page_title: London v Sheffield (1866)
section_title: Origin
hierarchical_section_title: London v Sheffield (1866) / Origin
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of Battersea Park (1862)
context_page_description: London v. Sheffield was an association football game played on 31 March 1866. According to Charles Alcock, it was the "first [match] of any importance under the auspices of the Football Association".
context_section_description: The match was suggested in a letter from William Chesterman, secretary of Sheffield F.C., sent to the Football Association in February 1866.  Chesterman stated that the Sheffield rules of the time were "nearly the same as those of the [Football] association", and went on to suggest the "advisability of the clubs in Sheffield playing a picked team from London, composed of the clubs playing under association rules".  
  The Football Association (FA) accepted the challenge, setting the following conditions on the match:
  the game would be played by eleven players on each side (at this time the laws of the game did not specify the size of each team)
  the game would be played at Battersea Park, on a ground 120 yards long and 80 yards wide
  the game would last 90 minutes, from 3pm to 4:30 (the laws did not specify the length of a match, and there was no provision for half-time)
  the ball would be a "Lillywhite number 5"
  the London team would wear a white jersey or shirt and white trousers
  In fact, the team representing Sheffield would consist entirely of players from Sheffield F.C., while the London team would be dominated by players from Barnes F.C., Wanderers F.C. and N.N. Club, the leading Association clubs at that time.
caption: Map of Battersea Park (1862)
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