Welcome back to Peculiar Side of Sports. Every so often something in sports perplexes me, and I just hate not knowing something. So, I do what any normal, sane sports fan does – I search ad nausea for the answer by any means necessary. The good news is that I take all my hard work and relay the results to you.
What would happen if there weren’t a group of responsible people to oversee the football? Some would make a cheeky reply – something like, “The game would be good again”. In society and in football, however, someone needs to have power. Whether it be one person or a collective group of cigar-smoking monkeys, the point is that decisions need to be made. On that note, I bring you today’s focus of a Peculiar Side of Sports: A Brief History of the Formation of the Football Association.
The history of the Football Association dates back to a dreary day in January, 1863 – which some simple math would dictate that they have just celebrated a 150th birthday – pardon me if I don’t bring a gift. Of course the game dates back much further than that, but those were simpler times and blokes just played the game with varying rules and enforcement. The need to develop a body to govern the game grew as sides became more serious, and the game slowly developing into a more professional environment. A group was said to have met six separate times at a little pub in London called the Freemasons Tavern, though others suggest the name at that time was Freemasons Arms. Either way, the square and compass have a place in footy lore.
After a long bout of rule making and binge drinking (I’m guessing), a set of established guidelines were agreed upon, and were signed by the original charter members: Barnes, Civil Service, Crusaders, Forest of Leytonston, No Names Club, Crystal Palace (the original), Blackheath, Kensington School, Perceval House, Surbiton, and Blackheath. My personal favourites are No Names and Civil Service – how inventive!
The first set of rules became known as “The London Rules”, and can largely be credited to founding member Ebenezer Morley. Interestingly, Morley actually played in the very first game between Barnes and Richmond in 1863 under the rules that he created! While the Barnes side continued on with the football under the FA Rules, the Richmond side did not, and they even went on to help from the Rugby Union – a story for another day.
In 1871, the FA introduced the inaugural FA Cup – the same one still battled for today. This competition, which originally was competed for by the Wanderers and Royal Engineers. While it began as an amateur competition, the importance and popularity of the sport blossomed, and amateurs turned professional. At that time, there were two set of rules; the London Rules aforementioned, and the Sheffield Rules. To join the two, the London Rules were used as a base with aspects of the Sheffield rules interspersed. The original participants were: Barnes, Civil Service, Crystal Palace, Clapham Rovers, Hitchin, Maidenhead, Marlow, Queen’s Park (Glasgow), Donington Grammar School, Hampstead Heathens, Harrow Chequers, Reigate Priory, Royal Engineers, Upton Park and Wanderers.
The FA Cup is currently open to all Premier League teams, as well as the top five leagues currently operating in the Football Association (England and Wales). From its inception, it has been competed for through a series of knock-out games. Each pairing is drawn at random (some argue just how “random” the draw is), and teams are not seeded ahead of time for the 14 rounds worth of competition. The tournament traditionally begins in mid-November and culminates in a championship currently held in the week after the conclusion of the Premiership season.
The FA, and the Football League (England’s top flight football) existed largely unchanged (some cosmetic modifications to be certain) until 1992 when 22 teams broke away from the League to form what is currently the country’s top league – the Premier League. That number was reduced in 1995 to 20, which is where it stands today.
If you have a minute, why not check out another installment of Peculiar Side of Sports – The History of the Word “Soccer”, or LWOS columnist Tony Chappel’s piece – Where and When Did the FA Cup Lost its Magic?
Photo Credit: 1912 Olympics, Wiki Commons, CC
