This Is the World’s Oldest Football And It Has a Fascinating Story

An illustration of so-called “mob football”, a variety of medieval football. This ‘match’ was played at London’s Crowe Street.
However, football was not always a harmless pastime. It was often a violent and chaotic sport that involved hundreds of players and no rules. It could cause injuries, riots and even deaths. Therefore, several laws were passed to ban or discourage football, as it was seen as a threat to public order and military service. A contemporary poem called “The beauties of the foot ball” lists some of the dangers of playing football, such as broken bones, torn ligaments and even impotence.

The Bewties Of The Fute-ball

Brissit brawnis and brokin banis,
Stride, discord and waistie wanis.
Crukit in eild syne halt withal,
Thir are the bewties of the fute-ball.