|Who's up for a game of 100-a-side?|
|Around the Academy:
The Greeks had a variation of the game back in 4BC called Pheninda that involved kicking, running with and handling the ball.
While just across the waters the Romans played Harpastum, which had teams - sometimes a hundred strong - defending opposing ends of a field.
It was another form of army training and, because the players usually ended up on the ground, the pitch was usually grass or dirt.
The ball was made from a stitched leather skin and stuffed with chopped sponges or animal fur.
Don't fancy heading that much!
Wind the clock forwards to 5 AD and we come to a Japanese game called Kemari where players kicked a ball to each other across a square pitch.
Rich land owners grew trees or had trees in pots to mark out the pitch. Heard of the legendary winger Ryan Twigs?