Soccer Milestones

Very much "work in progress", here is a first stab at a chronological listing of the game's milestones. Let me know what else you would like me to cover!

 

 

1855

Sheffield Club formed.  Members play among themselves and against other local men’s organizations.

1862

Notts County formed.  England’s oldest professional club.  Early matches are played on local cricket grounds.

1863

The Football Association is formed. 

1867

Queen’s Park formed, Scotland’s oldest club

1871

F.A. Cup introduced by the Football Association.

1872

First official International game, Scotland v. England

1873

Scottish F.A. formed

1874

Shinguards (to protect the legs) said to have been introduced, by adapting the pads used by cricketers.  As with cricket, the guards are worn outside of the stockings.

1875

Crossbar introduced to replace the tape across the goal

1876

Welsh F.A. formed

1878

Commonly reported date for first use of referee’s whistle.  However, the game was controlled by two umpires at this time.  The referee was merely a time-keeper.  Take this story about the whistle with a piece of salt!

1880

Irish FA founded

1882

Two handed throw-in introduced

 

The International Board was instituted to maintain the laws of the game

1883

F..A. Cup won by a Northern team for the first time (Blackburn Olympic)

1885

Professionalism legalized.

Arbroath beat Bon Accord 36-0 in a Scottish Cup tie, which remains the largest score in a British ‘first-class’ game.  John Petrie claimed 13 of the goals.

1888

Football League founded, after an initiative by William McGregor of Aston Villa.  12 clubs participated.

1889

Preston North End win the first League Championship and the F.A. Cup, to “do the double”

1891

Scottish League formed.

 

Mr. Brodie of Liverpool introduces the goal net (and patents the design)

 

The penalty kick is included in the laws

1892

The Football League is extended to two divisions by taking clubs from the Football Alliance.

1893

The FA Amateur Cup starts.

1895

The F.A. Cup is stolen from a shop window and never recovered.  An exact replica is made.

1901

Players are subject to a maximum wage.

1902

Crowd disaster at Ibrox Park, Glasgow

1904

FIFA founded

1905

First £1000 transfer; Alf Common to Middlesbrough

1907

Players’ Union re-introduced

1908

First Charity Shield match

 

Transfer fee maximum set at £350 in January but withdrawn in April

1909

Scottish Cup not awarded after a riot at the Final

1914

King George V becomes the first reigning monarch to attend the FA Cup Final

1921

A yellow shirt introduced for goalkeepers in International matches

1922

Maximum wage in England rises to £8 during the season, £6 in summer. A benefit not exceeding £650 can be granted to a player after five year’s service.

Billy Minter of St. Albans City scores all seven of his team’s goals in a cup-tie with Dulwich Hamlet but finishes on the losing side as Dulwich win 8-7.

1923

First Wembley F.A. Cup Final.  Not an ‘all-ticket’ game, some 200,000 people fight their way into the ground.  There is no attendance record set since no-one could count them all!

1924

Newcastle United incur a record fine of £750 by the Football League after playing weakened teams in seven League games.

The Football League rules that the visiting team must were shirts of a different colour if there would otherwise be a clash with the home team.

1925

New off-side law introduced.  Only two men needed between an attacker and the goal, not three.

1926

Huddersfield Town are Football League Champions for the third successive year

1927

A Welsh club, Cardiff City, with the English F.A. Cup

1928

The four British nations resign from UEFA

 

The first £10,000 transfer

1930

Uruguay win the first World Cup

1931

Goalkeepers allowed to take four steps when holding the ball, not two.

1933

The Scotland v. England games sets a new world attendance record

1935

Arsenal equal Huddersfield’s record of three successive League championships

1936

Joe Payne of Luton scores ten goals in a League game against Bristol Rovers, which Luton win 12-0

1937

Scotland v. England sets a another record attendance; 149,547 at Hampden Park

1938

Major re-write of the laws of the game

1939

Extensions to Wembley Stadium allow the first 100,000 crowd at an English Cup Final (actually 99,370 attend)

Numbering of player’s shirts introduced for Football League games.

The Football League is cancelled after the second week because of the outbreak of World War Two.

Watering of pitches is allowed in England, except for November to February

1945

The F.A. Cup returns after the War.  The League has to wait another year.

1946

Games can be played to a finish because of the problem of arranging replays.  However, darkness fell in the Third Division North Cup between Stockport County and Doncaster after 203 minutes of play (90 minutes, plus two periods of ten minutes for extra time, plus another 93 minutes of stalemate without a goal being scored)

Players maximum wage rises to £12 during the season, £10 at other times.