From Ancient Games to the Victorian Era

While modern soccer's rules trace back to the mid-19th century in England, the concept of a ball-kicking game has roots stretching back thousands of years across various ancient civilizations. For example, the Chinese game of Cuju (meaning "kick ball") played during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) involved kicking a leather ball into a small net and is officially recognized by FIFA as the earliest form of football. Similar to the ancient Greeks played Episkyros, a game that utilized hands and feet, later adapted by the Romans. During the European Middle Ages, "Mob Football" became popular, often played between rival towns or villages. These chaotic, violent contests involved hundreds of people, sometimes lasted all day, and were only loosely governed by rules, resulting in numerous injuries and frequent bans by local authorities. These early forms, despite their vast differences from the game we know today.

The crucial turning point came in the 19th century with the rise of public schools in England. Each school developed its own set of rules, leading to immense confusion and difficulty when teams from different institutions wanted to play each other. Efforts to unify these rules began in earnest, notably at the University of Cambridge. The critical, decisive step came when club representatives met at the Freemasons' Tavern to form The Football Association (The FA). This meeting resulted in a set of thirteen universal rules that formally banned handling the ball and tripping opponents. This pivotal act marked the official birth of Association Football. The quick adoption of the FA's rules allowed the sport to rapidly organize into leagues and spread across the British Empire, transforming it from a regional pastime into the global sporting phenomenon we know today.