The History of English football is a long and detailed one, as it is not only the national sport but England was where the game was developed and codified. The modern global game of Football was first codified in 1863 in London. The impetus for this was to unify English public school and university football games. There is evidence for refereed, team football games being played in English schools since at least 1581. An account of an exclusively kicking football game from Nottinghamshire-Notts County in the 15th century bears similarity to football. England can boast the earliest ever documented use of the English word "football" (1409) and the earliest reference to the sport in French (1314). England is home to the oldest football clubs in the world (dating from at least 1857), the world's oldest competition (the FA cup founded in 1871) and the first ever football league (1888). For these reasons England is considered the home of the game of football.
Read more about History Of English Football: 1200–1800: Pre-codification, 1800–1870: Early Rules, 1870–1888: The FA Cup and Professionalism, 1888–1915: Creation of The Football League, 1919–1939: Inter-war Years, 1945–1961: The End of English Dominance, 1963–1971: The Golden Age, 1972–1985: The Rise of Liverpool, 1986–1991: The End of An Era, 1992–2001: The Premier League and Sky Television, 2003–present: Financial Polarisation
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