On 26 October 1863, representatives of eleven clubs and schools met at the Freemasons' Tavern in Great Queen Street, London, and founded the Football Association, to agree on a single set of rules for a game that was played differently in every school and town. After six meetings, the clubs that wanted to allow carrying the ball and hacking at opponents' shins, led by Blackheath, withdrew and later formed rugby, while the others adopted the Laws of the Game, drafted by Ebenezer Cobb Morley. The FA, the oldest national football association, still governs the English game. The first rules banned handling, but goalkeepers were allowed to use their hands from 1871.
Before and after
- 12 March 1863Birth of Gabriele D'Annunzio
- from 20 July 1863 to 6 September 1864Shimonoseki Campaign
- 30 July 1863Birth of Henry Ford
- from 15 August 1863 to 17 August 1863Bombardment of Kagoshima
- 26 October 1863The Football Association is founded in London
- 19 November 1863Gettysburg Address
- from 8 December 1863 to 31 March 1877Reconstruction Era
- 12 December 1863Birth of Edvard Munch
- 18 December 1863Birth of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria
More in Society, economy & sport
- c. 1800sRise of nationalism
- 17 February 1863Founding of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
- 1885Founding of Stanford University
- 1 November 1897Founding of Juventus FC
- 1 January 1901Founding of Australia
- 21 May 1904Founding of FIFA
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.