History of the Laws of the Game - From 1863 to the Present Day - FIFA.com From 1863 to the Present Day © Getty Images Football has come a long way since its first laws were drawn up in London in 1863. That historic meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern led not only to the foundation of the Football Association but, moreover, to the game's inaugural set of common rules. Although undergraduates at Cambridge had made an earlier attempt to achieve a uniform standard in the late 1840s - albeit still allowing the ball to be caught - it was not until 1863 that football, a sport played down the centuries in often-violent village contests and then embraced in the early 1800s by the English public schools, had a fixed rulebook. One club represented at the Freemasons' Tavern, Blackheath, refused to accept the non-inclusion of hacking (kicking below the knee) and subsequently became a founder of the Rugby Football Union.

However, the 11 others reached an agreement and, under the charge of one Ebenezer Cobb Morley, 14 laws were soon penned for a game that would, in the following century, become the most played, watched and talked about activity on the planet. Original offside rule The offside rule formed part of the original rules in 1863 but it was a far remove from the law as we know it today. Any attacking player ahead of the ball was deemed to be offside - meaning early tactical systems featured as many as eight forwards, as the only means of advancing the ball was by dribbling or scrimmaging as in rugby. In the late 1860s, the FA made the momentous decision to adopt the three-player rule, where an attacker would be called offside if positioned in front of the third-last defender. Now the passing game could develop. Despite the unification of the rules and the creation of the FA in 1863, disputes, largely involving Sheffield clubs who had announced their own set of ideas in 1857, persisted into the late 1870s.

However, the creation of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) finally put an end to all arguments. Made up of two representatives from each of the four associations of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland), the IFAB met for the first time on 2 June 1886 to guard the Laws of the Game. Then, as today, a three-quarters majority was needed for a proposal to be passed. Gradual changes In those early years, the game gradually assumed the features we take for granted today. Goal-kicks were introduced in 1869 and corner-kicks in 1872. In 1878 a referee used a whistle for the first time. Yet there was no such thing as a penalty up until 1891. In the public schools where modern football originated, there was an assumption that a gentleman would never deliberately commit a foul. Amid the increased competitiveness, however, the penalty, or as it was originally called 'the kick of death', was introduced as one of a number of dramatic changes to the Laws of the Game in 1891.

Penalties, of course, had to be awarded by someone and following a proposal from the Irish Association, the referee was allowed on to the field of play. True to its gentlemanly beginnings, disputes were originally settled by the two team captains, but, as the stakes grew, so did the number of complaints. By the time the first FA Cup and international fixture took place, two umpires, one per team, were being employed to whom each side could appeal. But it was not the ideal solution as decisions were often only reached following lengthy delays. The referee, at first, stood on the touchline keeping time and was 'referred' to if the umpires could not agree but that all changed in 1891. Referees introduced From that date a single person with powers to send players off as well as give penalties and free-kicks without listening to appeals became a permanent fixture in the game. The two umpires became linesmen, or 'assistant referees' as they are called today. Also during that meeting in Scotland, the goal net was accepted into the laws, completing the make-up of the goal after the introduction of the crossbar to replace tape 16 years previously.

With the introduction of rules, the features of the football pitch as we know it slowly began to appear. The kick-off required a centre spot; keeping players ten yards from the ball at kick-off, brought the centre circle. It is interesting to note that when the penalty came in 1891, it was not taken from a spot but anywhere along a 12-yard line before 1902. The 1902 decision to award penalties for fouls committed in an area 18 yards from the goal line and 44 yards wide, created both the penalty box and penalty spot. Another box 'goal area', commonly called the 'six-yard-box', six yards long and 20 wide, replaced a semi circle in the goalmouth. However it was not for another 35 years that the final piece of the jigsaw, the 'D' shape at the edge of the penalty area, FIFA joins IFAB Football fast became as popular elsewhere as it had been in Britain and in May 1904, FIFA was founded in Paris with seven original members: France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain (represented by Madrid FC), Sweden and Switzerland.

There was some initial disquiet in the United Kingdom to the idea of a world body governing the sport it had created rules for, but this uncertainty was soon brushed aside. Former FA board member Daniel Burley Woolfall replaced Frenchman Robert Guérin as FIFA President in 1906 - the year the FA joined - and in 1913 FIFA became a member of the IFAB. In the restructured decision-making body, FIFA was given the same voting powers as the four British associations put together. There remained eight votes and the same 75 per cent majority needed for a proposal to be passed, but instead of two each, England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland now had one, while FIFA was given four. On the field of play, the number of goals increased aided by the 1912 rule preventing goalkeepers from handling the ball outside the penalty area and another in 1920 banning offsides from throw-ins. In 1925, the three-player offside rule became a two-player one, representing another radical change that propelled the game further forward.

Rous rewrites the Laws By the late 1930s it was felt that the Laws of the Game, now totalling 17, required a makeover. The original Laws had been penned in the language of Victorian England and since then, there had been more than half a century of changes and amendments. Hence the task given to Stanley Rous, a member of the IFAB and the official who first employed the diagonal system of refereeing, to clean the cobwebs and draft the Laws in a rational order. The Englishman, who would become FIFA President in 1961, did such a good job that not until 1997 were the Laws revised for as second time. Despite football's phenomenal popularity, there was a general agreement in the late 1980s that the Laws of the Game should be fine-tuned in the face of defensive tactics. If fan violence was a serious off-the-pitch problem during that period, then on it the increasingly high stakes meant a real risk of defensive tactics gaining the upper hand. Hence a series of amendments, often referred to as for the 'Good of the Game', which were designed to help promote attacking football.

They began with the offside law in 1990. The advantage was now given to the attacking team. If the attacker was in line with the penultimate defender, he was now onside. In the same year, the 'professional foul' - denying an opponent a clear goal-scoring opportunity - became a sending-off offence. Back-pass rule changed Despite these changes, tactics during the 1990 FIFA World Cup™ suggested something more needed to be done. The IFAB responded in 1992 by banning goalkeepers from handling deliberate back-passes. Although the new rule was greeted with scepticism by some at first, in the fullness of time it would become widely appreciated. The game's Law-makers then struck another blow against cynicism in 1998 when the fierce tackle from behind became a red-card offence. With a new century approaching, the commitment to forward-thinking football could not have been clearer. History of the Laws of the Game Football Rules Football Rules The Encylopedia of British Football Football Rules In the 18th century football was played by most of Britain's leading public schools . There is documentary evidence that football was played at Eton as early as 1747.

Westminster started two years later. Harrow , Shrewsbury , Winchester and Charterhouse had all taken up football by the 1750s. Thomas Arnold was appointed headmaster of Rugby in 1828. He had a profound and lasting effect on the development of public school education in England. Arnold introduced mathematics, modern history and modern languages and instituted the form system and introduced the prefect system to keep discipline. He modernized the teaching of Classics by directing attention to literary, moral or historical questions. Although Arnold held strong views, he made it clear to his students they were not expected to accept those views, but to examine the evidence and to think for themselves. Arnold also emphasized the importance of sport in young men's education. Like most headteachers in public schools, Arnold believed that sport was a good method for "encouraging senior boys to exercise responsible authority on behalf of the staff". He also argued that games like football provided a "formidable vehicle for character building". Each school had its own set of rules and style of game. In some schools the ball could be caught, if kicked below the hand or knee.

If the ball was caught near the opposing goal, the catcher had the opportunity of scoring, by carrying it through the goal in three standing jumps. Rugby , Marlborough and Cheltenham developed games that used both hands and feet. The football played at Shrewsbury and Winchester placed an emphasis on kicking and running with the ball (dribbling). School facilities also influenced the rules of these games. Students at Charterhouse played football within the cloisters of the old Carthusian monastery. As space was limited the players depended on dribbling skills. Whereas schools like Eton and Harrow had such large playing fields available that they developed a game that involved kicking the ball long distances. According to one student at Westminster , the football played at his school was very rough and involved a great deal of physical violence: "When running... the enemy tripped, shinned, charged with the shoulder, got down and sat upon you... in fact did anything short of murder to get the ball from you." Football games often led to social disorder.

As Dave Russell pointed out in Football and the English (1997), football had a "habit of bringing the younger element of the lower orders into public spaces in large numbers were increasingly seen as inappropriate and, indeed, positively dangerous in an age of mass political radicalism and subsequent fear for public order." Action was taken to stop men playing football in the street. The 1835 Highways Act provided for a fine of 40s for playing "football or any other game on any part of the said highways, to the annoyance of any passenger." In 1840 soldiers had to be used to stop men playing football in Richmond. Six years later the Riot Act had to be read in Derby and a troop of cavalry was used to disperse the players. There were also serious football disturbances in East Molesey, Hampton and Kingston-upon-Thames. Although the government disapproved of the working-classes playing football, it continued to be a popular sport in public schools. In 1848 a meeting took place at Cambridge University to lay down the rules of football.

As Philip Gibbons points out in Association Football in Victorian England (2001): "The varying rules of the game meant that the public schools were unable to compete against each other." Teachers representing Shrewsbury , Eton , Harrow , Rugby , Marlborough and Westminster , produced what became known as the Cambridge Rules . One participant explained what happened: "I cleared the tables and provided pens and paper... Every man brought a copy of his school rules, or knew them by heart, and our progress in framing new rules was slow." It was eventually decided that goals would be awarded for balls kicked between the flag posts (uprights) and under the string (crossbar). All players were allowed to catch the ball direct from the foot, provided the catcher kicked it immediately. However, they were forbidden to catch the ball and run with it. Only the goalkeeper was allowed to hold the ball. He could also punch it from anywhere in his own half. Goal kicks and throw-ins took place when the ball went out of play. It was specified that throw-ins were taken with one hand only. It was also decided that players in the same team should wear the same colour cap (red and dark blue). Sometimes public schools played football against boys from the local town.

Although these games often ended in fights, it did help to spread knowledge of Cambridge Rules football. Former public school boys also played football at university. Many continued to play after finishing their education. Some joined clubs like the Old Etonians , Old Harrovians and the Wanderers (a side only open to men who had attended the leading public schools), whereas others formed their own clubs. For example, former pupils of the Sheffield Collegiate School established the Sheffield Football Club at Bramall Lane. In 1857 they published their own set of rules for football. These new rules allowed for more physical contact than those established in Cambridge . Players were allowed to push opponents off the ball with their hands. It was also within the rules to shoulder charge players, with or without the ball. If a goalkeeper caught the ball, he could be barged over the line. In 1862 a new set of rules were established at Cambridge University . These specified 11-a-side, an umpire from each side plus a neutral referee, goals 12ft across and up to 20ft high. An offside rule was added.

A man could play a ball passed to him from behind, so long as there were three opponents between him and the goal. It was also decided that each game should only last one hour and a quarter. The first game under these rules took place between the Old Etonians and Old Harrovians in November, 1862. A photograph of the Uppingham team. At that time the team played 15-a-side. Some public schools refused to accept the Cambridge Rules . At Uppingham School in Rutland, the students played with an enormously wide goal. In 1862, one of the teachers at Uppingham, John Charles Thring, published his own set of rules: 1. A goal is scored whenever the ball is forced through the goal and under the bar, except it be thrown by hand. 2. Hands may be used only to stop a ball and place it on the ground before the feet. 3. Kicks must be aimed only at the ball. 4. A player may not kick the ball whilst in the air. 5. No tripping up or heel kicking allowed. 6.

Whenever a ball is kicked beyond the side flags, it must be returned by the player who kicked it, from the spot it passed the flag line, in a straight line towards the middle of the ground. 7. When a ball is kicked behind the line of goal, it shall be kicked off from that line by one of the side whose goal it is. 8. No player may stand within six paces of the kicker when he is kicking off. 9. A player is ‘out of play’ immediately he is in front of the ball and must return behind the ball as soon as possible. If the ball is kicked by his own side past a player, he may not touch or kick it, or advance, until one of the other side has first kicked it, or one of his own side has been able to kick it on a level with, or in front of him. 10. No charging allowed when a player is ‘out of play’; that is, immediately the ball is behind him. Thring published his rules under the title, The Simplest Game. Some teachers liked this non-violent approach and several schools adopted Thring's rules. The Football Association was established in October, 1863.

The aim of the FA was to establish a single unifying code for football. The first meeting took place at the Freeman's Tavern in London. The clubs represented at the meeting included Barnes, Blackheath, Perceval House, Kensington School, the War Office, Crystal Palace, Forest (later known as the Wanderers ), the Crusaders and No Names of Kilburn. Charterhouse also sent an observer to the meeting. Ebenezer Cobb Morley was elected as the secretary of the FA. At a meeting on 24th November, 1863, Morley presented a draft set of 23 rules. These were based on an amalgamation of rules played by public schools, universities and football clubs. This included provision for running with the ball in the hands if a catch had been taken "on the full" or on the first bounce. Players were allowed to "hack the front of the leg" of the opponent when they were running with the ball. Two of the proposed rules caused heated debate: IX.

A player shall be entitled to run with the ball towards his adversaries' goal if he makes a fair catch, or catches the ball on the first bound; but in case of a fair catch, if he makes his mark (to take a free kick) he shall not run. X. If any player shall run with the ball towards his adversaries' goal, any player on the opposite side shall be at liberty to charge, hold, trip or hack him, or to wrest the ball from him, but no player shall be held and hacked at the same time. Some members objected to these two rules as they considered them to be "uncivilised". Others believed that charging, hacking and tripping were important ingredients of the game. One supporter of hacking argued that without it "you will do away with the courage and pluck of the game, and it will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week's practice." The main defender of hacking was F. W. Campbell , the representative from Blackheath, who considered this aspect of the game was vital in developing "masculine toughness".

Campbell added that "hacking is the true football" and he resigned from the FA when the vote went against him (13-4). He later helped to form the rival Rugby Football Union. On 8th December, 1863, the FA published the Laws of Football. 1. The maximum length of the ground shall be 200 yards, the maximum breadth shall be 100 yards, the length and breadth shall be marked off with flags; and the goal shall be defined by two upright posts, eight yards apart, without any tape or bar across them. 2. A toss for goals shall take place, and the game shall be commenced by a place kick from the centre of the ground by the side losing the toss for goals; the other side shall not approach within 10 yards of the ball until it is kicked off. 3. After a goal is won, the losing side shall be entitled to kick off, and the two sides shall change goals after each goal is won. 4. A goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal-posts or over the space between the goal-posts (at whatever height), not being thrown, knocked on, or carried. 5.

When the ball is in touch, the first player who touches it shall throw it from the point on the boundary line where it left the ground in a direction at right angles with the boundary line, and the ball shall not be in play until it has touched the ground. 6. When a player has kicked the ball, any one of the same side who is nearer to the opponent's goal line is out of play, and may not touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever prevent any other player from doing so, until he is in play; but no player is out of play when the ball is kicked off from behind the goal line. 7. In case the ball goes behind the goal line, if a player on the side to whom the goal belongs first touches the ball, one of his side shall he entitled to a free kick from the goal line at the point opposite the place where the ball shall be touched. If a player of the opposite side first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick at the goal only from a point 15 yards outside the goal line, opposite the place where the ball is touched, the opposing side standing within their goal line until he has had his kick. 8.

If a player makes a fair catch, he shall be entitled to a free kick, providing he claims it by making a mark with his heel at once; and in order to take such kick he may go back as far as he pleases, and no player on the opposite side shall advance beyond his mark until he has kicked. 9. No player shall run with the ball. 10. Neither tripping nor hacking shall be allowed, and no player shall use his hands to hold or push his adversary. 11. A player shall not be allowed to throw the ball or pass it to another with his hands. 12. No player shall be allowed to take the ball from the ground with his hands under any pretence whatever while it is in play. 13. No player shall be allowed to wear projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta-percha on the soles or heels of his boots. In 1866 the offside rule was altered to allow a player to be onside when three of opposing team are nearer their own goal-line. Three years later the kick-out rule was altered and goal-kicks were introduced. In 1871, Charles W.

Alcock , the FA Secretary, announced the introduction of the Football Association Challenge Cup . It was the first knockout competition of its type in the world. Only 15 clubs took part in the first staging of the tournament. It included two clubs based in Scotland, Donington School and Queen's Park. In the 1872 final, the Wanderers beat the Royal Engineers 1-0 at the Kennington Oval. The 1870s saw several changes to Football Association rules. In 1870 eleven-a-side games were introduced with the addition of a goalkeeper. 1871 also saw the introduction of umpires and a neutral referee . Both sides were allowed to appoint an umpire to whom players could appeal to about incidents that took place on the pitch. However, the FA rule now stated: "Any point on which the umpires cannot agree shall be decided by the referee". In 1872 the FA published an updated set of laws.

This made it clear that "a goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal posts under the tape, not being thrown, knocked on, or carried." The new rules clearly distinguished between goalkeepers and other players: "A player shall not throw the ball nor pass it to another except in the case of the goalkeeper, who shall be allowed to use his hands for the protection of his goal... No player shall carry or knock on the ball; nor shall any player handle the ball under any pretence whatever." England against Scotland in 1877. Note the lack of crossbars and nets. The FA Cup helped to popularize the game of football. Up until this competition only fifty clubs were members of the Football Association and played by their rules. This included teams who played as far away as Lincoln, Oxford and York. The main rival to the FA was the 26-member Sheffield Association . Other football clubs were totally independent and played by their own set of rules. In 1877 the clubs in Sheffield decided to join the FA and by 1881 its membership had risen to 128. The FA continued to adapt the rules of the game. In 1882 all clubs had to provide crossbars.

Ten years later goal nets became compulsory. This reduced the number of disputes as to whether the ball had crossed the goal-line or passed between the posts. In 1885 it was decided by the Football Association that clubs could play professionals in the FA Cup competition. It was not long before football clubs had large wage bills to play. It was therefore necessary to arrange more matches that could be played in front of large crowds. In March, 1888 it was suggested that "ten or twelve of the most prominent clubs in England combine to arrange home and away fixtures each season." The following month the Football League was formed. It consisted of six clubs from Lancashire (Accrington, Blackburn Rovers , Burnley , Everton and Preston North End ) and six from the Midlands ( Aston Villa , Derby County , Notts County, Stoke , West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanders ). In the 1880s football was introduced into most state schools. It could be played on any hard surface and that was especially attractive to those schools that did not have access to playing fields. As a high percentage of the children were physically underdeveloped and undernourished, soccer was considered to be more suitable than rugby.

The role of the referee changed in 1891. He moved onto the pitch from the touchline and took complete control of the game. The umpires now became linesmen. 1891 also saw the introduction of the penalty kick. As Dave Russell has pointed out in Football and the English (1997) that this new rule "bitterly upset many amateurs, who argued that the new legislation assumed that footballers could be capable of cheating." The shoulder charge remained an important part of the game. This could be used against players even if they did not have the ball. If a goalkeeper caught the ball, he could be barged over the line. As a result, goalkeepers tended to punch the ball a great deal. In 1894 the Football Association introduced a new law which stated that a goalkeeper could only be charged when playing the ball or obstructing an opponent. In September, 1898, the South Essex Gazette reported that in a game against Brentford, two West Ham United players, George Gresham and Sam Hay , "bundled the goalkeeper into the net whilst he had the ball in his hands". The goal stood because this action was within the rules at the time.

Goalkeeper being legally barged over the goal line in a game in 1904. Goalkeepers were allowed to handle, but not carry, the ball anywhere in their own half of the field. For example, Tommy Moore , who played for West Ham United , between 1898 to 1901, often moved up field and started an attack by punching the ball into the opposition half. In a game against Chesham, the game was so one-sided that Moore spent most of the game on the offensive. As the local newspaper reported: "Moore had so little to do that he often left his goal unprotected and played up with the forwards." The strategy of using an attacking goalkeeper came to and end in 1912 when the Football Association introduced a new rule that stated that they could only handle the ball inside the penalty area. footballsite - some of the record-breaking, unusual and bizarre football stories. For dozens more hilarious 'foot-in-mouth' quotes click on Colemanballs ********* The first successful penalty in the Football League was converted by John Heath of Wolves against Accrington at Molineux on Monday 14th September 1891.

********* The following season Stoke were once again the victims in a match that saw another step forward in the penalty law. On Saturday November 21st 1891 Stoke were losing 2-1 to Aston Villa when they were awarded a penalty with seconds of the match remaining. However a Villa player kicked the ball out of the ground and by the time it had been returned the referee had blown for full-time. Later in that season the law was changed to allow time to be added to allow penalty kicks to be taken. ********* It was not until the 1901/02 season that the 18-yard penalty box was introduced into the English game. Previously the penalty area ran across the entire width of the pitch. In the 1937/38 season the 'D' on the edge of the penalty area was introduced to ensure that all players are 10 yards from the penalty spot when the kick is taken. ********* Matches between Crystal Palace and Brighton are always passionate affairs and perhaps none more so that when they played each other at Selhurst Park on Easter Monday (March 27th) in 1989.

At the time Palace were fighting for promotion from the old Division 2 while Brighton were battling to remain in the division but it was referee Kelvin Morton whose performance was best remembered by send off one player, booking five more and awarding a record five penalties in just 27 minutes of play. Mark Bright scored the first to give Palace a 2-0 lead against 10-man Brighton, but missed the second when Brighton 'keeper John Keeley saved. Just five minutes after being awarded their first penalty they are awarded their third, this time Ian Wright hit the post with his effort. Shortly after the second half kicked off Brighton were awarded a penalty - Alan Curbishley scored - followed shortly after by another one for Palace - John Pemberton sending his effort into row Z. Palace eventually won 2-1 - and were promoted to the top flight via the play-offs - and Brighton were to keep their place in Division 2. ********* The newspapers love a story that runs and runs and the story that ran and ran at the start of the 2013/14 season was about...a penalty. In his two spells as manager at Stamford Bridge José Mourinho had an unbeaten record in 65 home Premier League matches.

But in his 66th - against WBA on Saturday November 9th - that record looked set to be ended. Deep into Fergie time West Brom held an unlikely 2-1 lead but in the closing seconds a Steven Reid challenge on Ramires saw ref Andre Marriner award a penalty from which Eden Hazard hit the equaliser. Even the most die-hard of Chelsea fans left in the ground found that decision hard to believe and although José thought the decision correct even he couldn't give the ref total support. "The referee made many mistakes during the game but that was not a mistake" the 'Special One' said. Then came something which shook the footballing world, well that's what the newspapers said. Mike Reilly, in charge of the Professional Game Match Officials Board, apologized to West Brom for the poor refereeing decision. José's reply to that was "At least now the referees know, they know one thing. If, in a controversial - I'm not saying a mistake - decision that hypothetically - and, I repeat, hypothetically - favours Chelsea, they know they are going to be publicly exposed by their boss. That they know." WBA manager Steve Clarke then pitched in.

Still upset that José had called Jonas Olsson a 'Mickey Mouse player' in the tunnel after the match he suggested that 'The Special One' was perhaps losing some of his sparkle 'Maybe he's trying to deflect away from the fact that his team hasn't been as good in recent weeks as they should be for the amount of players and talent they have got at the club.' I'm sure the hacks will have got their pencils sharpened ready to report on the return fixture! ********* The record for penalties scored by a player in a season is held by Francis Lee who scored 13 League goals for Manchester City in the 1971/72 season (plus one in the FA Cup and one more in the League Cup). It earned him the nickname of Lee One Pen but as many penalties were awarded for fouls on Lee the not so favourable nickname of Lee Won Pen was also used as he had a reputation for diving. Ref Keith Hackett described him as a player who 'had a reputation of falling down easily'. ******** As far as facing penalties go Ipswich goalkeeper Paul Cooper has the best record for saving them in a League season.

In the 1979/80 season he saved 8 out of the 10 penalties he faced in Division 1 matches. ********* Charlie Mitten scored a hat-trick of penalties in Manchester United's 7-0 defeat of Aston Villa on Wednesday March 8th 1950. Before taking the third penalty Villa's goalkeeper asked him where he was going to put it - "Same place as the other two" was the reply, and that's exactly what he did! ********* At the halfway stage of the 1973/74 League season (21 matches) goalkeeper Alex Stepney was equal top of Manchester United's goalscorers with 2 goals - both from the penalty spot. ********* In a 48-hour period in March 1969 Geoff Hurst scored four times from the penalty spot. On Wednesday 12th March 1969 Hurst scored two penalties in a hat-trick for England against France at Wembley - the first England hat-trick since 'that one' in 1966. Two days later he scored another two penalties at Upton Park when West Ham beat Coventry in a Division 1 match.

Both his sides finished up winning 5-2. ********* In a Division 2 encounter at Fratton Park on Saturday September 22nd 1973 three different Notts County players - Kevin Randall, Don Masson and Brian Stubbs - all missed with the same penalty. The first miss was retaken because the goalkeeper moved, the second because the ref hadn't given the signal to take it and the third was a straightforward miss! ********* On Boxing Day 1924 Nottingham Forest were losing 0-1 at home to Bolton Wanderers in a First Division fixture when they were awarded a penalty. Forest's regular penalty-taker Harry Martin had been carried off injured and no other player would take the kick. Forest captain Bob Wallace went to the dressing room and insisted that the injured player return to the pitch and take the penalty. Harry Martin was carried back to the pitch, took the penalty from a standing position, scored, collapsed and was carried off again. ********* So can the study of statistics help someone become a better penalty taker? In his book Twelve Yards: The Art and Psychology of the Perfect Penalty Ben Lyttleton gave a few thoughts as what to do in a penalty shoot-out based on statistics.

It is better for a team to kick first - a 60% success rate. It is best for a player to kick to win the match (92% success rate) rather than kick to save it (62% success rate). The best angle for a run-up to take a penalty is 30 degrees while a goalkeeper is at his best distracting the penalty taker if he wastes time for between 1.7 and 4.5 seconds before getting ready to face the pen. I wonder! More complex still was the advice given by Professor Stephen Hawking to England shortly before the 2014 World Cup finals. He produced a formula for the perfect penalty - one which I guess Wayne Rooney immediately committed to memory! It has to be said though that Paddy Power helped with the project so perhaps a tad tongue-in-cheek rather than something that will be studied in universities! ********* The most expensive penalty miss? There are many candidates. One miss was by me in a cup final at school and another was on Saturday May 3rd 1924, the last day of the season, when Cardiff City needed a win to become Football League champions.

At 0-0 against Birmingham, Cardiff were awarded a penalty but Len Davies missed it. As a result Huddersfield Town pipped them for the title on goal average. ********* Well it seems that there is an art in winning a penalty - not the crude dive but the more subtle ways of fooling the ref. In 2012 Michael Owen admitted that he went down a little too easily when winning penalties for England against Argentina in the World Cup finals in both 1998 and 2002. He said that 75% of players winning a penalty could have stayed on their feet but its OK to go down in the penalty area even the slightest of contact. He added "It's a very difficult subject to talk about, especially to people who have not played the game. There is a major skill in trying to outwit an opponent. No one is for blatantly diving, of course they are not, but there is a part of a striker that actually tries to entice the leg to come out to try to win a penalty.

It is a skill and it has been done for years and years and I don't think it will ever leave the game." After that admission I don't suppose any Englishmen can be critical of the 'Hand of God' goal scored in another England-Argentina World Cup match! ******** "The most nerve-racking moment of my life came when I was filming the football movie When Saturday Comes. My character had to take a penalty in front of thousands of fans at Sheffield United's home end. It's the same end from where I've cheered United on all my life, and I've never been so terrified. Thankfully I scored." Sean Bean, actor and genuine Sheffield United fan. ******** When you get a penalty you just aim to hit it hard into the back of the net don't you? Well, not if your name is Johan Cruyff who did this for Ajax in 1982 with the help of Jesper Olsen.... Fast forward to Highbury on Saturday 22nd October 2005 when Arsenal entertained Manchester City in the Premier League and Robert Pires and Thierry Henry proved that they were not in the Cruyff/Olsen class.... OK, I know.

As every referee and anorak will be saying they are not penalty shoot-outs - penalties are only awarded for foul play in the penalty area. They are kicks from the penalty spot. But hey, life is too short! ******** "I still say these penalties to decide a match are like a circus, but I can't think of a better answer apart from a third game." Everton manager Harry Catterick after his side had become the first to win a European Cup match on penalties, in November 1970 against Borussia Mönchengladbach. ******** There was a time when drawn cup-ties were decided by perhaps endless amounts of replays or even the toss of a coin. The problems of fitting replays into ever more congested fixture lists - and television scheduling - was causing problems while the tossing of a coin just wasn't a footballing way of deciding ties - and wasn't good on television! So in the summer of 1970 FIFA and UEFA changed the rules to allow the shoot-out to be introduced. ******** Within weeks of the rule-change the first penalty shoot-out in a professional match in England took place in the first sponsored competition played in the country, The Watney Cup.

It was a perfect competition to introduce the shoot-out with three rounds in just a week in pre-season there was no room for replays. So on Wednesday 5th August 1970 before 34,007 faithful at Boothferry Park Hull City entertained a full-strength Manchester United in the semi-final of the competition. At the end of 90 minutes it was 1-1, at the end of extra time it remained 1-1 and so penalties it was, five apiece as a start. None other than George Best took the first penalty in a shoot-out and scored. Player manager Terry Neill scored for Hull - 1-1. Brian Kidd scored for United, Ian Butler for City - 2-2. It became 3-3 when Bobby Charlton and Chris Simpkin scored for their respective clubs. Then Denis Law entered history by becoming the first player who failed to score, Hull 'keeper Ian McKechnie making a save. Hull's Ken Wagstaff missed his so still 3-3.

Willie Morgan made it 4-3 for United and it became sudden death for Hull - they needed to score to be able to continue with the shoot-out while a miss would see them lose. Up stepped Hull goalkeeper Ian McKechnie and the world - and McKechnie in particular - was soon to learn how quickly a penalty-saving hero can turn into a penalty-missing villain. His attempt hit the bar and went over, Hull were out, and the name McKechnie became the first to be engraved on a long list whose enduring fame is largely reliant on a penalty miss! The Watney Cup. ******** Where the Watney Cup led European competitions were soon to follow, although the shoot-outs were initially limited to the early rounds. Everton provided the first English involvement in a European shoot-out and on Wednesday 4th November 1970 Joe Royle became the first person to take a penalty in a shoot-out in the European Cup and his shot....was saved! However Alan Ball, Johnny Morrisey, Howard Kendall and Sandy Brown all converted theirs and Everton defeated German champions Borussia Mönchengladbach 4-3 on penalties. Sadly that record of success was not continued in future England-Germany shoot-outs!

The introduction of penalty shoot-outs in the two major domestic cup competitions - the FA and League Cups - took a little longer and as with the European competitions initially shoot-outs didn't cover all the rounds in either competition. The first FA Cup match to be decided on penalties was between Birmingham City and Stoke City at St Andrews on August 5th 1972. An unusual date for an FA Cup match I hear you say but it was one of only five fixtures held to decide who would finish third and fourth in the FA Cup. The match was goalless but Birmingham won 4-3 on penalties - match details . It wasn't until 1991 that the rules were changed to allow the shoot-outs in the main competition itself with the first penalty decider being between Rotherham and Scunthorpe on Tuesday November 26th 1991. After drawing the First Round match 1-1 at Scunthorpe the shoot-out followed on from the 3-3 draw in the replay at Millmoor, Rotherham winning 7-6. The League Cup had introduced the penalty decider in 1975/76 but only for First Round ties.

Even then the clubs had to finish the two-legged ties all square and draw a replay before penalties were used. The first penalty shoot-out in the League Cup followed such a First Round replay when Darlington beat Sheffield Wednesday 5-3 on pens at Hillsborough on Wednesday September 3rd 1975. But progress of penalties through the other rounds was gradual and although the 1977 League Cup final needed two replays it wasn't until the 1997 final was replayed that the rules were finally changed to allow penalties for a final drawn in its first match. ******** Despite many believing penalties aren't the best way to decide drawn matches they are now used in every major cup competition, although it did take 35 years to reach the FA Cup final. The progress in penalties deciding cup competitions for the first time over the years - 20th June 1976 - first European Championship Final Manchester United Arsenal won 5-4 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Thirty-five years after the first penalty shoot-out in the Watney Cup at Hull the destination of the FA Cup is decided for the first time in a shoot-out.

A save by Jens Lehmann from the normally 'Mr Reliable' Paul Scholes being the difference between the two sides. ******** The 2012 League 1 Play Off Final at Wembley between Huddersfield and Sheffield United saw a goalless and disappointing 120 minutes of play. Then to penalties to put everyone out of their misery. Things didn't get much better with only two goals coming from the first 8 kicks. The outcome wasn't decided until all 22 players had taken penalties. After 20 penalties it was 7-7 with only the goalkeepers to go. Huddersfield's Alex Smithies scored his, Sheffield United's Steve Simonsen missed his - 8-7 to Huddersfield and they were promoted to the Championship. ******** "Football is a simple game - you play for 120 minutes and then the Germans win on penalties." Gary Lineker Well, Gary Lineker's comments about losing penalty shoot-outs seems to apply to every country England play, not just Germany. Of the seven shoot-outs in World Cup/European Championship tournaments England have managed just one victory. The list of disappointment - 1.

England v West Germany Wednesday 4th July 1990 at the Stadio Delle Alpi, Turin, Italy World Cup semi-final Italy won 4-2 on penalties and went on to reach the final where they lost 4-0 to Spain. ********* You would think that players who miss penalties - particularly vital penalties - would want to quickly forget the experience. Well not if a quick buck can be made! After Gareth Southgate missed the penalty that saw England lose their Euro 96 semi against Germany he teamed up with Chris Waddle and Stuart Pearce - who missed penalties against the same opposition in the 1990 World Cup semis - to appear in TV adverts for Pizza Hut. I'm not sure how many England fans found it humorous or what it did for Pizza Hut's sales! ********* A crowd of a little over a hundred saw a new FA Cup record set on 31st August 2005 after a Preliminary Round replay between Tunbridge Wells and Littlehampton Town ended in a draw. Two penalties were scored in the match itself and in the subsequent penalty decider another 40 penalties were taken with Tunbridge Wells winning 16-15.

The match kicked off at 7.45pm and finished at 10.55. The record for the FA Cup proper was set on Wednesday December 17th 2014 when Scunthorpe United won 14-13 at non-leaguers Worcester City in a Second Round replay. The 27 successful attempts were scored from a total of 32 penalties taken. The previous record in the FA Cup proper was set on 28th November 2001 in the First Round replay between Forest Green Rovers of the Conference and Third Division Macclesfield Town. A total of 24 spot-kicks were taken with Macclesfield winning 11-10. Macclesfield's Rickie Lambert missed one of the penalties in that match and amazingly 13 years later was in the Liverpool team which set the record League Cup penalty shoot-out scoreline (see below) although was substituted before the penalties were taken. The highest in the League Cup was set at Anfield on Tuesday September 23rd 2014 in the Capital One Cup Third Round tie between Liverpool and Middlesbrough.

A penalty in the closing seconds of extra time gave Middlesbrough a 2-2 draw on the night and then followed 30 penalties with Liverpool finishing victorious 14-13 with 20 of the penalties being converted on the trot. The League Cup record set at Anfield equalled the highest penalty shoot-out score in senior English football which was originally set in the Southern Section First Round match in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy between Leyton Orient and Dagenham & Redbridge on 7th September 2011. Amazingly in that match the first 27 penalties were all converted before Dagenham 'keeper James Shea saved Ben Chorley's effort to leave Dagenham 14-13 winners. ********* Its not just the England senior side who suffer from the shoot-out blues. In June 2007 England Under 21s were up against hosts Netherlands in the semi-final of the European Under 21 championships and the match went to penalties. With Chris Waddle and Stuart Pearce watching (how's that for a bad omen!) the shoot-out consisted of 32 penalties of which 25 were scored.

But 13 of them were against England who lost 13-12. How Soccer Originated. Soccer History. CONTACT COLLEGE COACHES The History Of Soccer More than 240 million people around the world play soccer regularly according to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The game has evolved from the sport of kicking a rudimentary animal-hide ball around into the World Cup sport it is today. Records trace the history of soccer back more than 2,000 years ago to ancient China. Greece, Rome, and parts of Central America also claim to have started the sport; but it was England that transitioned soccer, or what the British and many other people around the world call “football,” into the game we know today. The English are credited with recording the first uniform rules for the sport, including forbidding tripping opponents and touching the ball with hands. As the sport developed, more rules were implemented and more historical landmarks were set. For example, the penalty kick was introduced in 1891. FIFA became a member of the International Football Association Board of Great Britain in 1913. Red and yellow cards were introduced during the 1970 World Cup finals.

More recent major changes include goalkeepers being banned from handling deliberate back passes in 1992 and tackles from behind becoming red-card penalties in 1998. Some of the top players throughout history include Pele (Edson Arantes Do Nascimento) from Brazil, who scored six goals in the 1958 World Cup and helped Brazil claim its first title; Lev Yashin from Russia, who claimed to have saved more than 150 penalty shots during his outstanding goal-tending career; and Marco Van Basten from Holland, who won several very prestigious soccer awards during one year alone. There are many debates over who the greatest soccer players are of all time; but players like Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Lionel Messi, and Roberto Baggio make almost every list.

Question: In which year was the penalty kick first introduced into the game of football?
Answer: 1891