The development of football
Forerunners of football
The creation of football as we understand it today is geographically confined to British shores, but there is extensive evidence of ancient games with the same basic principles as the modern day incarnation. The first of these was identified as part of Shang Dynasty China in the 5th century BC, the game’s objective being to kick a leather ball through a hole in a piece of cloth which between two 30 foot poles. The Tsu’Chu military exercise in 3rd century China was also an interesting elaboration on this theme; the premise once again being to kick a leather ball through a 30-40 centimetre opening.
As the Tsu’Chu exercise lacked the central team element of today’s football, attention has also been given to the Greek and Roman games of episkyros and Harpastum respectively. The latter is particularly interesting as a game played on a rectangular grass surface with a ball roughly equivalent to a softball today.
The creation of football as we understand it today is geographically confined to British shores, but there is extensive evidence of ancient games with the same basic principles as the modern day incarnation. The first of these was identified as part of Shang Dynasty China in the 5th century BC, the game’s objective being to kick a leather ball through a hole in a piece of cloth which between two 30 foot poles. The Tsu’Chu military exercise in 3rd century China was also an interesting elaboration on this theme; the premise once again being to kick a leather ball through a 30-40 centimetre opening.
As the Tsu’Chu exercise lacked the central team element of today’s football, attention has also been given to the Greek and Roman games of episkyros and Harpastum respectively. The latter is particularly interesting as a game played on a rectangular grass surface with a ball roughly equivalent to a softball today.
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