title: 1888 in association football
text: # 1888 in association football
  
  The following are the association football events of the year 1888 throughout the world.
  
  ## Events
  
  * February 1 - Royal Arsenal move to Manor Ground, their first permanent stadium, playing their first match there, against Millwall Rovers.
  * March 23 - A meeting of 12 clubs at Anderson's Hotel in London on the eve of the FA Cup Final, convened by Aston Villa's William McGregor, discusses the possibility of a national football league competition.
  * April 17 - A further meeting at Manchester's Royal Hotel leads to the competition being named The Football League.
  * September 8 - The first Football League matches are played, marking the 1st season in the Football League.
  
  ### Clubs founded in 1888
  
  * Barnet
  * Celtic
  * Dartford
  * Sparta Rotterdam
  * Walsall
  
  ## Winners club national cup
  
  ### Asia
  
  | Nation | Tournament | Winner | Runner-up |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | India | 1888 Durand Cup | Royal Scots Fusiliers | Highland Light Infantry |
  
  ### Europe
  
  | Nation | Tournament | Winner | Runner-up |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | England | 1887–88 FA Cup | West Bromwich Albion | Preston North End |
  | Ireland | 1887–88 Irish Cup | Cliftonville | Distillery |
  | Scotland | 1887–88 Scottish Cup | Renton | Cambuslang |
  | Wales | 1887–88 Welsh Cup | Chirk AAA | Newtown |
  
  ## Winners club national leagues
  
  * No national leagues existed prior to 1888, when the English Football League was founded. The first champions, Preston North End, emerged in the spring of 1889.
  
  ## International tournaments
  
  * 1888 British Home Championship (February 4 – April 7, 1888)
  
  | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | England (C) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 6 |
  | Scotland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 8 | +7 | 4 |
  | Wales | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 2 |
  | Ireland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 26 | −23 | 0 |
  
  * 1888 Football World Championship (May 19, 1888)
  
  ## Births
  
  * 11 March – Hermann Garrn (d. 1966), German international footballer.
  * 23 July – Jimmy Gordon (d. 1954), Scotland international half-back in ten matches (1912–1920).
  * 24 August – Leo Bosschart (d. 1951), Dutch international footballer.
  * 6 December – Wilhelm Trautmann (d. 1969), German international footballer.
  