Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-01
IT'S A GREAT GAME.
A Pittsburg Boy Finds Football as
Exciting as Baseball.
OLD ENGLAND Is WILD OVER 1T.
Principal Points of the Sport, Its Origin
and Development.
CROWDS THE CONTESTS ATTRACT
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH,

| Our American newspapers are very fond oi
dwelling on the subject of the great develop
ment of baseball in comparison with all
other games, but they never mention the
wonderful hold football, as it is played to-
| day in England, has on the majority of
sport-loving Englishmen. The present game
of football, with its beautiful scientific
points, bears as much resemblance to the
game of the same name of 30 years ago as
the present game of baseball bears to round
ers. The origin of the game dates back to
the time when it was the custom to throw a
leather ball into the market place at st.
| Albans Gone of the Oldest towns in En-
| gland), and one class OF people tried to
| carry it to one side of the street and another
class to another. OF course this was rather
| crude game, and as there were no rules and
no restrictions as to the number of players
on each side, the game generally ended in
| free fight.
The public schools of England, such as
Rugby, Harrow, Eton and old Westminster;
then began to play the game, but each school
| had its own SET OF rules, and the result was
| that very few interchange matches could De
| played on account of each school wanting to
| adhere to its own particular style of play.
THE RUGBY UNION.
This led to the formation Of the Rugby
Union, which has done SO much for football.
The game of football as it was then played
at Rugby was adopted by the uaion, with
some slight changes, and all schools desr-
ing to enter into the association had to be
governed by these rules. The Association
game OF football was then adopted by o fe W
Independent clubs as an improvement on
the Rugby game, and, with various changes
as to the number of men on each side, etc.,
it is at present the most popular game in
England, not even excepting cricket.
When the Association game first started in
1877, 300 people were considered quite large
number of spectators, and the game was
played by purely amateurs, but at present
writing 5000 to 10000 people are only con-
sidered a fair gate, and as nigh as 25, 900
turn out to see final cup tie played off. One
of the primary rules of the game is that no
player is allowed to touch the ball with his
hand except the goal keeper, so the name OF
football for the game is not misnomer.
RULES OF THE GAME.
There are II men on each side; the first
five are called forwards and always follow
the ball closely. The next three are half
backs, the next two backs, and last of
all. but not least, the goal keeper, who, no |
difference where the ball is, must stand in |
side the goal and endeavor with both hands |
and feet to keep the ball from passing be- |
tween the two uprights, "a feet apart, aud |
under the cross-bar which Is eight feet from |
the ground. The play grounds are 115 yards |
long and 81 yards wide.
When the ball goes out of the side lines,
player Of the opposite side from the man
who kicked 1t out, is permitted to throw it I
in toward his opponents goal as far as
he can. When the ball is kicked across
the opponents goal line, they have free
kick out from their goal. II one of the
players touches the ball with his hands, the
opposite side has free kick from the place
where the ball was touched. Nothing
counts in the game except a goal. which
consists in kicking the ball between the
opponents goal posts and beneath the cross
bar.
NOT AN AMATEUR GAMN.
In the first i've years of the existence of
Association football it was purely Al ANA
teur game, but owing to the enormous num-
Der OF people who began to patronlze the
game and the struggles of different clubs to
get good talent, it became necessary to recog-
nize professional players, and noJwithstand-
ing the predictions of some wiseacres, the
real development and success of the game
dates from that day. The Preston North
End was the first organization to be based
on the purely pro essoEal system, and their
succession OF victories in the
season of '83 and '84 soon made all the other
prominent football clubs follow in their
wake.
The success of this club was attributed to
its importation of Scotch players, not one
native Englishman playing In the team that
season. As the popularity of the game
began to increase so the players salaries
began to increase in a corresponding man
ner, SO that from being paid So match,
those poor down-troddeD individuals are
now paid $3.50 for signing to play with
certain club, and from $40 to $50 per match.
ERAsTUs wIMAN's MISTAKE.
Mr.. Erastus Wiman must have never
seen an Association game of football PLAYED
in England before he uttered those oft
quoted words OF his: "There is more enjoy-
ment and excitement in a we'll played game
Of baseball than in any other game on
earth"
Football is fully as popular in England,
especially in the Midland districts, as base
ball in the United States and as for enjoy-
ment and e1citement-why, 1 attended q
game in Birmingham the other day between
ston Villa and Scotch team and the
L., 900 people went wild with excitement
and enthusiasm, although this is the fag end
Of tine season. The game is played rom
September until May 1, eight months of
he year, and it is sometimes kept up until
June /.
The following are the clubs which belong