In 1866 cricket writer Frederick Wood produced Beeton's Football. The Beeton's series covered a wide range of subjects, and was an offshoot of the legendary Beeton's Book of Household Management.
The book contained hints on diet and preparation (avoid foods and habits which are injurious to the wind and general powers of endurance), and illustrated guidance on how to best kick the ball. 
the 98 page octavo book cost a shilling .

Sporting Life 07.02.66

Routledge's Handbook of Football

The next publisher to respond to the growing popularity of football was G. Routledge and Sons. Their 60 page Handbook of Football appeared in 1867.

The quality of the advice, which might, to modern ears, sound quite naive, is indicative of the rudimentary state of the game at this point in time: 

For excellent fellows at football the prettiest costume is a coloured velvet cap with tassel, a tight striped jersey and white flannel trousers. It is a good plan, if it can be previously so arranged, to have one side with striped jerseys of one colour, say red, and the other with another, say blue. This prevents confusion and wild attempts to run after and wrest the ball from your neighbour. 
If you have the good fortune to own a copy you could expect to get £500 for it at auction. 


The Football Annual

The Lillywhite family had been publishing cricket books since 1848. 
The first John Lilywhite's Football Annual appeared in 1868. It was edited by  Charles Alcock, and was called The Football Annual from 1869 to 1908 .  The annuals are exceedingly rare and are commonly known as Charles Alcock's Football Annual. 
'Published with the sanction of the Football Association', the annual was a combination of rule book, instruction manual, and club directory. It contained advertisements for sports goods. 
The 85 page 1868 edition covered both Association and Rugby codes. 

The Association Footballers' Union 1898- 1901

Jack Bell (Everton) -  chairman of the AFU

John Cameron (Everton)- president of the AFU

Now look here, how would any man in business like to have his wages reduced by 25% if his employers could well afford better terms?- John Cameron.

The first Trade Union connected with Association football was founded in February 1898. Given that football was now becoming the Peoples' Game and the majority of players were from proletarian backgrounds, it seems a shame that the AFU wasn't exactly steeped in socialist principles. 

It is often reported that the catalyst for the foundation of the AFU was the introduction of the maximum wage in 1893. However, the maximum wage was proposed in 1893 but did not come into force until 1901. Prominent member Jack Devey (Aston Villa) stated that the AFU were not concerning themselves with wages, and president, John Cameron said that the main objective was to enable players to negotiate transfers, rather than being excluded from the process completely. This was a response to the retain and transfer system, introduced in 1893, that effectively gave the clubs complete control over players, even if they were 'out of contract'. The AFU failed in their attempts to challenge this system, which, incredibly, remained in force until 1963.


By 1901 the situation for professional players had actually worsened. The Football League had introduced a maximum wage and outlawed the payment of bonuses. The maximum wage was fixed at £4 per week- a higher sum than most professionals could hope to earn in the League. On this front the AFU was more of a vehicle for the concerns of star players and Scottish imports who, in a free market, would be commanding wages more in the region of £10 a week. 

In fact 1901 saw the dissolution of the AFU as many of it's more active members had left League clubs to seek employment in the Southern League (which had no wage cap and at the time didn't recognise the retain and transfer system).
Neither the Football Association nor the Football League recognized the Association Footballers' Union.

William Pickford-Free Britons have queer ways of enjoying themselves

William Pickford was 17 years old when he watched an Association game between  Blackburn District and Bolton. Formerly a Rugby enthusiast he was captivated by the Asociation game. having relocated from Lancashire to Hampshire he was active in local football administration and also wrote on the  game for the local press. 
Mr Pickford took to refereeing when his playing days with Bournemouth Rovers came to an end.
He was one of the 79 attendees of the March 1893 meeting at which The FA formed the first referees’ society. C.W. Alcock was President and F.J Wall Chairman.
In 1895 the society produced the first edition of The Referees’ Chart, a set of guidelines that elabourated on The Laws of the Game.
Mr Pickford played a leading role in the production of this document.
He held several prominent positions in football; 
He was member of the council of the Football Association, a Vice-President of FIFA and a member of the International Football Association Board. In 1937 he  became president of the Football Association.
How to Referee appeared in 1906. It comnbines an analydis of the Laws of the Game with an outline of the psychological challenges of match control. 
Free Britons have queer ways of enjoying themselves is taken from Mr Pickford's comment advising referees not to be perturbed by the passionate noise of the crowd.

The matches that shaped Association football- pre 1870

The earliest games in our list of influential matches predate the establishment of the Association.
Before 1863 there was no Association football, and throughout the 1860s the game was fluid in nature as experimental rules came and went, Spectators (and there were few) witnessed a change from an 'everyone behind the ball' game in which catches and handling played a significant role, as did touchdowns for a while, into something more akin to modern soccer, Having said that by 1870 Association football was still far from being the finished article. There were still no corner kicks or crossbars, ends were changed after every score, and the goalkeeper was not a recognised position

Football at Harrow - played with a pudding shaped ball...

Harrow- 1850s
The Football Association's  Laws of the Game were developed in order to unify existing codes that were in use in various schools and colleges. The Harrow rules were one such code. Given the later importance of Charles Alcock in the development and promotion of the Association game, we must acknowledge the importance of Alcock's earliest footballing experiences.  Alcock attended Harrow from 1855 to 1859 ; he was in Drury's House. The Houses played each other for the honour of being 'Cock House'. It was the format of these knockout competitions that inspired the FA Cup.
The press (in particular Bell’s Life in London and Sporting Chronicle) carried reports on football matches played at all the leading public schools. I have only been able to find one contemporary press report of Alcock playing football at Harrow- Bell’s Life in London and Sporting Chronicle (12.12.58) has an account of a match between Rev. B.H Drury's and Rev. Dr. Vaughan's (the Houses took the names of the leading masters). Drury's won by 1 base to 0 (base was the Harrovian term for a goal)- the base was obtained by 'a capital kick by Mr Alcock'. The result confirmed Drury's as Cock House for the season.

Sheffield FC v 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot- 1858
It is impossible to overlook the importance of Sheffield's contribution to the development of the Association game. The Sheffield Rules predated the Football Association by 6 years, and were adopted by many clubs and associations in the midlands. Sheffield was a frequent source of inspiration as the Laws of the Game evolved during the 1860s and 70s. During the early years of its exsitence the Sheffield club played scratch matches between its members. 
Sheffiled versus Hallam in 1860 is often referred to as the earliest club football match, however, there are references to Sheffield FC playing a team from the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot in 1858. Unfortunately I have not been able to find any accounts of this match.

Barnes v Richmond 1863
The Presidents side v The Secretary's side, played at Battersea Park on 9th January 1864 was scheduled to be the first encounter under the newly drafted Football Association Laws of the Game.  However, EC Morley et al were keen to get on with it, and on December 19th 1863 the very first game of football played under Football Association rules took place at Limes Field, Mortlake, between Barnes FC and Richmond FC.
 The 15 a side game, ' distinguished by no disputes about the rules' , ended in a 0-0 draw.


The Association game continued to be played on an informal basis throughout the decade, mainly by clubs in the metropolitan area. Sheffield football also flourished, and both sets of rules underwent gradual changes and slowly a spectacle bearing a closer resemblance to modern football emerged, as handling, fair catches and touchdowns were eradicated. 


London v Sheffield 1866 
The first representative match under the auspices of the FA.  Sheffield FC had initially asked the FA for a match with one of the FA member clubs. The FA however selected a Football Association XI, drawn from 4 metropolitan clubs- Wanderers, Barnes, NN's and Civil Service. 

The Youdan Cup 1867
February 16th 1867 saw first round of the first ever knockout football tournament. It was played under Sheffield Rules during a period where the 4 yard goal and the rouge were in use (thus distancing it somewhat from modern soccer). The eventual winners, Hallam, defeated Heeley 2-0 (and 2 rouges to 1) in their first round match. 

Middlesex v Kent-1867
Another venture masterminded by CW Alcock to stimulate interest in the Association game was an attempt to introduce inter county matches.
The first of this sporadic series was due to take place on November 2nd at Beaufort House, but Lord Ranelagh, being in dispute with the Amatuer Athletic Club, in whose name the ground was leased, withdrew his permission for his land to be used, and the game was played 'in the wilds' of Battersea Park. The match ended in a 0-0 draw.
The ground was described as being 'in wretched order' but the match itself ('a most stubbornly contested game') was given a good write up.
In these days in which the FA were working hard to spread the appeal of the game it is worth remembering when reading enthusiastic and glowing reports of 0-0 draws played in unfavourable conditions that the author might well have been none other than C.W Alcock! 


Queen's Park v Thistle- 1868
I'm not going to turn these posts into a catalogue of the first games of all significant clubs, but i'll make an exception in the case of Queen's Park. Queen's Park assumed the status of an institution within the Scottish game in its earliest days, and fulfilled the functions of a national association. As with Sheffield (above) the earliest games were between scratch sides drawn from club members. 
On 1st August 1868 Queen's Park had their first fixture against outside opposition: Played at the Recreation Ground (South Side Park?) fellow Glaswegians,Thistle FC were beaten by  'two goals within an hour'.
Having kept a clean sheet in their debut match Queen's Park didn't concede a goal until March 1875 and their unbeaten run went on until 1876.

Wanderers v West Kent 1869
 In the 1860s London's football was played in public parks such as Clapham Common and Battersea Park. There were no enclosed football grounds. 
On Saturday October 9th 1869 The Wanderers v West Kent was played at the Kennington Oval, the home of Surrey Cricket Club. This arose from CW Alcock's involvement with Surrey Cricket Club.
As well as generating (negligible) income for the cricket club in the winter months, it meant that the Football Association now had access to a large enclosed venue capable of accommodating thousands of paying spectators. During the course of the following decade The Oval became a regular venue for club fixtures and hosted big events such as FA Cup Finals and semi finals, internationals, and The Varsity match.

Sheffield FC and the Football Association, 1863

Bell’s Life in London and Sporting Chronicle 05.12.63

The above is a letter from W. Chesterman, the Hon, Sec. of Sheffield Football Club which was read to the meeting of the Football Association held on December 1st 1863.  Mr Chesterman makes observations and suggestions. The Sheffield Rules had been in operation since 1857, and, as was to be the case with the Association Laws of the Game, were evolving on a year by year basis.
By 1877 the Sheffield and Association rules had converged completely.

The FA Tour of Australia, 1925

At the end of the 1924-25 season the Football Association sent a touring party to Australia under the leadership of Mr John Lewis, by now something of a Grand Old Man of the game.
Billed in the local press, of course, as 'England' the tourists enjoyed a 100% success record and averaged 5.5 goals per game. There were 4 'Test Matches' against Australia (these were not recognised as full internationals).

07.05.25	Perth Metropolitan XI	0	8	FA XI	Perth
09.05.25	Western Australia	0	7	FA XI	Fremantle
14.05.25	South Australia	0	10	FA XI	Adelaide
16.05.25	Australia XI	1	4	FA XI	Thebarton
20.05.25	Victoria	0	7	FA XI	Melbourne
23.05.25	Australia XI	0	5	FA XI	Melbourne
30.05.25	New South Wales	2	3	FA XI	Sydney
03.06.25	Sydney Metropolis	1	3	FA XI	Sydney
06.06.25	Illawarra District	0	8	FA XI	Wollongong
08.06.25	New South Wales	1	4	FA XI	Sydney
13.06.25	Northern Districts	0	6	FA XI	Newcastle
17.06.25	Ipswich and District	0	3	FA XI	Ipswich
20.06.25	Queensland	0	11	FA XI	Brisbane
24.06.25	North Queensland	0	9	FA XI	Bundaberg
27.06.25	Australia	1	5	FA XI	Brisbane
29.06.25	Toowoomba	0	6	FA XI	Toowoomba
04.07.25	Australia	1	2	FA XI	Sydney
08.07.25	Newcastle	0	3	FA XI	Newcastle
11.07.25	Australia	2	8	FA XI	Maitland
15.07.25	South Maitland	1	4	FA XI	Cessnock
18.07.25	Australia	0	5	FA XI	Sydney
21.07.25	Granville District	1	6	FA XI	Parramatta
25.07.25	Australia	0	2	FA XI	Melbourne
01.08.25	Western Australia	1	5	FA XI	Fremantle
03.08.25	Western Australia	1	5	FA XI	Perth

P	W	D	L	F	A
25	25			139	13

GK	Teddy Davison*	The Wednesday
	Harry Hardy*	Stockport County
FB	Stan Charlton	Exeter City
	Joe Hannah	Norwich City
	Cecil Poynton	Tottenham Hotspur
HB	Jimmy Hamilton	Crystal Palace
	Len Graham*	Millwall
	Billy Sage	Tottenham Hotspur
	Tom Whittaker	Arsenal
CH	Bill Caesar**	Dulwich Hamlet ***
	Charlie Spencer*	Newcastle United
IF	Jimmy Walsh	Liverpool
	Jack Elkes	Tottenham Hotspur
	Bert Batten	Plymouth Argyle
	Billy Williams	West Ham United
CF	Ernie Simms [c]*	Stockport County
OF	Charlie Hannaford	Clapton Orient
	Stan Seymour	Newcastle United

* full internationalist
** amateur internationalist

The 18 players were from the following Divisions:
Div 1- 8
Div 2- 5
Div 3- 4
Isthmian League- 1***
 *** Caesar was 'on the books' at Darlington (Div 3) in the 1924-25 season but didn't make any first team appearances.

Bert Batten- scorer of  47 goals during the tour 

John Lewis was never one to shy away from controversy. He reported the  Australian FA  for paying  their players £1 per day, a £5 bonus and broken time payments. Mr Lewis also disapproved of their use of substitutes.