|To have or not to hack?|
|Around the Academy:
Catching the ball and running with it? Or getting it on the ground and booting it?
This was the big sporting question of the day and during the 19th century English schools had their own ideas.
Some wanted bigger pitches, others played with different shaped balls, while others believed shin-hacking was a crucial skill in the game!
Sheffield were the first proper "club" - formed in 1857 - and they adopted a set of eleven rules.
They didn't allow running with the ball, pushing was OK but hacking or tripping was a big no-no!
Refs were not even needed as the two captains settled any disputes. Imagine that in today's game!
So gradually those who preferred to kick a ball waved goodbye to their friends more content with throwing.
And in 1863 a load of men sat at a table, decided on a few rules and soon created the world's first football association - the English FA.
Scotland (1873), Wales (1875) and Ireland (1880) followed suit and in 1904, Fifa, the game's international governing body, was formed.