The Making of Association Football

This book is concerned with the early development of association football. The underlying hypothesis here is that the modern game was essentially ‘made’ between the years 1857 and 1877. By the latter date, soccer in England was finally governed by a single set of laws which stressed the use of the feet over the hands, thus confirming and further accentuating the split between association and rugby football. The book makes extensive use of the original minutes of the Football Association of the time, which tell a tale of disagreement, possible conspiracy and the rise of Charles Alcock, the creator of the FA Cup and international football. By 1877, a governing body for soccer had been in existence for 14 years, a national cup competition had begun six years previously, international matches had been played, examples of professionalism had surfaced, and the modern game had effectively been ‘made’.