Mob Football

Mob Football - The ancient ancestor of modern football

Since the dawn of time, humans have had a compulsion to kick things. In many cultures this developed into some form of what we might call football. The Mesoamerican Pok-ta-pok, Chinese Cuju, Greek Episkyros or Roman Harpastum are all examples of ancient ball games. However, the modern game of football we know today is definitely an English game.

Did Stone age humans play the beautiful game?

Mob football was a chaotic and unregulated precursor to modern football. It was played predominantly in England during the middle ages, it emerged as a community activity, often linked to religious festivals such as Shrovetide, Its origins can be traced back to various folk games involving kicking, throwing or carrying a ball to a designated goal which could be anything from a village square to a barn or any specific landmark. I suppose that is where the expression “couldn’t hit a barn door” came from, or more worryingly “couldn’t hit a cow’s arse with a banjo.” Food for thought for sure.

Matches were usually played between residents of a town or village, or neighbouring villages or towns and involved large groups of people. There was usually no limit on the number of players (a bit like a football match on a  Primary School  yard) and entire communities participated, making the game large scale and unruly.

The rules were minimal or non-existent, varying from place to place. The primary aim was to move the ball to a specific place or area, with methods including kicking, throwing or carrying. Violence was common and injuries were frequent. The "field" was often vast, encompassing streets, fields and natural terrain. Goals were often miles apart

Oldest known football, thought to be from the 16th century

The cultural significance of mob football made it more than a game. It was a social event that brought communities together, albeit in a rough and competitive manner. It gave every day people a break from the grinding monotony of medieval life. Therefore, it was attached to festivals and religious holidays. In England we still consider the Christmas period to be an important time of the football season and there used to be fixtures on Christmas day. Boxing day football still happens.

Just like the modern day, football had its controversy and the powers that be got involved to regulate it. The game’s violent and disruptive nature often drew criticism. Authorities, including monarchs like Edward II and Henry VIII, issued proclamations banning it, citing public disorder, property damage and injuries. A pulled hamstring or broken metatarsal were not the most common injuries in the middle ages, stabbing was, yes stabbing. Whether accidental or not, that is going to be a straight red.

The earliest reference to a ball game in England is from the 8th century, when the English historian Bede wrote about "playing ball" in his work De Temporum Ratione. It is difficult to tell when Mob football started but its decline is more evident and by the 19th century its popularity was waning, mainly due to industrialisation and urbanisation that changed the structure of society. New forms of leisure and sport emerged and a growing need for order led to the codification of rules. Schools and Universities, particularly in England, played a significant role in formalising football into the structured version of football we know today.

Despite its decline, mob football survives in some traditional forms, such as the Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide football match, where two large teams play with a ball reminiscent of the medieval game.