The History of UK Football

Wednesday, 30 March 2011 22:20

The game that is now known as Association Football was first played back in mediaeval times. Over the centuries its popularity spread and organised games and leagues were drawn up. The first significant development in UK football however, took place in 1863 with the formation of the Football Association.

When the FA was formed, twelve clubs were involved including some of the leading sides from today`s era such as Aston Villa, Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City. Over the course of the next few years, a unified set of laws were introduced and the first established rules were laid down.

The next significant development took place in 1872 with the inauguration of the first ever FA Challenge Cup. Many teams took part and the final took place at the Kennington Oval between Wanderers and the Royal Engineers with the Wanderers winning by one goal to nil.

The most famous trophy in world football quickly became established as a popular annual event and in 1923 it was moved to Wembley stadium in a historic match which saw Bolton triumph over West Ham. The footage from that day still exists and shows an over capacity crowd storming onto the pitch and being controlled by mounted police including one very distinctive white horse.

By now, leagues all over the United Kingdom were introduced and league and cup competitions in Wales and Scotland were commonplace.

These formats continued for many years with an interruption during World War II when unofficial leagues and cups were played. Throughout the 1950`s, 60`s and 70`s, famous clubs such as Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United made their mark and introduced some of the greatest players ever to grace a football pitch. Each of these clubs dominated for a specific period of time while in Scotland, Celtic and Rangers tightened their grip on all of their own national competitions.
The next major development took place in 1992 when the English Premier League was born. With the added benefit of a sharp increase in television money, clubs were richer than ever before and with the rules on foreign players relaxed, some of the greatest names in World Football came to join in the fun.

Without the introduction of the Premier League we may never have seen great players such as Gianfranco Zola, Jurgen Klinsmann and Dennis Bergkamp and the national game would have been much poorer for that. The EPL has taken the game to new heights of skill and excitement but it has largely been dominated by three clubs. Manchester United won the first title in 1992-3 and have now won it 11 times. Both Chelsea and Arsenal have won on three occasions with a solitary success going to Blackburn Rovers.

In recent years however, other clubs have emerged and threatened the domination of the `big three`. Manchester City and Spurs in particular will be hoping to improve and maybe challenge for the title very soon.
The history of UK football has been enhanced tremendously by the inception of the Premier League. The 2010-11 campaign looks like going to the wire and it will be fascinating to watch premiership live streaming to see the climax unfold.