The most admitted story tells that the game was developed in England in the 12th century. In this century, games that resembled football were played on meadows and roads in England. This early form of football was also much more rough and violent than the modern way of playing. For a long time there was no clear distinction between football and rugby. There were also many variations concerning the size of the ball, the number of players and the length of a match.
Another important event in the history of football came about in 1863 in London when the first Football association was formed in England. It was decided that carrying the ball with the hands wasn't allowed. The meeting also resulted in a standardization of the size and weight of the ball.
A consequence of the London meeting was that the game was divided into two codes: association football and rugby. Another important difference at this stage could be noticed between English and Scottish teams. Whereas the English teams preferred to run forward with the ball in a more rugby fashion, the Scottish chose to pass the ball between their players. It would be the Scottish approach that soon became predominant.
The sport was at first an entertainment for the British working class. Unprecedented amounts of spectators, up to 30,000, would see the big matches in the late 19th century. The game would soon expand by British peoples who travelled to other parts of the world and as a result to the British colonization efforts. Especially in South America and India would the interest in football become big.
IN INDIA
How many know that football was once our national sport. Football was introduced to India by British soldiers in the mid-nineteenth century. There is evidence of football games being played in the army since at least 1949. India is home to some of the oldest football clubs in the world and the world's third oldest competition, the Durand Cup behind the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup. There was a time when football in India was highly celebrated. The Indian football outfit was called the "Brazilians of Asia".
Calcutta FC was the first club to be established in 1872. In 1889 India's oldest current team Mohun Bagan A.C. was founded as "Mohun Bagan Sporting Club". This was the first club to be under the rule of the army. The first Indian Federation, the Indian Football Association, was founded in 1893. In 1893, the IFA Shield was founded as the fourth oldest trophy in the world. Calcutta, then capital of British India, soon became the hub of Indian football.
Sarada FC was the oldest Indian football club. Tournaments like the Gladstone Cup, Trades Cup and Cooch Behar Cup also started around this time. R B Ferguson Football Club was established on February 20, 1899 in Thrissur, Kerala and it was the oldest football club in the southern part of India. The club was famed by the nickname Young Men's Football Club and played a huge role in promoting football in Kerala during the early 1900s.