Milford chronicle., 1963-09-20
Footballs
Lively History

No game demands more team
work strength, courage and alert
ness or provides more thrilling
spectacle than football = king of
autumn sports in the United
States.
It's safe bet that few games
have as lively a history.
Football is an ancient sport.
A game called harpaston was
played by the Spartans as early
as 500 &c. In this game a ball
was kicked, passed, OF carried
across the opponents goal line,
according to researchers for
Compton's Pictured Encyclo-
pedia.
Strikingly similar to a modern
football was the follis, used In
Roman games. It was made Of
leather and inflated with air, but
evidently was propelled by foot,
not by hand and arm.
A game called calcio, mod
flied form of harpaSton, enuvened
medieval tournaments In italy.
The players, q on a team, used
line and bacdie1d formations
similar to those of football today.
Princes, soldiers, and fthe noble
ladies' and the people" cheered
for their favorites.
A brawl-like kind of football
was played In England as early
as the 10th century and by the
18th 1t had become a national
problem. The game was making
London a bedlam. In addition,
1t was diverting yeomen from
archery, the sport that fitted
them to defend England. Hence
football was banned by municipal
laws and royal edicts beginning
in 1865 when Edward III decided
to prohibit the game for military
reasons.
Football was not fully rein
stated until the 18th centurI
when Charles II allowed man,
diversions formerly prohibited
A survey published In 1902 re
corded that goals were set three
or four miles apart and two o,
three parishes united to pla,
others In games that sprawlet
over the countryside.
The sport began to take definit
form at boys schools. Some eve
drew up rules. These allowe
the ball to be kicked, but no
carried, toward the goal.
One November afternoon i
1928, something strange hap
pened at Rugby, a famous boys
school. The score was tied in
football battle between two clas
teams. Dusk was settling. Sud
denly player named Ellis "witl
a fine disregard for the rule
Of football as played In his tim,
took the ball In his arms ant
ran with 1t" across the goa
line. The score was not allow.
ed. The event made history, how
ever, and began Rugby football
from which the American game
is directly descended. A table
at Rugby commentaries Ellis
exploit.
BY 1863 the new game Of Rug.
by had become very popular
Those who clung to the old ide;
that football should be played b,
kicking the ball met In Londol
and formed the Football Assoc
iation. Thereafter this game wa
known as Association football'
or "soccer" iumbled abbrevia.
tion Of the word association
Soccer still holds to the pre-.
Rugby style Of game and uses
round ball. The ball, after beinI
put In play, may not be carried
or touched by the hands or arms
except by the goalkeeper. It /!
advanced chiefly by kicking ant
drfbbling with the feet. A goa
IS scored when the ball IS kcket
underneath the crossbar of tn,
goal posts.
Rugby, the parent Of interco1.
legiate football, is little played
In the US. In the British Isles
however 1t is so important tina
disputes over rules are taker
before an international board
composed Of Representatives
from tht rmgby Unions O
England, Scotland, Wales anc
Ireland. Rugby resembles tbs
American game In that the ball 1.
oval and may be advanced By
carrying, passing and kicking.
differs notably in having Is mer
to team and in placing a higher
premium on field goals.