Who Invented The Modern Football or Soccer?
Modern football, or soccer as we know it, is one of the most, if not the most, popular sports in the world. The earliest roots of football date back as far as 2000 years, as it evolved through multiple phases across eras in places like China, Greece, and medieval England. So let us discuss today who invented modern football and when.
Who was the Key Figure Behind Modern Football?
Ebenezer Cobb Morley is recognized as the “father of modern football” for founding the Barnes Football Club in 1862 and pushing for a unified set of rules to regulate the game and make it more enjoyable, laying the foundations for the modern game we know. In 1863, he helped to form and establish the Football Association (FA) in London, which issued the first laws of the Game, banning handling of the ball to differentiate it from Rugby.
The Origins
The history of football, or the games resembling it, has a history that dates back to 2000 years, which includes games like Cuju from ancient China (Han dynasty) and some similar activities in Japan, Greece, and Rome. It also includes some accounts of medieval English “mob football” which involved kicking the inflated animal bladders in rough village matches, often involving few rules or close to none at times.
Standardization and Roots Of Modern Football
Some early refinements of football took place in some English public schools, which established the earlier roots of the games, such as Rugby and Eton, in the 1800s. But the modern standardization of what we today know as football or soccer took place with the establishment of the FA in 1863, which laid down rules like kick-off, offside and handballs. The first ever and the oldest modern football competition was also started under the guidance of the FA, with the name FA Cup, which further boosted the widespread popularity of the game we know today.
