30 April 1974 - That's The Penalty For Setting High Expectations

On 30 April 1974, the FA sacked England manager Alf Ramsey, who led the team to World Cup glory in 1966.

Ramsey took charge of England in May 1963 after a successful time at Ipswich Town. He began his new job in bold style, claiming that they would win the upcoming 1966 World Cup as hosts. And he made good on his promise. After opening the tournament with a scoreless draw against Uruguay, England reeled off five straight victories, including a 4-2 win over West Germany in the final to lift the cup.

But the decline started soon after. In 1968, England finished third out of four teams in the European Championships and, two years later, they were eliminated by West Germany in the first knockout round of the 1970 World Cup. West Germany again proved to be their nemesis in 1972, ending England's qualification campaign for the 1972 European Championships. 

The final straw for Ramsey came in October 1973, when a draw with Poland prevented England from qualifying for the next year's World Cup. Although he remained in charge for another six months, the failure to reach the World Cup effectively sealed his fate. The FA finally dropped the curtain on his tenure at the end of April despite his overall record of 69 wins, 27 draws, and only 17 losses in 119 matches played.

He later had a brief spell in charge of Birmingham City (1977-78) and another as technical director of Panathinaikos (1979-80) but could not recapture the success he had with Ipswich and England. He died of a heart attack in 1999 and, in 2002, was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame.

9 October 1866 - Don't Like The Word "Soccer"? Blame This Guy.

On 9 October 1866, Charles Wreford-Brown was born in Bristol. Although he twice captained the English national team, his lasting legacy may be the invention of the term "soccer" to refer to association football.

The Football Association formed in 1863 and quickly set about creating a set of rules for their game, which they called association football to distinguish it from the other types of football played at the time, such as rugby football. According to legend, Wreford-Brown was a student at Oxford when a group of fellow students invited him to play a game of rugby, which they nicknamed "rugger." He reportedly responded that he preferred "soccer" and the new name stuck.

Wreford-Brown's love of the sport led him to play for England and he captained the team twice (in 1894 and 1895, both against Wales). He later served the sport in a legislative capacity, representing Old Carthusians and later Oxford in the Football Association. He also chaired England's international selection committee.

The term "soccer" fell out of favor in England around the turn of the 19th century, but it continues to be used regularly around the world.

18 January 1961 - The Ceiling Is Lifted (And The Sky's The Limit)

On 18 January 1961, England finally lifted the wage restriction for footballers that had previously capped their earnings at £20 per week (£17 in the close season).

The wage limit was one of two concerns for players of the time. The other was the retain-and-transfer system, which gave the clubs complete authority regarding player movement from one club to another. Together, the two matters nearly prompted a player strike in January 1961, backed by the Professional Footballers' Association and their chairman, Jimmy Hill (pictured, at left).

Hill, who played for Brentford from 1949-52, then for Fulham from 1952-61, became the PFA chairman in 1957 and continued the organization's longstanding opposition to the wage restriction. The Football Association and the Football League, however, argued that the £20 weekly wage was a fair one, being 25% higher than the average industrial wage at the time. But at a PFA meeting earlier that January, Bolton's Tommy Banks generated support for a challenge, pointing out that anyone could take a crack at being a miner, but few miners could play football in front of 30,000 spectators every week.

The threat of the impending strike forced the authorities to capitulate and lift the wage. While many players saw their wages doubled as a result, Hill's Fulham teammate Johnny Haynes was the greatest beneficiary, becoming England's first £100-a-week player. 

Since then, wages have increased dramatically, with several of the Premier League's top players pulling in a reported £200,000 per week.

The retain-and-transfer system remained in place until 1963.

20 July 1871 - Alcock's Stroke Of Genius

On 20 July 1871, FA secretary Charles Alcock made a proposal for the competition that became the FA Cup, the oldest association football competition in the world.

At the meeting, Alcock, who had already been instrumental in the sport's development as captain of the English national team and organizer of the first international match between England and Scotland, suggested "That it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association, for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete." The idea was inspired by an inter-house competition at Alcock's alma mater, the Harrow School.

The FA approved Alcock's proposal and fifteen teams competed in the inaugural tournament, which ran from November 1871 to March 1872. Wanderers FC, based in London's Battersea district, lifted that first trophy, led by their captain, Charles Alcock. They repeated as champions in 1873, and won the tournament again in 1876, 1877, and 1878.

8 December 1863 - Like Moses Coming Down From The Mountain ...

On 8 December 1863, the FA voted to approve the first Laws of the Game, setting forth a set of rules for the growing sport of football.

The Laws were drafted by FA Secretary Ebenezer Cobb Morley (pictured) and consisted of the following thirteen rules:

1. The maximum length of the ground shall be 200 yards (180 m), the maximum breadth shall be 100 yards (91 m), the length and breadth shall be marked off with flags; and the goal shall be defined by two upright posts, eight yards (7 m) apart, without any tape or bar across them.

2. A toss for goals shall take place, and the game shall be commenced by a place kick from the centre of the ground by the side losing the toss for goals; the other side shall not approach within 10 yards (9.1 m) of the ball until it is kicked off.

3. After a goal is won, the losing side shall be entitled to kick off, and the two sides shall change goals after each goal is won.

4. A goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal-posts or over the space between the goal-posts (at whatever height), not being thrown, knocked on, or carried.

5. When the ball is in touch, the first player who touches it shall throw it from the point on the boundary line where it left the ground in a direction at right angles with the boundary line, and the ball shall not be in play until it has touched the ground.

6. When a player has kicked the ball, any one of the same side who is nearer to the opponent's goal line is out of play, and may not touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever prevent any other player from doing so, until he is in play; but no player is out of play when the ball is kicked off from behind the goal line.

7. In case the ball goes behind the goal line, if a player on the side to whom the goal belongs first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick from the goal line at the point opposite the place where the ball shall be touched. If a player of the opposite side first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick at the goal only from a point 15 yards (14 m) outside the goal line, opposite the place where the ball is touched, the opposing side standing within their goal line until he has had his kick.

8. If a player makes a fair catch, he shall be entitled to a free kick, providing he claims it by making a mark with his heel at once; and in order to take such kick he may go back as far as he pleases, and no player on the opposite side shall advance beyond his mark until he has kicked.

9. No player shall run with the ball.

10. Neither tripping nor hacking shall be allowed, and no player shall use his hands to hold or push his adversary.

11. A player shall not be allowed to throw the ball or pass it to another with his hands.

12. No player shall be allowed to take the ball from the ground with his hands under any pretence whatever while it is in play.

13. No player shall be allowed to wear projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta-percha on the soles or heels of his boots.

Since 1882, the Laws have been administered by the International Football Association Board, which meets each winter to determine whether any changes to the Laws are required.

5 December 1921 - The FA Adds "Penis" To The Equipment List

On 5 December 1921, the Football Association issued a ban on women's football on the grounds that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged."

The FA's action was a response to the growing popularity of the women's game in the early part of the 20th century--popularity which some FA members believed was beginning to threaten the success of men's football.

The women's game was best exemplified by the dominant Dick, Kerr's Ladies (pictured). The Dick, Kerr's Ladies were formed in 1917 at the Dick Kerr and Co. munitions factory in Preston. They were highly successful and played charity matches in front of large crowds, such as the 53,000 who showed up to see their match against St. Helen's Ladies at Goodison Park on 26 December 1920.

The FA ban, however, stifled the growing women's game and prevented any women's sides from playing on grounds belonging to any Football League member. While unofficial matches continued to be played, they did not capture the popularity they had enjoyed before the ban. Dick Kerr's started a rapid decline and disbanded in 1965.

In 1969, driven by England's World Cup success in 1966, female footballers and their supporters formed a new Women's Football Association. The FA eventually recognized the distaff side of the sport in 1971 and, in 2008, officially apologized for the ban.

Photo © Gail Newsham.

26 October 1863 - Not Just A Football Association, It's THE Football Association

On 26 October 1863, English football's governing body, the Football Association, held its first meeting, making it the oldest national football association in the world.

Twelve clubs sent representatives to the meeting, held at Freemasons' Tavern on Long Acre, Covent Garden, London, in order to agree on a common set of rules. The clubs were Barnes, Civil Service, Crusaders, Forest of Leytonstone, No Names Club (Kilburn), Crystal Palace, Blackheath, Kensington School, Percival House (Blackheath), Surbiton, Blackheath Proprietary School, and Charterhouse (who declined the offer to join).

Prior to the creation of the Football Association, football clubs in England operated under different sets of rules, including the Cambridge Rules, which were used by many clubs throughout the nation, and the Sheffield Rules, which dominated the northeast. Although those two sets of rules contained slight differences, they both prohibited hacking, which would prove to be a point of contention for the new FA.

Indeed, when the FA ultimately adopted a set of rules that closely mirrored the Cambridge Rules, several clubs chose to form a separate Rugby Football Union that allowed hacking. Thus the Football Association was instrumental in triggering the split between association football (or "soccer") and rugby.

The FA currently oversees all association football competitions in England and is in charge of the English men's and women's national teams. As the first football association in history, it is the only one not to include its nationality in its name.

6 June 1955 - The Golden Boy Gets Banned

On 6 June 1955, the English Football Association banned forward Wilf Mannion for life.

Mannion, nicknamed "the Golden Boy" due to his blonde hair, was born in Middlesbrough and joined Middlesbrough F.C. in 1936 at the age of 18. He went on the become one of the club's greatest players, making 368 appearances and scoring 110 goals for Boro before moving to Hull City in 1954.

He was capped 26 times for England between 1946 and 1951, scoring 11 goals for the national team, including three in his national team debut (a 7-2 win against Northern Ireland) and two in England's 6-1 win in the 1947 "Match of the Century" against a Rest of the World XI.

Mannion's football career was interrupted by World War II, in which he spent six years with the British Army's Green Howards regiment. He served in Europe and the Middle East and was one of the servicemen evacuated at Dunkirk.

Throughout his career, Mannion was frustrated by the league's wage structure, which set a maximum salary of £10 per week. In 1954, Mannion gave a series of newspaper interviews claiming that several players were receiving illegal payments. The F.A. challenged him to provide evidence, but he refused. As a result, he received a lifetime ban from League football.

The F.A. lifted the ban in 1957, but Mannion, who had been playing with non-League side Cambridge United, decided to stay there until his retirement in 1959.

Mannion died on 14 April 200 at the age of 81.

19 December 1863 - Laying Down The Laws

On 19 December 1863, the first match to be played under the FA's new Laws of the Game ended in a scoreless draw.

Prior to that, most clubs used either the Cambridge Rules, which allowed players to use their hands but prevented running with the ball, and the Shefffield Rules, which allowed players to push or hit the ball with their hands, but not carry it. Clubs were free, however, to adopt their own sets of rules. Led by Ebenezer Cobb Morley (pictured), the Football Association formed in October 1863 and, in a series of meetings that stretched into December, crafted a uniform set of laws.

Morley prepared the new rules, which still allowed players to catch the ball, but not run with it in their hands, and the FA approved them on 8 December. They organized a match to be played in January, but soon decided that they could not wait and pushed the date up to 19 December.

Barnes FC, whose roster included Morley, hosted Richmond FC at Limes Field, where the game ended 0-0. While the match didn't lead to the immediate universal adoption of the FA's new rules, they eventually became the official laws for association football and were later modified into the current Laws of the Game.

30 April 1974 - That's The Penalty For Setting High Expectations

On 30 April 1974, the FA sacked England manager Alf Ramsey, who led the team to World Cup glory in 1966.

Ramsey took charge of England in May 1963 after a successful time at Ipswich Town. He began his new job in bold style, claiming that they would win the upcoming 1966 World Cup as hosts. And he made good on his promise. After opening the tournament with a scoreless draw against Uruguay, England reeled off five straight victories, including a 4-2 win over West Germany in the final to lift the cup.

But the decline started soon after. In 1968, England finished third out of four teams in the European Championships and, two years later, they were eliminated by West Germany in the first knockout round of the 1970 World Cup. West Germany again proved to be their nemesis in 1972, ending England's qualification campaign for the 1972 European Championships.

The final straw for Ramsey came in October 1973, when a draw with Poland prevented England from qualifying for the next year's World Cup. Although he remained in charge for another six months, the failure to reach the World Cup effectively sealed his fate. The FA finally dropped the curtain on his tenure at the end of April despite his overall record of 69 wins, 27 draws, and only 17 losses in 119 matches played.

He later had a brief spell in charge of Birmingham City (1977-78) and another as technical director of Panathinaikos (1979-80) but could not recapture the success he had with Ipswich and England. He died of a heart attack in 1999 and, in 2002, was an inaugural inductee into the English Football Hall of Fame.

9 October 1866 - Don't Like The Word "Soccer"? Blame This Guy.

On 9 October 1866, Charles Wreford-Brown was born in Bristol. Although he twice captained the English national team, his lasting legacy may be the invention of the term "soccer" to refer to association football.

The Football Association formed in 1863 and quickly set about creating a set of rules for their game, which they called association football to distinguish it from the other types of football played at the time, such as rugby football. According to legend, Wreford-Brown was a student at Oxford when a group of fellow students invited him to play a game of rugby, which they nicknamed "rugger." He reportedly responded that he preferred "soccer" and the new name stuck.

Wreford-Brown's love of the sport led him to play for England and he captained the team twice (in 1894 and 1895, both against Wales). He later served the sport in a legislative capacity, representing Old Carthusians and later Oxford in the Football Association. He also chaired England's international selection committee.

The term "soccer" fell out of favor in England around the turn of the 19th century as the lower classes became more involved in the game, but it continues to be used regularly around the world.

18 January 1961 - The Ceiling Is Lifted (And The Sky's The Limit)

On 18 January 1961, England finally lifted the wage restriction for footballers that had previously capped their earnings at £20 per week (£17 in the close season).

The wage limit was one of two concerns for players of the time. The other was the retain-and-transfer system, which gave the clubs complete authority regarding player movement from one club to another. Together, the two matters nearly prompted a player strike in January 1961, backed by the Professional Footballers' Association and their chairman, Jimmy Hill (pictured, at left).

Hill, who played for Brentford from 1949-52, then for Fulham from 1952-61, became the PFA chairman in 1957 and continued the organization's longstanding opposition to the wage restriction. The Football Association and the Football League, however, argued that the £20 weekly wage was a fair one, being 25% higher than the average industrial wage at the time. But at a PFA meeting earlier that January, Bolton's Tommy Banks generated support for a challenge, pointing out that anyone could take a crack at being a miner, but few miners could play football in front of 30,000 spectators every week.

The threat of the impending strike forced the authorities to capitulate and lift the wage. While many players saw their wages doubled as a result, Hill's Fulham teammate Johnny Haynes was the greatest beneficiary, becoming England's first £100-a-week player.

Since then, wages have increased dramatically, with several of the Premier League's top players pulling in a reported £200,000 per week.

The retain-and-transfer system remained in place until 1963.

20 July 1871 - Alcock's Stroke Of Genius

On 20 July 1871, FA secretary Charles Alcock made a proposal for the competition that became the FA Cup, the oldest association football competition in the world.

At the meeting, Alcock, who had already been instrumental in the sport's development as captain of the English national team and organizer of the first international match between England and Scotland, suggested "That it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association, for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete." The idea was inspired by an inter-house competition at Alcock's alma mater, the Harrow School.

The FA approved Alcock's proposal and fifteen teams competed in the inaugural tournament, which ran from November 1871 to March 1872. Wanderers FC, based in London's Battersea district, lifted that first trophy, led by their captain, Charles Alcock. They repeated as champions in 1873, and won the tournament again in 1876, 1877, and 1878.

8 December 1863 - Like Moses Coming Down From The Mountain ...

On 8 December 1863, the FA voted to approve the first Laws of the Game, setting forth a set of rules for the growing sport of football.

The Laws were drafted by FA Secretary Ebenezer Cobb Morley (pictured) and consisted of the following thirteen rules:

1. The maximum length of the ground shall be 200 yards (180 m), the maximum breadth shall be 100 yards (91 m), the length and breadth shall be marked off with flags; and the goal shall be defined by two upright posts, eight yards (7 m) apart, without any tape or bar across them.

2. A toss for goals shall take place, and the game shall be commenced by a place kick from the centre of the ground by the side losing the toss for goals; the other side shall not approach within 10 yards (9.1 m) of the ball until it is kicked off.

3. After a goal is won, the losing side shall be entitled to kick off, and the two sides shall change goals after each goal is won.

4. A goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal-posts or over the space between the goal-posts (at whatever height), not being thrown, knocked on, or carried.

5. When the ball is in touch, the first player who touches it shall throw it from the point on the boundary line where it left the ground in a direction at right angles with the boundary line, and the ball shall not be in play until it has touched the ground.

6. When a player has kicked the ball, any one of the same side who is nearer to the opponent's goal line is out of play, and may not touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever prevent any other player from doing so, until he is in play; but no player is out of play when the ball is kicked off from behind the goal line.

7. In case the ball goes behind the goal line, if a player on the side to whom the goal belongs first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick from the goal line at the point opposite the place where the ball shall be touched. If a player of the opposite side first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick at the goal only from a point 15 yards (14 m) outside the goal line, opposite the place where the ball is touched, the opposing side standing within their goal line until he has had his kick.

8. If a player makes a fair catch, he shall be entitled to a free kick, providing he claims it by making a mark with his heel at once; and in order to take such kick he may go back as far as he pleases, and no player on the opposite side shall advance beyond his mark until he has kicked.

9. No player shall run with the ball.

10. Neither tripping nor hacking shall be allowed, and no player shall use his hands to hold or push his adversary.

11. A player shall not be allowed to throw the ball or pass it to another with his hands.

12. No player shall be allowed to take the ball from the ground with his hands under any pretence whatever while it is in play.

13. No player shall be allowed to wear projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta-percha on the soles or heels of his boots.

Since 1882, the Laws have been administered by the International Football Association Board, which meets each winter to determine whether any changes to the Laws are required.

5 December 1921 - The FA Adds "Penis" To The Equipment List

On 5 December 1921, the Football Association issued a ban on women's football on the grounds that "the game of football is quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged."

The FA's action was a response to the growing popularity of the women's game in the early part of the 20th century--popularity which some FA members believed was beginning to threaten the success of men's football.

The women's game was best exemplified by the dominant Dick, Kerr's Ladies (pictured). The Dick, Kerr's Ladies were formed in 1917 at the Dick Kerr and Co. munitions factory in Preston. They were highly successful and played charity matches in front of large crowds, such as the 53,000 who showed up to see their match against St. Helen's Ladies at Goodison Park on 26 December 1920.

The FA ban, however, stifled the growing women's game and prevented any women's sides from playing on grounds belonging to any Football League member. While unofficial matches continued to be played, they did not capture the popularity they had enjoyed before the ban. Dick Kerr's started a rapid decline and disbanded in 1965.

In 1969, driven by England's World Cup success in 1966, female footballers and their supporters formed a new Women's Football Association. The FA eventually recognized the distaff side of the sport in 1971 and, in 2008, officially apologized for the ban.

Photo © Gail Newsham. 

26 October 1863 - Not Just A Football Association, It's THE Football Association

On 26 October 1863, English football's governing body, the Football Association, held its first meeting, making it the oldest national football association in the world.

Twelve clubs sent representatives to the meeting, held at Freemasons' Tavern on Long Acre, Covent Garden, London, in order to agree on a common set of rules. The clubs were Barnes, Civil Service, Crusaders, Forest of Leytonstone, No Names Club (Kilburn), Crystal Palace, Blackheath, Kensington School, Percival House (Blackheath), Surbiton, Blackheath Proprietary School, and Charterhouse (who declined the offer to join).

Prior to the creation of the Football Association, football clubs in England operated under different sets of rules, including the Cambridge Rules, which were used by many clubs throughout the nation, and the Sheffield Rules, which dominated the northeast. Although those two sets of rules contained slight differences, they both prohibited hacking, which would prove to be a point of contention for the new FA.

Indeed, when the FA ultimately adopted a set of rules that closely mirrored the Cambridge Rules, several clubs chose to form a separate Rugby Football Union that allowed hacking. Thus the Football Association was instrumental in triggering the split between association football (or "soccer") and rugby.

The FA currently oversees all association football competitions in England and is in charge of the English men's and women's national teams. As the first football association in history, it is the only one not to include its nationality in its name.

17 July 1991 - From The Seeds Of Dissention, A Great League Is Born

On 17 July 1991, the 22 clubs in England's First Division executed the Founder Members Agreement, in which they each agreed to set up a new league that would be separate and apart from the existing Football League. The new league, called the Premier League, replaced the First Division as the top tier of English football.

The move was driven by five clubs in particular—Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur—amid concerns about the organization of the 90-member Football League. In particular, the breakaway clubs were unhappy with the fact that each of the 90 clubs in the First through Fourth Divisions of the League had an equal voice in League decisions. They also believed that the League was not taking full advantage of the revenue available from television contracts. Indeed, one of the "basic principles" set forth in the Founder Member Agreement concerned the division of television revenue, with 50% divided equally among the member clubs, 25% shared among the on the basis of league position at the end of the season, and the remaining 25% to be divided equally between the home and visiting teams of each televised match.

The agreement also provided that the system of relegation and promotion would continue as if the new Premier League were the top tier of the Football League, with Premier League teams also eligible to participate in the League Cup and FA Cup competitions. The split has led to some confusion in naming, however, as the former Second through Fourth Divisions are now known as the Championship, League One, and League Two, respectively.

While the founders' original intent was to operate the new Premier League under the authority of the English Football Association, they soon decided to break from the FA as well and, on 22 May 1992, formed a new company as the Football Association Premier League Limited.

The new Premier League began play with the start of the 1992-93 season with 22 members: Arsenal, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Everton, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Oldham Athletic, Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Wimbledon.

Manchester United claimed the first Premier League title. Since then, only four clubs have won it: Manchester United (11 titles total), Arsenal (3), Chelsea (2), and Blackburn Rovers (1).

9 July 1867 - The Oldest Firm In Scotland

On 9 July 1867, a group of unidentified men in Glasgow formed Scotland's first football club, Queen's Park FC. It was the first football club in the world outside of England and Wales.

Queen's first recorded match came more than a year later when, on 1 August 1968, they defeated Glasgow's now-defunct Thistle FC by the score of 2-0. Two years later, in 1870, Queen's joined the English Football Association and advanced to the final of the FA Cup in 1884 and 1885, losing to Blackburn Rovers both times.

Shortly after Queen's establishment, other clubs began to sprout up across Scotland and, in 1873, Queen's joined with eight other clubs to form the Scottish Football Association. They dominated the new league, not conceding a goal until 1875 and not losing a match until December 1876. They also won the first three Scottish Cups (1874-76). In all, they've won the Scottish Cup ten times, a number second only to Celtic and Rangers.

Queen's were so dominant in the early years, in fact, that when Scotland faced England on 30 November 1872, all eleven Scottish players were from Queen's. (The match was a scoreless draw.)

As the surrounding clubs turned professional at the turn of the century, Queen's remained staunchly committed to its principles as an amateur club. They joined the Scottish Football League First Division in 1889, but found it difficult to compete against the professional sides and were relegated to the Second Division in 1922. They last played in the top flight from 1956 to 1958 and have since bounced among the second, third, and fourth tiers.

Still playing as the Scottish Football League's only amateur side, they are currently in the fourth tier (known as the Third Division after the introduction of the Scottish Premier League in 1998).