Photo. Anfield Road, the football stadium for Liverpool, England`s most successfull football club through history. © Travel Explorations.
The world's oldest football has also been found in Scotland. This most be a hard stroke for the English football fans, especially since they have a big rivalry the Scots.
The football is also 300 years older than experts thought. BBC News writes in an article 18th October 2011 that the recent discovered documents show a set of accounts from the court of King James IV. It`s indicates that he paid two shillings for a bag of "fut ballis" in April 1497. The Scottish Football Museum said it appeared the game evolved rather than was invented. Read more on BBC News.
It was not the legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly, Alex Ferguson - the longest serving manager in English League football, or the former Chelsea manager José Mourinho who invented the football game, but I am sure that they have developed the game.
Anyway England had a big influence of how football (soccer) is played today. When the English Football Association was founded modern football was born in 1863. Then the rules for football were set. Football (soccer) is now the world`s biggest sport.
The World's Oldest Football was made in Stirling and discovered behind the paneling of the Queen's Chamber in Stirling Castle, which was decorated in the 1540's. The football was made from cow hide with a pigs bladder used to inflate the ball. Half the size of a modern football.
Mary Queen of Scots was there at this time and later in life was known to have an interest in all sports but especially golf and football. She recorded a game of football in her diaries while at Carlisle Castle. Read also BBC History of the world.
Watch the photo of the world`s oldest football on the website Stirlig Smith Gallery - collections.
It`s hard to imagine how football matches were played in the old days with this time footballs. Watch photos of old footballs on Google Images.
Construction of soccer balls
According to Wikipedia, are modern balls designed by teams of engineers to exacting specifications, with rubber or plastic bladders, and often with plastic covers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Football_(ball) Soccer manufacturing process Wondering how footballs are manufactured! A standard soccer ball according to 'FIFA' Standards consist of 32 panels, in size 5, 4 and 3.http://www.soccerball.com.pk/construct.htm
The first mention of anything like football comes from China in the 2nd and 3rd century BC. A military training exercise involved kicking a ball through a target, whilst being attacked by opponents. Something similar also existed in Japan. The first game of this type was played in ancient Greece and Rome, but this was really more like violent dodgeball. Also the Indians in South and Northern America played a kind of ball game, but the rules the practiced were not so much associated with the way football is played today.
The game closest to the modern game developed in Britain over the last 1500 years or so. Its origins are unclear (some say it's Anglo-Saxon, some say it is Celtic), however by the time of Norman conquest in 1066 it was well established. There were hundreds of different variations of the game depending on where in the country you went to. They all had the same basis though; get a ball to the opposition 'goal'.
Stein Morten Lund, 25th October 2011
Additional information
Read more about football on our website Travel Explorations.
E-mail this
Print this
