The Laws of The Game

Messing around and generally contemplating all things World Cup, i thought back on this guy i once knew named Chris. Chris, like a proper citizen of his native land, would constantly deride the national team come World Cup time.

“Did you see the match last night? Bloody awful, wonnit?”
“Dude, England won 3-1.”
“Worst 3-1 victory I ever saw. I don’t understand why we can’t put bloody put a proper bloody team together. I mean, we invented the game.”
“C’mon, Chris, really? You invented it?”
“Well…we organized it.”

The archaeologists and historians tell us that the origins of football may go back to circa 1500 BCE, should the Olmecs’ juego de pelota be considered a direct ancestor of the Beautiful Sport. Officially speaking, FIFA president Sepp Blatter acknowledged China as the land of the origins of football, with the Chinese game of cuju is the true predecessor of football; cuju was played at least as far back as the 3rd century BCE. The Roman game Harpastum must play a large part in the origins of football as well, since Caesar used the game to train soldiers (naturally), with Roman soldiers subsequently spreading the sport.

Murky history matters little to what we call the World Cup, and the far-off origins of football can be put aside. Of far greater importance to football today are The Laws of The Game, originally just fourteen wonderfully simple bylaws to make up one of the simplest sport rulebooks ever created: the “invention” of the game, as Chris would have it.

This creation of British genius, undoubtedly like so many others, has its origins in a pub. In 1863, a London pub played host to what would become the official origins of football, the drafting of The Laws of The Game by The Football Association. The identity of the pub itself is disputed, with both the defunct Freemason’s Tavern and the still open Freemasons Arms having their adherents.

The FA history lists the original fourteen Laws of The Game, as drafted in December 1863, follow. How many can you guess? (One is archaic.)

1. The maximum length of the ground shall be 200 yards and the maximum breadth shall be 100 yards. The length and breadth shall be marked off with flags. The goals shall be defined by two upright posts 8 yards apart, without any tape or bar across them.

2. The winner of the toss shall have choice of goals. The game shall be commenced by a place-kick from the centre of the ground by the side losing the toss. The other side shall not approach within 10 yards of the ball until it is kicked off.

3. After a goal is won, the losing side shall kick off, and the goals shall be changed.

4. A goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal-posts or over the space between the goal-posts (at whatever height), not being thrown, knocked on, or carried.

5. When the ball is in touch, the first player who touches it shall throw it from the point on the boundary line where it left the ground in a direction at right angles with the boundary line, and it shall not be in play until it has touched the ground.

6. When a player has kicked the ball any one of the same side who is nearer to the opponent’s goal line is out of play and may not touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever prevent any other player from doing so until the ball has been played, but no player is out of play when the ball is kicked from behind the goal line.

7. In case the ball goes behind the goal line, if a player on the side to whom the goal belongs first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick from the goal line at the point opposite the place where the ball shall be touched. If a player of the opposite side first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick (but at the goal only) from a point 15 yards from the goal line opposite the place where the ball is touched; the opposing side shall stand behind their goal line until he has had his kick.

8. If a player makes a fair catch, he shall be entitled to a free kick, provided he claims it by making a mark with his heel at once; and in order to take such a kick he may go back as far as he pleases, and no player on the opposite side shall advance beyond his mark until he has kicked.

9. No player shall carry the ball.

10. Neither tripping nor hacking shall be allowed and no player shall use his hands to hold or push an adversary.

11. A player shall not throw the ball or pass it to another.

12. No player shall be allowed to take the ball from the ground with his hands while it is in play under any pretence whatever.

13. A player shall be allowed to throw the ball or pass it to another if he made a fair catch or catches the ball on the first bounce.

14. No player shall be allowed to wear projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta-percha on the soles or heels of his boots.

(Actually not a 19th-century steroid, gutta-percha is instead a resin from the isonandra gutta tree in common use in the pre-plastic world.)

And that’s it. Expansion to the rulebook has been remarkably and admirably kept to a minimum: Today’s Laws of The Game number only seventeen. Cricket has forty-two laws plus four appendices; download them here. I dare you: It’s 115 pages. And let’s not even get started on American football…

As World Cup 2006 slowly approaches its conclusion and i’m writing stuff on the origins of football, i wonder what Chris’ critique of the team is this year. Something involving “shite,” surely.