Football timeline 1820 to 1859

Football timeline 1860 to 1869

Pre 1820s - Mob or folk football.

1820s

• The government imposed order on mob/folk football.
• Public schools start devising versions of football.

1824

• The Foot-ball Club was founded in Edinburgh. The first club to play any form of organised football.

1835

• The British Highways Act 1835 banned the playing of football on public highways, and gave a maximum penalty of forty shillings to anyone who "shall play at football or any other game on any part of the said highways, to the annoyance of any passenger or passengers."

1838

• Pupils at public schools are playing a form of rugby/football. Each school has different rules.

1843

• The Cambridge rules were created by students at Cambridge University. This was the first attempt at codifying the rules of football. The “dribbling game” (football) was born as opposed to the “handling game” (rugby). Although, players could still use their hands to stop or control the ball, but not run with it in their hands.
• The following schools adopted the dribbling game: Charterhouse, Eton, Harrow, Westminster and Winchester. However, the rules of the game differed slightly from school to school.

1845

• Rugby school football rules were written, allowing the ball to be carried and passed by hand.

1846

• Local authorities in Derby attempted to ban a traditional Shrove Tuesday football match on the pretext it breached the 1715 Riot Act. Mayor William Mounsley “read the Riot Act” to the assembled crowd before summoning local militia. The game went ahead anyway and fifteen people were arrested.

1847

• Eton football rules were written at Eton school (known as the Eton field game). The ball could be touched and controlled by hand, running with the ball in hand or passing by hand was not permitted.
• The game was adjudicated by two umpires, who later became linesmen. This idea was taken from cricket.
• A referee was introduced but only as an arbitrator when the two umpires disagreed.
• Most other schools had written rules by this point.

1848

• Some schools adopt the 1843 Cambridge rules. Official references appear for the first time.

1857

• Sheffield FC are formed. The oldest non-university club in any code of football and the oldest association football club (although the FA wasn't created yet).

1858

• Sheffield FC had been devising their own rules since their formation a year earlier. Final approval of the “laws of Sheffield” occurred in this year and became known as the “Sheffield rules”.
• Handling was forbidden (except pushing or hitting), the fair catch (a free kick was awarded if a player caught the ball from an opponents kick) was introduced, hacking (tripping an opponent) was forbidden, a goal could only be scored by kicking, no offside.

1859

• Forest Football Club was founded by Charles W Alcock and a group of Old Harrovians, it changed its name in 1864 to Wanderers FC.