The following are events in the 1850s decade which are relevant to the development of

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

. Included are events in closely related codes, such as the Sheffield Rules. All events happened in

English football Association football is the most popular sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game. With over 40,000 association f ...

unless specified otherwise.

Events

1857

* 24 October – Foundation of

Sheffield FC Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, although now based in nearby Dronfield, across the county boundary in Derbyshire. They currently compete in the . Founded in October 1857,

. The club is officially regarded by the FA and

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

governing bodies as the world's oldest association football club. It is the oldest documented non-university club in any code of football.

1858

* 28 October – Final approval of the ''Laws of Sheffield Football Club'' which became known via several revisions as the Sheffield Rules. Originally created and maintained by Sheffield FC, responsibility for the rules passed to

Sheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association The Sheffield and Hallamshire Football Association is a County Football Association in England. It was formed in Sheffield in 1867 as the Sheffield Football Association, and is the second-oldest football governing body after the Football Associ ...

upon its creation in 1867. They co-existed with the

Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

(FA) rules from 1863 until 1877 when the two codes were unified. The first version applied strict limits to handling of the ball but did allow the

fair catch A fair catch is a feature of American football and several other codes of football, in which a player attempting to catch a ball kicked by the opposing team – either on a kickoff or punt – is entitled to catch the ball without interference ...

(earning a free kick). A goal could only be scored by kicking the ball, but not from a free kick. There was no offside rule but there were rules about the

throw-in A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of association football when the ball has exited the side of the field of play. It is governed by Law 15 of The Laws of the Game. Award When the ball goes out of play past the touch-line ...

and the goal kick. There was no definition of goal size or structure, and no mention of team numbers. Besides carrying the ball by hand, certain other

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

practices were forbidden including hacking and holding opponents.

1859

* Foundation of Wanderers FC by a group of

Old Harrovians The following is a list of some notable Old Harrovians, former pupils of Harrow School in the United Kingdom. Politicians, civil servants, and royalty Civil servants, intelligence officers, and police *Sir Alex Allan (born 1951), Chairman of ...

including Charles W. Alcock. The club was originally called Forest Football Club and changed its name to Wanderers in 1864.Sanders, p. 42.

Births

Unknown

* c.1850 – William Gibb (d. unknown),

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

international in 1873 who played in the second official international match. * c.1850 – John Hunter (d. 1891), Scotland international in four matches (1874–1877). * c.1850 –

Sandy Kennedy Alexander "Sandy" Kennedy (born in Dalquhurn) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Eastern, Third Lanark Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire ...

(d. unknown), Scotland international in six matches (1875–1884). * c.1855 – David Davidson (d. unknown), Scotland international in five matches (1878–1881). * c.1855 – John Kay (d. unknown), Scotland international in six matches, scoring five goals (1880–1884). * c.1855 –

George Ker George "Geordie" Ker (born in Glasgow) was a Scottish footballer of the 1870s and 1880s. Ker played for ''Queen's Park Juniors'', ''Kerland FC'', and Alexandra Athletic before joining Queen's Park in 1877. Until 1878, Ker had played as a d ...

(d. unknown), Scotland international in five matches, scoring ten goals including a

hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three w ...

against England in March 1880 (1880–1882).

1850

* 1 January –

Charles Chenery Charles John Chenery (1 January 1850 – 17 April 1928) was a footballer who played for England in the first international match against Scotland. He also played cricket for Surrey and Northants. Football career Chenery was born in Lambourn, ...

(d. 1928),

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

international 1872–1874 who played in the first three official international matches; also a county

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

er. * 13 March –

Alfred Goodwyn Alfred George Goodwyn (13 March 1850 – 14 March 1874) was an English Royal Engineer, who represented his regiment at football. He was a member of the Regiment's team that was defeated in the very first FA Cup final. He also represented Englan ...

(d. 1874), England international in 1873 who played in the second official international match; the first international footballer to die. * 14 March –

Francis Birley Francis Hornby Birley (14 March 1850 – 1 August 1910) was an English footballer who played as a half back. He won the FA Cup three times in the 1870s and made two appearances for England in 1874 and 1875. Career Winchester College Birley w ...

(d. 1910), England international in 1874 and 1875; a three-time winner of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...

. * 23 April – Arnold Kirke Smith (d. 1927), England international in 1872 who played in the first official international match. * 27 May –

Charles Morice Charles John Morice (27 May 1850 – 17 June 1932) was an English footballer who played for England as a forward in the first international match against Scotland. Early life and education Morice was born in London, the son of Sophia (née ...

(d. 1932), England international in 1872 who played in the first official international match. * 15 June – Charlie Clegg (d. 1937), England international in 1872 who played in the first official international match; later both chairman and president of

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

(The FA). * 19 July – Cuthbert Ottaway (d. 1878), England international in 1872 and 1874 as team captain in the first and third official international matches; also a county cricketer. * 16 December – Joseph Taylor (d. 1888), Scotland international in 1872 who played in the first official international match and, until 1876, made six international appearances.

1851

* March –

Jimmy Lang James Joseph Lang (March 1851 – 14 July 1929) was a Scottish international footballer who represented Scotland twice from 1876 to 1878. Early life Lang was born in March 1851 in Scotland. Before his football career, he worked at the John Br ...

(d. unknown), Scotland international in two matches, scoring two goals (1876–1878). * 28 April – P. G. von Donop (d. 1921), England international in 1873 who played in the second official international match and in 1875, made two appearances. * 30 April – John Blackburn (d. 1927), Scotland international in 1873 who played in the second official international match. * 7 October – Alexander Bonsor (d. 1907), England international 1873–1875 made two appearances; twice an FA Cup winner with The Wanderers. * 17 October –

Reginald Courtenay Welch Reginald Courtenay Welch (17 October 1851 – 4 June 1939) (sometimes Reginald de Courtenay Welch) was a key player in the early years of association football. He played for the Wanderers in the FA Cup Finals of 1872 and 1873, and also played f ...

(d. 1939), England international in 1872 and 1874 who played in the first and third official international matches; twice an FA Cup winner with The Wanderers. * 23 November – Jerry Weir (d. 1887), Scotland international in 1872 who played in the first official international match; made four international appearances. * 25 December – James J. Thomson (d. 1915), Scotland international 1872–1874 who played in the first three official international matches. * unknown date – John McGregor (d. unknown), Scotland international in four matches (1877–1880).

1852

* 18 January –

Billy MacKinnon William Muir MacKinnon (18 January 1852 – 24 May 1942) was a Scottish footballer who played for Queen's Park and the Scotland national team in the 1870s. With Queen's Park, MacKinnon won the first three Scottish Cup competitions in 1874, 1 ...

(d. 1942), Scotland international in 1872 who played in the first official international match and, until 1879, made nine appearances. * 30 January –

Hubert Heron George Hubert Hugh Heron (30 January 1852 – 5 June 1914) was an English footballer who made five appearances as a forward for England in the 1870s and won three FA Cup winners' medals. Playing career Heron was born in Uxbridge, west London ...

(d. 1914), England international in 1873 who played in the second official international match and, until 1878, made five appearances. * 21 April – William Clegg (d. 1932), England international in 1873 who played in the second official international match and in 1879 against Wales; brother of Charlie Clegg. * unknown date – William Ker (d. 1925), Scotland international in 1872–73 who played in the first two official international matches. * unknown date – Jack Hunter (d. 1903), England international in seven matches from 1878 to 1882; an early professional who was player-coach with Blackburn Olympic when they won the

in 1883.

1853

* 14 March –

Arthur Cursham Arthur William Cursham (14 March 1853 – 24 December 1884) was an English cricketer and footballer. He played football for England and for Notts County between 1876 and 1883. He played cricket for Nottinghamshire from 1876 to 1879 and for De ...

(d. 1884), England international forward in six matches (1876–1883), scoring two goals. * 18 March – William Maynard (d. 1921), England international in 1872 who played in the first official international match. * 3 September –

Walpole Vidal Robert Walpole Sealy Vidal, who from 1892 was Robert Walpole Sealy (3 September 1853 – 5 November 1914) was a prominent 19th century footballer who featured in the first three FA Cup Finals for two different clubs. In March 1870 he played in ...

(d. 1914), England international in 1873 who played in the second official international match. * unknown date – Harry McNeil (d. 1924), Scotland international in ten matches, scoring six goals (1874–1881). * unknown date – Thomas Highet (d. 1907), Scotland international in four matches (1875–1878). * unknown date – Alex McLintock (d. 1931), Scotland international in three matches (1875–1880). * unknown date – Robert Neill (d. 1928), Scotland international in five matches (1876–1880). * unknown date – John McDougall (d. 1925), Scotland international in five matches, scoring four goals (1877–1879).

1854

* 25 January – Segar Bastard (d. 1921), England international in 1880 (one match); also a noted referee. * 10 March –

Alex McGeoch Alexander McGeoch (10 March 1854 – 24 January 1922) was a Scottish footballer who played for Glasgow Western, Dumbreck and Scotland. A goalkeeper, he was the only serving Dumbreck player to have been selected for international duty.

(d. 1922), Scotland international in four matches (1876–1877). * unknown date – Charles Campbell (d. 1927), Scotland international in 13 matches, as captain in nine (1874–1886).

1855

* 1 June – Walter Buchanan (d. 1926), England international in 1876 (one match); played for

Clapham Rovers Clapham Rovers was from its foundation in 1869 a leading English sports organisation in the two dominant codes of football, association football and rugby union. It was a prominent club in the late 19th century but is now defunct. The club play ...

. * 4 July –

Francis Sparks Francis John Sparks (4 July 1855 – 13 February 1934) was an English amateur footballer, who played as a forward. He won the FA Cup in 1880 with Clapham Rovers and made three appearances for England, scoring three goals and being appointed ...

(d. 1934), England international forward in three matches (1879–1880), scoring three goals. * 12 August – John Smith (d. 1934), Scotland international in ten matches, scoring ten goals (1877–1884). * 7 December – Stuart Macrae (d. 1927), England international half-back in six matches (1883–1884). * unknown date – William Davies (d. 1916),

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

international in four matches (1876–1880) who scored the first-ever goal for Wales. * unknown date –

John McPherson John Abel McPherson (28 January 1860 – 13 December 1897) was the first leader of the South Australian United Labor Party from 1892 to 1897. Though he never led a government himself, he helped lay the groundwork which ensured that at the 19 ...

(d. 1934), Scotland international in eight matches (1879–1885).

1856

* 6 March –

Horace Barnet Colonel Horace Hutton Barnet (6 March 1856 – 29 March 1941) was an English soldier and footballer. Early and personal life Barnet was born on 6 March 1856 in Kensington, which was then in Middlesex. He had two younger siblings, and their fath ...

(d. 1941), England international in 1882 (one match); played for

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

. * 24 May – Andrew Watson (d. 1921), Scotland international in three matches (1881–1882), believed to have been the first black player at international level. * 27 May –

Tom Vallance Thomas Vallance (27 May 1856 – 16 February 1935) was a Scottish football player. He made 38 Scottish Cup appearances for the Rangers club. Football Before football, Vallance was a rower. He was noted as being abnormally tall for the times ...

(d. 1935), Scotland international in seven matches (1877–1881) and an early captain of Rangers. * 27 July – John Baird (d. 1902), Scotland international in three matches (1876–1880). * 12 November – Joe Beverley (d. 1897), England international in 1884 (three matches); an early professional player for both Blackburn Olympic and Blackburn Rovers.

1857

* 9 July – Norman Bailey (d. 1923), England international in 19 matches from 1878 to 1887. * 23 July – Lindsay Bury (d. 1935), England international in two matches from 1877 to 1879.

1858

* 22 March – James Richmond (d. 1898), Scotland international in three matches (1877–1882). * 30 July – Charles Bambridge (d. 1935), England international in 18 matches (scoring eleven goals) from 1879 to 1887. * 13 November –

Joseph Lindsay Joseph Lindsay (13 November 1858 – 12 October 1933) was a Scottish footballer. Career Lindsay played for Dumbarton, Rangers, Renton and the Scotland national team. Honours ;Dumbarton * Scottish Cup: Winners 1882–83 – Runners Up 1880� ...

(d. 1933), Scotland international in eight matches, scoring six goals (1880–1886). * 27 November –

William Beveridge William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge, (5 March 1879 – 16 March 1963) was a British economist and Liberal politician who was a progressive and social reformer who played a central role in designing the British welfare state. His 1942 ...

(d. 1941), Scotland international in three matches (1879–1880). * unknown date – Alfred Dobson (d. 1932), England international full-back in four matches (1882–1884). * unknown date – Peter Miller (d. 1914), Scotland international in three matches (1882–1883).

1859

* 2 January – Billy Mosforth (d. 1929), England international in nine matches from 1877 to 1882. * 14 January – Albemarle Swepstone (d. 1907), England international goalkeeper in six matches (1880–1883). * 15 March – Arthur Brown (d. 1909), England international in three matches (scoring four goals), all in 1882. * 9 April –

Bob Roberts ''Bob Roberts'' is a 1992 American satirical mockumentary film written, directed by, and starring Tim Robbins. It depicts the rise of Robert "Bob" Roberts Jr., a right-wing politician who is a candidate for an upcoming United States Senate electi ...

(d. 1929), England international goalkeeper in three matches (1887–1890). * 29 April – Rupert Anderson (d. 1944), England international goalkeeper for one match in 1879. * 6 June – William McKinnon (d. 1899), Scotland international in four matches (1883–1884). * 22 June –

George Gillespie George Gillespie (21 January 1613 – 17 December 1648) was a Scottish theologian. His father was John Gillespie, minister of Kirkcaldy. He studied at St Andrews University, and is said to have graduated M.A. 1629, though the date is prob ...

(d. 1900), Scotland international goalkeeper in seven matches (1880–1891). * 6 October – George Holden (d. 1925), England international forward in four matches (1881–1884). * 4 November – Andrew Holm (d. unknown), Scotland international in three matches (1882–1883). * 27 November –

Harry Cursham Henry Alfred Cursham (27 November 1859 – 6 August 1941) was an English footballer and cricketer. He played football mostly for Notts County, with spells at Corinthian, Grantham Town and Thursday Wanderers. In cricket, he played two first ...

(d. 1941), England international forward in eight matches (1880–1884), scoring five goals.

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Association football chronology Association football by decade