The Origin of Football

[UncleSam527]

I need some help from those of you who know about the beginning of our game. I think it began in England, but what (or when) connection did it have to Germany?

This is for a school project in German class and I need to know if Germany had anything to do with football in 1915 or before. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[RutgerB]

They didnt, Germany was very big on gymastics and such stuff, but football.. no they almost didnt play it. At a latter time even Hitler ignored football and focused on the olympics and formule1 to promote the German empire.

I could have written more but I have to run :)

[mr magoo]

A game similar to Football was played during the middle ages in england but was outlawed because the peasants were having too much fun.

[Wide Boy]

I am sure that football was played in Germany before the first world war, but couldn't say immediately at what level. English professional teams did play some friendly games there around that time, but I think against amateur opposition.

The most famous football game around that time was on Christmas Day 1914 when German and British soldiers played against each other during the First World War -at least this is the legend. :)

In spite of what RutgerB says, Hitler did use football for propaganda purposes. The joint German - Austrian team (after the Anschluss) had a very high profile in Germany and played some famous matches. At least in England, the most famous was in 1938 (I think) where the English team was told to give a Nazi salute as part of the preliminaries. The game was at the Olympic Stadium, Berlin.

They did so, under protest, and won the game 6-3.

The Nazis also used football as a propaganda vehicle in occupied territory. Famously, they failed to beat the Kiev team FC Start - a book about this was recently published.

[The Double]

I posted a link that was an article from UEFA.com that showed the game started in Italy.

[Wide Boy]

Originally posted by The Double
I posted a link that was an article from UEFA.com that showed the game started in Italy.

It depends on what you mean by "the game".

There were versions of football played all over the world, over a very long period of time.

The game of association football was founded in England (The Freemasons Tavern, Great Queen Street, London to be precise) in 1863, when a set of rules was formulated.

Until then, different rules applied in different areas, even between clubs in the same area. Before a match, one set of rules had to be agreed on, or a compromise made.

The oldest rugby club in England is Blackheath. They attended the 1863 meeting but wouldn't agree to the rules as it didn't allow "hacking" - kicking a player in the shins to make him release the ball.

[Motterman]

Originally posted by Wide Boy

In spite of what RutgerB says, Hitler did use football for propaganda purposes.

You forget about the match played by the Allied POW's in WWII, in a game against the German National Team. It was played on a "neutral" ground in Paris. I believe the final score was 4-3, the winner scored by Pele.

You can learn more about this game in the historical documentary called "Victory". It also featured archival footage of Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine.

[Wide Boy]

Originally posted by Motterman
You forget about the match played by the Allied POW's in WWII, in a game against the German National Team. It was played on a "neutral" ground in Paris. I believe the final score was 4-3, the winner scored by Pele.

You can learn more about this game in the historical documentary called "Victory". It also featured archival footage of Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine.

Er, let's try and be serious and help our friend UncleSam527.

Do you want him to be thrown out of his school?:D

[mr magoo]

Originally posted by Wide Boy


The most famous football game around that time was on Christmas Day 1914 when German and British soldiers played against each other during the First World War -at least this is the legend. :)

It's true enough. My Great - Grandad told me. He was there. We beat the Huns 7-3 aswell. :D

[usagoal]

Originally posted by Wide Boy
Er, let's try and be serious and help our friend UncleSam527.

Do you want him to be thrown out of his school?:D

But it's true. Back in WWII Stallone inspired american kids to become the best goalkeepers of the world. Culminating of course with Brad Friedel's masterful performance Japan/Korea 2002.

[skipshady]

Originally posted by Motterman
You can learn more about this game in the historical documentary called "Victory". It also featured archival footage of Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine. It's too bad about the war. In a different era, that Pele fellow could have been a star.

[RichardL]

Originally posted by Wide Boy

The Nazis also used football as a propaganda vehicle in occupied territory. Famously, they failed to beat the Kiev team FC Start - a book about this was recently published.

I think in Simon Kuper's book, Football against the Enemy, there's piece on that game. The Germans apparently shot the winning Kiev team afterwards. It does also say that that there is a great deal of speculation that propoganda works both ways and the whole story is a myth.

[RichardL]

Originally posted by skipshady
It's too bad about the war. In a different era, that Pele fellow could have been a star.

yeah...as if being the only Brazilian POW wasn't unlucky enough.

[Chicago1871]

A very rough form of a game can be traced back to the ancient Mayans. The use of arms was allowed, but not hands and the object of the game was to get a heavy leather ball through a small stone circle. The body was used as well as the feet and legs. The downside: the losing team was sacrificed.

[lanman]

Originally posted by Wide Boy
The game of association football was founded in England (The Freemasons Tavern, Great Queen Street, London to be precise) in 1863, when a set of rules was formulated.

Until then, different rules applied in different areas, even between clubs in the same area. Before a match, one set of rules had to be agreed on, or a compromise made.

The oldest rugby club in England is Blackheath. They attended the 1863 meeting but wouldn't agree to the rules as it didn't allow "hacking" - kicking a player in the shins to make him release the ball.

These rules were based on the Cambridge Rules of 1846, although no records of these exist. The earliest set of rules are widely believed to have been created in 1862, by Mr. Tring of Uppingham school, and were entitled "The Simplest Game".

1. A goal is scored whenever the ball is forced through the goal and under the bar, except it be thown by hand.

2. Hands may be used only to stop the ball and place it on the ground before the feet.

3. Kicks must be aimed only at the ball.

4. A player may not kick the ball whilst in the air.

5. No tripping up or heel kicking allowed.

6. Whenever the ball is kicked beyond the side flags, it must be returned by the player who kicked it, from the spot it passed the flag line, in a straight line towards the middle of the ground.

7. When a ball is kicked behind the line of the goal, it shall be kicked off from that line by one of the side whose goal it is.

8. No player may stand within six paces of the kicker when he is kicking off.

9. A player is out of play immediately he is in front of the ball, and must return behind the ball as soon as possible. If the ball is kicked by his own side past a player, he may not touch or kick it, or advance, until one of theother side has first kicked it, or one of his own side has been able to kick it on a level with, or in front of him.

10. No charging allowed when a player is out of play; that is immediately the ball is behind him.


You can actually see elements of all the various types of football (Rugby, Gaelic, American, Australian Rules and Association) in these rules.

[lanman]

From what I can gather, football spread to Germany in the 1870's. The first records of the Association rules in Germany date from 1870, in the ports of Hamburg and Bremen, having spread from England. An Oxford University XI toured Germany in 1875, and the first German translation of the rules took place in Hamburg in 1876. The DFB (German Football Association) was founded some time later in 1900.

[skipshady]

Originally posted by RichardL
I think in Simon Kuper's book, Football against the Enemy, there's piece on that game. The Germans apparently shot the winning Kiev team afterwards. It does also say that that there is a great deal of speculation that propoganda works both ways and the whole story is a myth. I was watching a documentary that mentioned that match... I don't remember the details so I'll have to watch it again.

[Becks7]

I've read in a few books that it started in China a long time ago...a few thousand years ago.

But then again what they did was merely kick something around, can you call that football?

[skipshady]

Originally posted by Becks7
I've read in a few books that it started in China a long time ago...a few thousand years ago.

But then again what they did was merely kick something around, can you call that football? Well, there was a game called kemari that originated in Japan about 1,400 years ago - it wasn't really football, more like keep up. It was played by 8 players who stood in a circle and tried to keep the ball from hitting the ground.

[Kaiser]

Originally posted by skipshady
Well, there was a game called kemari that originated in Japan about 1,400 years ago - it wasn't really football, more like keep up. It was played by 8 players who stood in a circle and tried to keep the ball from hitting the ground.

So the Chinese invented Hacky Sack?