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A funny old game: First-ever football rule book revealing two-hour games and 20-a-side goes under the hammer
With 20-a-side matches and the players allowed to handle the ball, the world’s oldest football rulebook reveals a game very different to the modern era.
Now the 1858 rules – which belong to the first ever club Sheffield FC – are being auctioned this week and are expected to fetch up to £1.2million.
Back then matches lasted for two hours and 40 players would take part.
Sheffield Code: The 1858 rules were extremely influential in the development of the modern game. This typed set were written in 1859Bizarrely, players were allowed to catch the ball providing it had not touched the ground or been thrown from the touchline.
The game, which was originally derived from rugby, was very different to the 21st century sport.
Outfield players were allowed to punch the ball, as Diego Maradona did – illegally – to score his infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in 1986.
In an era long before £50 replica kits with the sponsors logos emblazoned all over them, each player had to wear either a red or blue flannel cap.
The old set of rules formed the basis of the Football Association rulebook which was published five years later in 1863.
Handwritten laws of the game were first put down on paper in 1858. Rules followed by Cambridge University and public schools were influential in putting them together
First club: Sheffield FC players in 1857. The amateur side, formed in that year, is recognised as the oldest in the world. Back then there were 20 players on each sideAmateur side Sheffield FC are auctioning off the rulebook to raise money for the club.
However, even after 1863 the majority of clubs continued to play under the influential ‘Sheffield Code’ as the FA was seen as a London organisation.
Sheffield FC are credited with creating the corner kick in 1871 as well as the free kick and the solid crossbar. From the outset hacking and tripping was forbidden.
It was the English that invented the penalty in 1891 which has come back to haunt the national side so often in major competitions.
Playing by the old rules? Diego Maradona punches the ball past Peter Shilton to score his infamous Hand of God goal in 1986, right. Wayne Rooney, left, celebrates scoring for Manchester United in his modern strip which is a far cry from the flannel caps players had to wear in the 1850s
The lot being sold by Sothebys on Thursday includes the handwritten rules from 1858 and the only remaining printed set from 1859.
Rulebook: The lot is expected to fetch up to £1.2million at auction on ThursdayThe Sheffield Code was put together with help from earlier rules – in particular those used by Cambridge University and other public schools who were the first people to play the game.
It was the Sheffield FC set which were influential in the rapid development of football over the following decades. Between 1858 and 1900 that the majority of modern football clubs were founded.
Sheffield FC chairman Richard Sims said the club needed money from the 19th century memorabilia to support the club today.
‘The sale of this remarkable piece of sporting history will allow Sheffield Football Club to develop its facilities and secure its future as the home of grass-roots football,’ he said.
‘The club is incredibly proud of its long history, and it is fitting that the club has until now provided a home for the oldest recorded rules of club football.
‘But together with its instrumental role in the evolution of the game we know and love today, the club has always placed a particular focus on developing the game for future generations.’
Match reports from the 1860s and club minute books from the 1850s and 1860s are also going on sale as part of the lot.
The reports even describe crowd fighting at an early Sheffield derby in 1862.
Sheffield FC, founded in 1857, are acknowledged by Fifa and the Football Association to be the oldest club in the world. They now play in the Evo-Stik League First Division South.
Before the club was created football was only played in public schools and universities.
Sheffield FC V Hallam FC in December 1860 is recognised as the first-ever match between two sides – before that teams had only played ‘internal’ games within the club.
20-a-side? The England World Cup team, pictured here lining up against Slovenia in their group C clash, could have benefited from a few extra players after some dreadful performancesImportant message from Captain Nick : please read !
URGENT MESSAGE:
C’mon Nomads, get urgent and register early. Don’t wait till late ..
If u register early other guys will too …it’s human nature!
Then we get a full 6 a side game EVERY GAME! Don’t wait till it’s too late!!!
Season 2012/13 : applicants wanted
Dear Nomads,
The 7th season is starting, and there will be soon an annual meeting (Saturday 13th of October – write it in your agenda).
Many of us are leaving or already left, it is time to promote some rookies !
Every Nomad is important and welcome to take some responsibilities, to keep our club alive.
For the moment, we are expecting several candidates for the following positions :
- President : symbolic role but taking some decisions to make the things go further
- Coach : has to chose the teams for our regular games + official ones
- Event manager : someone(s) ready to support the president in managing our events
- Moderators : willing to enter our legendary but secret moderators section, and discuss about our important decisions
- Administrators : tech people able to manage the wordpress admin panel. I will still maintain the website if you don’t mind, but it’s better to have someone in Bulgaria to be able to make it too.
Please apply for any of these ASAP, by answering in the comments form. Then a poll will be submitted to our members.
President
1-
2-
3-
4-
5-
6-
Coach
1-
2-
3-
4-
5-
6-
Event management
1-
2-
3-
4-
5-
6-
Moderators
1-
2-
3-
4-
5-
6-
Administrators
1-
2-
3-
Goodbye Nomads
Dear nomads,
I probably played my last game for the nomads yesterday and therefore I want to say goodbye to all of you.
Almost 6 years ago I became a member of this great club and I like to looking back and remember great games, trips and events. Friendships which will last a lifetime and that is why I do not want to miss a single year of it … But everything comes to an end.
I also want to thank those people who have contributed all these years to continuously improve and increase the club. Especially I would like to mention Kris for his excellent work and his organizational talent which drives the club forward. He would be a worthy successor as president. Everyone has to do something that the club remains alive. Sometimes is not enough to go just once a week to one of the matches.
I wish the club all the best and success. Stay as you are
your
Schatti
———————————————
Liebe Nomaden,
gestern habe ich wohl das vorerst letzte Spiel für die Nomaden gemacht und möchte mich deshalb auf diesem Weg von allen Mitgliedern im Club verabschieden.
Fast 6 Jahre bin ich mittlerweile Mitglied in diesen tollen Verein und schaue gerne zurück und erinnere mich an super Spiele, Fahrten und Feiern. An Freundschaften die ein Leben lang halten werden und gerade deshalb möchte ich nicht ein einziges Jahr davon missen… aber alles hat mal ein Ende.
Ich möchte mich auch bei denen Leute bedanken, die die ganzen Jahre an der Verbesserung und Vergrößerung des Clubs kontinuierlich beigetragen haben. Eigentlich möchte ich niemanden hervorheben, jedoch Kris ist jemand, der mit seiner Beharrlichkeit und seinem Organisationstalent den Club voran treibt. Er wäre ein würdiger Nachfolger als Präsident. Jeder muss aber auch selber etwas dazu beitragen, dass der Verein am Leben bleibt. Es reicht manchmal nicht nur einmal die Woche zum Spiel zu gehen…
Ich wünsche dem Club noch alles Gute und Erfolg. Bleibt so wie Ihr seid
Euer
Schatti
Final results of the Euro 2012 Tournament
Germany does not always win in the end. Here is the proof.
Our Nomads tournament has been won by a non-Nomads team. We know how to welcome our guests, Nomads spirit!
Here are the results :
Who’s gonna win our Euro 2012 Tournament ?
Now that you know (most of) the teams, and the groups, you have an idea about the competition and the potential semifinals.
Ardis requested a betting software. Of course we are not going to make for him, but you can still share your opinion about the winning team.
Who is gonna win our Euro 2012 Tournament ?
- Germany (50%, 3 Votes)
- Italian pizza makers (17%, 1 Votes)
- France (17%, 1 Votes)
- Spain (17%, 1 Votes)
- Belomorets (0%, 0 Votes)
- Scandinavia (0%, 0 Votes)
- Bulgaria (0%, 0 Votes)
- England (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 6
Loading …Nomads trip in Belgrade 2012
Belgrade is far better than i imagined….a beautiful well maintained modern and vibrant city with friendly inhabitants “including the taxi drivers” and a road system that actually works!
The trip to Belgrade however was exactly how i imagined, as we took a coach instead of a ride with Assen and his girlfriend Nora as we fully expected Grigor to be in the same car which may have led to our deaths by means of suffocation.
I traveled on the thursday with Daniel our Polish winger, who insisted he was only really there for the beer….and the legend that is urban Chapolino. Daniel sat next to an old fella who wanted a chat so decided music via his earphones was the better option.
Chapolino in the meantime had befriended a lovely French girl and was happily chatting away…..I’m sure she was fully convinced we were one of the best teams in Europe by the time we arrived in Belgrade!
As usual i had the worst deal and ended up at the back of the coach with an overweight middle aged gal “probably about my age actually.” She thankfully spoke little English as she had the breath of a shit eating dog with severe gum disease.
We arrived at the border where the ever alert customs officer asked me “where u bin”? I answered Bulgaria which was obviously the correct answer as he let me straight through with my concealed weapons and 20 kilos of the finest cannabis available in the Balkans.
Despite the fact there were no toilet facilities and the old gal began smelling of urine the rest of the journey was pretty much acceptable and by this time i was sitting alongside Chapolino’s new French female friend who was great company and obviously flossed and brushed her teeth at least once a week!
On arrival at the hotel, the reception manager asked us if we were happy to pay a deposit of sixty million dinars “about twenty eight euros” and after a few minutes we were shown to our rooms which had clean sheets, hot running water, and a rocking chair posing as a toilet…..but hey what can you expect for sixty million dinars??!!
Kris and his wife arrived as we were leaving the hotel but had already decided on a quiet night with a nice bottle of Bordeaux and some and a meal rather than half a dozen beers and some dirty jokes about mice shagging elephants. We were praying Kris would still be alive the next morning when his wife had seen the hotel room but luckily as you can see in the photos he escaped with just a black eye and a broken nose.
So we went out and drank beer in a tented bar in what Chapolino described as a Tsunami “it rained in sheets not drops” and we had a table underneath what looked like a waterfall. For the rest of the night we drank some great beer and discussed tactics like maybe if we avoid getting paralytic tomorrow we wont be sick during the game!
Friday was the day the rest of the troops “legion” arrived and at 5.30 we met Ivo and his girlfriend…Ivo’s organisational skills are almost of German standards…..
We also met our president Schatti who is in fact German and organised plus Grigor, Svetlo, Ivalyo, Stefan, Chefo, and Bobi for what Chapolino described as a warm up for the night ahead!!!
Later on we met in reception where strangely all the guys assembled 10 minutes early but despite me arriving ten minutes later i was heckled for my punctuality!
We had a nice Serbian meal plus the only black wine in the world after which Ivo thought it would be an excellent idea to go to an Irish bar where purely by coincidence his team Barcelona were playing Bilbao in the final of the Copa Del Reya.
By this time the Turkish nomadic legend Tansu had arrived from Sarajevo with his wife…and despite the Guinness not being up to McCarthys Sofia standards a great night was had by all.
Saturday arrived and we set off on a bus tour of Belgrade which Ivo and his girlfriend kindly sorted out again.
It was an eye opener for me as i saw Belgrade in all its glory …it’s a truly magical place and i must admit it was a bit of a surprise albeit a very nice one! We were told that one of the worlds first three cameras was used to take photos of the city and some of the oldest photographs in the world are housed in a building near the centre…..Although I’m not so sure of this as Chapolino seems to have been posting photos on Facebook for an eternity!
There is also a statue of a naked man which was built over a century ago and is high on a hill as the locals didn’t want to view his private parts at close range. They had an erection on the photo that Chapo took but not on the one by Kris……Very strange but very true!!!
At the end of the bus trip Kris was also surprised when the French commentary said they hoped he and his wife had a nice tour and also hoped they had enjoyed the orgasm…..Translation can be a wonderful thing sometimes!!
Finally the game was close and the Nomads are ready to rock and roll….We arrived at the ground situated on a picturesque island next to the Danube and the other not so famous river. We were greeted by Oleg who i was told was one of Nomads finest ex players…He later lived up to his illustrious reputation. He told us the team we were playing were very strong so we decided to play in golf spikes to even things out a little.
Things were going well with Oleg and Assen causing problems up front and Svet, Kris and Ivo strong at the back.
At half time it was still 0-0. It stayed that way till 20 minutes from the end when a long range effort by a serbian midfielder hit the top corner of the Nomads net!
The Nomads spirit shone through though and Assen rose above the Serbian centre back to power in a header which the goalkeeper could only parry into the path the poacher that is Ivalyo and we were level!!
It stayed that way till the end and the Nomads had shown their true spirit…….viva la Nomads!!!!!
Saturday was a great night in an awesome restaurant which is apparently one of the oldest in Europe….The food was great but the women were even better yeeehaah…. I think one women actually smiled at me but she was a little crossed eyed so i cant be sure!
Later we went to a great club on the river and drank more beer and got neck ache due to the amount of mini skirted girls walking by.
So all in all it was an awesome time with some brilliant people….THE NOMADS!! Hope we can do it again soon and hope the guys who missed this trip will try and make the next one….You missed a great time!
Thanks Ivo everything you arranged was brilliant and Belgrade is the best….They even serve my daughters favorite coffee “flat white”.
Cheers Nomads i will remember this trip for a long time to come…but i think Kris will remember his bus journey for even longer hehe.
Up Nomads!!!!!!!!!!!!
RD tournament : pictures
Here are the pictures of the RD tournament last saturday.
Even if several players dropped out without letting us know about it, we tried to play at our best and had a lot of fun.
You can even see that B-team raised the cup, unexpected as Chelsea several hours later !
Ready for the next competition ?
And the most important question : Can you find who is the owner of this beautiful italian underwear ?
Euro 2012 Tournament
I was wondering if you find interesting to celebrate the Euro 2012 by playing our own tournament by nationalities, or group of nationalities/interests (spanish speaking, english speaking, fans of Lady Gaga, etc…).
We could make it in June a saturday morning in Amik.
11 a side games are nice, but some people like 6 a side too 
Do you like the idea ?
Edit : seeing the big interest, the poll directly turned to a choice for the date. Please choose the dates when you are available :
When can you play the Euro 2012 tournament ?
- June 23rd (73%, 8 Votes)
- June 16th (36%, 4 Votes)
- June 30th (27%, 3 Votes)
- June 9th (18%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 11
Loading …The Sofia Nomads, better than Facebook !
Dear Nomads,
This is the final step of our website evolution. I just added the social network functions that were needed to make the whole package user-friendly as I wanted.
From now, every member has his own “wall” like in Facebook. Your private area allows you to write on others’ walls, to post your own status, to join some pivate forums, groups and send private messages.
Soon every member will be able to create his own blog.
You can even spy on the others through the activity stream. A real dream for the Nomads who are desperately looking for something to do during office hours !
“My account” can be reached from the black toolbar that you can see on the top :
Soon we won’t need our basic forum anymore. But a new one, simpler and integrated in this social network, will appear in the end of the month. You will still be able to chat if needed.
With “my account”, you can manage the events you are attending, and even create your own events :
Join or create special groups (i.e. “Italians in Sofia” or “Kamasutra fans”) :
And you can watch the memberlist, the activity stream…
I hope it is clear and simple. Soon I will make some FAQ-tutorials to explain the most important functions (events, registration…).
Once again, thank you for being so patient during these weeks. It took me time to reach this result because I wasn’t always available, but now I think the result fits our needs.
