DOCSLIB.ORG

Ebenezer Cobb Morley the Forgotten Father of Football Humble Beginnings

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ebenezer Cobb Morley the Forgotten Father of Football Humble Beginnings ‘The Forgotten Father Of Football’ Ebenezer Cobb Morley The Forgotten Father Of Football Humble Beginnings Morley’s roots lie in Hull, he was letter there was a meeting at the Freemason’s born in 1831 on Princess Street and Tavern on 26 October 1863. This is where was the oldest child of four. His football as we know it, was created, as this early life in Hull isn’t well known, meeting led to the formation of the Football but although he wasn’t educated at Association. a public school, he qualified as a solicitor and he moved to London in It was at his home in Barnes, Surrey that the 1850’s. he formed and created the rules for football. He was also elected as the first honourary Ebenezer had a huge passion for football, still secretary of the newly formed Football in it’s formative years, football was starting to Association, a role he held from 1863 until take off as a sport, and Morley believed that 1866. the game should have a firm set of rules, as previous to this players were using one set of He was then voted in as the second president rules in one half and a different set the second of the Association, succeeding Arthur Pember half. in 1867 and left the role in 1874, being replaced by Francis Marindin. Such was his He wrote to Bell’s Life, a weekly sporting paper contribution to football that he even scored that existed in the 19th century, thanks to his the first goal in a representative game. The Forgotten Father Of Football It was between London and Sheffield on 31 carried a blue plaque in honour of Morley fell March 1866. However Morley’s life wasn’t down under re-development. The townhouse, solely devoted to football. He founded the valued at £3.8m was close to the River Barnes and Mortlake Regatta, for which he Thames and fell down following basement was also secretary from 1862-1880. Morley re-development from the former owner of was an oarsman in the 1864 Grand Challenge Phones4U David Kessler. Cup, a rowing competition for men’s eights. He competed with the London Rowing Club, Their plan was to enlarge the basement and losing out to Kingston Rowing Club. make room for a cinema, gym and a wine room. An outer wall and two internal walls While Morley is maybe best known for his collapsed during the re-development. footballing achievements, he also represented Barnes on the Surrey County Council from A disappointing conclusion to a once historic 1903-1919 and was Justice Of The Peace building in terms of football history. and Conservator at Barnes Common. From Hull to London, Ebenezer Cobb Morley Unfortunately anoher of Morley’s landmarks has transcended the north-south divide within the UK disappeared in the last couple and has affected many lives, not just in this of weeks. The Barnes townhouse which country, but the whole world over. The Forgotten Father Of Football Morley’s Modern Revival Ebenezer Cobb Morley may have died in 1924, but nearly 100 years on his legacy has become a penomenon in local social media. Some fans are keen to immortalise him and on Twitter the outpouring of support for him has been incredible. Here are a few of the finest tweets honouring the great man. Many agree with the assumption that Morley should be recognized as the ‘father’ of English football. While most are keen to point out Morley was born in Hull, and that a small city in Yorkshire has had more of an impact on football than most can beleive. Meanwhile some tweets were aimed at Hull City. Owner Assem Allam has tried twice to change the name of the club from Hull City A.F.C to Hull Tigers. However many fans point out that if it wasn’t for Morley, the A.F.C suffix wouldn’t be there. The Forgotten Father Of Football Immortalized In Stone The name Ebenezer Cobb Morley isn’t Oliver’s campaign was featured in the familiar anywhere, not even in his Hull Daily Mail as his camapign on hometown of Hull, but one man who Twitter really took off. has been keen to change that has been Oliver Harsley. When we spoke to Oliver he said: “I started my campaign because I have The 16 year old has been campaigning always known about Ebenezer’s for more people to recognise Morley’s achievements and he gave me the contributions, and by starting up a Twitter sport which I have loved from being a account petitioning for a statue to be built samm boy so \i’m giving Ebenezer his in Morley’s honour, Oliver has at least celebrated legacy. given his name some weight within the city. “Hull needs to use the upcoming 2017 City of Culture as a platform to spread The account has proven a huge success, the message of Ebenezer Cobb Morley and while a statue isn’t currently a plan to the world. in the pipelines, there is now a plaque bearing his name to recognise his life. “I do beleive Ebenezer’s profile will be Celebrity backers of the campaign recognised more as the years go on as include Hull City goalscoring hero Dean more work will be done to secure events Windass, and the attempts to get his to celebrate his life.” name known to the public will continue. The Forgotten Father Of Football Morley’s Influences Hull has a rich footballing hstory thanks to went from the old Division Three and had Ebenezer Cobb Morley. Both in League and successive promotions in 2003-04 and 2004- Non-League football, the scene in Hull is 05 from the fourth to the second tier of English thriving. With Hull City A.F.C recently being football. It was here they would stay until Phil in the FA Cup final and the top tier of English Brown led them to the play-offs in 2007-08 for a football is a testament to Morley’s success. spot in the Premier League. Since forming in 1904, Hull City have gone from May 2008 saw the club appear at Wembley for strength to strength, languishing in the lower the first time in their history, facing Bristol City for leagues for the best part of a century. Playing a seat at the most prestigious table in the world. their home games at a mix of grounds, from The It was 0-0 until the 40th minute, when up stepped Boulevard to the Anlaby Road Cricket Ground. local hero Dean Windass, who volleyed the ball However their most famous home was Boothferry home to secure Hull’s first season in the top tier. Park. From 1946 to 2002 The Tigers played here, and had some of their best years in the traditional The Tigers stayed in the Premier League until football ground. 2010, which saw them relegated back to the Championship. However since the appointment In 2003 Hull City moved to the brand new KC of ex-Manchester United defender Steve Bruce in Stadium (above), an all purpose 25,000 seater June 2012, City have hit another level. ground. Under the guidance of Peter Taylor Hull The Forgotten Father Of Football Bruce instilled his philosophy on the players and Hull and the surrounding area is also home to shortly after the club were winning games and non-league football sides, with the two most contenders for promotion again. He secured this prominent being Hull United AFC and North in his first season in charge when the club went Ferriby United. up automatically in 2nd place. United were formed in 2014 and under owner Two more years in the Premier League followed, Jamie Waltham created a sturdy non-league with also an FA Cup final appearance against club. He hired former Hull CIty midfielders Arsenal in May 2014. The club went 2-0 up in the Curtis Woodhouse and Ian Ashbee to manage first ten minutes and almost pulled off an almighty the side. upset, however Arsenal came back and won 3-2 after extra time. Waltham left the club in 2015, with the club now playing at the KC Lightstream Stadium. They sit The club are now back in the Championship and in the tenth tier of the English football system. as things stand are currently third and look a good bet for another term in the Premier League. Ferriby won the FA Trophy in 2015 against Morley’s contributions mean millions can enjoy all the ddds as they defeated higher league football in the city at a fantastic stadium. Wrexham at Wembley on penalties. Ebenezer Cobb Morley 1831-1924.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • From Custom to Code. a Sociological Interpretation of the Making of Association Football
    From Custom to Code From Custom to Code A Sociological Interpretation of the Making of Association Football Dominik Döllinger Dissertation presented at Uppsala University to be publicly examined in Humanistiska teatern, Engelska parken, Uppsala, Tuesday, 7 September 2021 at 13:15 for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The examination will be conducted in English. Faculty examiner: Associate Professor Patrick McGovern (London School of Economics). Abstract Döllinger, D. 2021. From Custom to Code. A Sociological Interpretation of the Making of Association Football. 167 pp. Uppsala: Department of Sociology, Uppsala University. ISBN 978-91-506-2879-1. The present study is a sociological interpretation of the emergence of modern football between 1733 and 1864. It focuses on the decades leading up to the foundation of the Football Association in 1863 and observes how folk football gradually develops into a new form which expresses itself in written codes, clubs and associations. In order to uncover this transformation, I have collected and analyzed local and national newspaper reports about football playing which had been published between 1733 and 1864. I find that folk football customs, despite their great local variety, deserve a more thorough sociological interpretation, as they were highly emotional acts of collective self-affirmation and protest. At the same time, the data shows that folk and early association football were indeed distinct insofar as the latter explicitly opposed the evocation of passions, antagonistic tensions and collective effervescence which had been at the heart of the folk version. Keywords: historical sociology, football, custom, culture, community Dominik Döllinger, Department of Sociology, Box 624, Uppsala University, SE-75126 Uppsala, Sweden.
    [Show full text]
  • Anteprima-Pionieri-Del-Football.Pdf
    Prefazione Soffiava dal mare d’Irlanda un ventaccio cattivo che attraversava prepotente tutto il corpo, gelando gli alluci dei piedi, i pollici delle mani e la punta del naso. Soffiava da giorni, spazzando le strade di Liverpool dalla polvere e dalla fuliggine delle fabbriche, attorcigliando i suoi refoli sui vecchi docks screpolati dalla salsedine, costringendo i portuali a calarsi bene il cappello sulla testa. Soffiava facendo alzare verso il cielo spirali di indolenti gabbiani rauchi, bloccandoli vertiginosi nel grigio infinito, e inoltre sembrava che quel vento facesse muovere con più rapidità le ore, le lunghe, estenuanti, prodigiose ore che separavano i bambini dall’arrivo del Natale. Insomma, soffiava via, almeno per un po’, anche le malinconie uggiose e le delusioni spiacevoli di un intero anno. La casa su due piani, locata in Ullet Road, sembrava stare là da sempre, stretta e dritta, con una bislacca torretta simile a un campanile. Una casa piena di tanti rotoli, tanti libri, tanti progetti, piccoli e grandi quaderni per gli appunti, appoggiati alla rinfusa su tavolini utili per il tè, per il bridge e per gli scacchi, oppure riposti su scaffali di mobili composti in solida radica di noce. Tutta roba di un creativo ingegnere del posto con la passione della pesca. Non aveva colori quell’edificio allampanato, solo qua e là in concomitanza con gli infissi si accendeva, più che altro durante le fulgide giornate di primavera, di un violetto tenue per via dei vasi zeppi di fiori di lavanda. John Alexander Brodie era, come detto, un ingegnere: un ingegnere di stampo civile presso i cantieri navali della Mersey.
    [Show full text]
  • Blackheath – the Epicentre of English Sport
    Blackheath – The Epicentre of English sport On the 26th October 1963 in the Freemasons Tavern on Great Queen Street in Holborn, London, the first meeting of the Football Association took place. The main item for discussion was to create a codified set of rules, that would "embrace the best and most acceptable points of all the various methods of play under one heading of Football". Eleven clubs, all based in London, attended the meeting after Ebenezer Cobb Morley, the captain and founder of Barnes, had written to Bell’s Life newspaper, suggesting that football needed set rules and a governing body similar in structure to how the Marylebone Cricket Club ruled cricket. Apart from Morley's Barnes Football Club, the other ten representatives in the put that night were Civil Service, the Crusaders, Forest of Leytonstone, No Names Club of Kilburn, Crystal Palace, Blackheath, Kensington School, Perceval House of Blackheath, Surbiton and Blackheath Proprietary School. One small area of London, Blackheath, with a population of a few thousand that provided three of the clubs who were willing to codify the game of football for the first time in the world. Up until this point, the way the game had been played had varied based on geography in the UK. The rules created by the world's oldest club, Sheffield FC, for example, differed from those used at Rugby School, whilst in London a number of private schools had their own versions. With the game becoming more popular, Morley's idea was to "form an Association with the object of establishing a definite code of rules for the regulation of the game".
    [Show full text]
  • 1000 Years of Barnes History V5
    Over 1000 years of Barnes History Timeline from 925 to 2015 925 Barnes, formerly part of the Manor of Mortlake owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, is given by King Athelstan to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul’s Cathedral. 1085 Grain sufficient to make 3 weeks supply of bread and beer for the Cathedral’s live-in Canons must be sent from Barnes to St Paul’s annually. Commuted to money payment late 15th Century. 1086 Domesday Book records Barnes valued for taxation at £7 p.a. Estimated population 50-60. 1100 - 1150 Original St Mary‘s Parish Church built at this time (Archaeological Survey 1978/9). 1181 Ralph, Dean of St Paul’s, visits Barnes, Wednesday 28th Jan to assess the value of the church and manor. The priest has 10 acres of Glebe Land and a tenth of the hay crop. 1215 Richard de Northampton, Priest at the Parish Church. Archbishop Stephen Langton said to have re-consecrated the newly enlarged church on his return journey from Runnymede after the sealing of Magna Carta. 1222 An assessment of the Manor of Barnes by Robert the Dean. Villagers must work 3 days a week on the demesne (aka the Barn Elms estate) and give eggs, chickens and grain as in 1085 in return for strips of land in the open fields. Estimated population 120. 1388 Living of Barnes becomes a Rectory. Rector John Lynn entitled to Great Tithes (10% of all produce) and right of fishing in Barnes Pond. 1415 William de Millebourne dies at Milbourne House.
    [Show full text]
  • El Fútbol Británico Antes De La International Board, (1863-1886)
    Cuadernos de Fútbol Revista de CIHEFE https://www.cihefe.es/cuadernosdefutbol El Fútbol Británico antes de la International Board, (1863-1886) Autor: Jorge Horacio Gallego Cuadernos de fútbol, nº 42, abril 2013. ISSN: 1989-6379 Fecha de recepción: 05-03-2013, Fecha de aceptación: 17-03-2013. URL: https://www.cihefe.es/cuadernosdefutbol/2013/04/el-futbol-britanico-antes-de-la-international- board-1863-1886/ Resumen Date : 1 abril 2013 En anteriores Cuadernos nos hemos referido a la creación de la International F.A. Board, en 1886. Reseñaré acontecimientos del fútbol británico anteriores a esa fecha. O sea, desde la fundación de la F. Association. Esta primera parte abarcará el período (1863-73). La cronología se basará en los siguientes puntos: I. Fundaciones (Clubes y Asociaciones) II. Partidos y Competencias III. Reglas (Aspectos Básicos) IV. Comentarios y Curiosidades. 1863 I. Londres. Civil Service F.C....Chatham. Royal Engineers F.C; ambos clubes militan hoy en el fútbol amateur inglés. 1 / 6 Cuadernos de Fútbol Revista de CIHEFE https://www.cihefe.es/cuadernosdefutbol Stoke-on-Trent, Ingl. Stoke City F.C. Es el segundo club profesional más antiguo, detrás del Notts. County F.C., de Nottingham (1862).. Londres (26 oct.). The Football Association ; es la "decana" de carácter nacional (Inglaterra). Primer presidente: Arthur Pember, del No Names F.C., de Kilburn, Londres. II. Mortlake ,Londres (19 dic.).Richmond F.C. y Barnes F.C. , primer juego con las nuevas reglas, (0:0); ambos son actuales clubes de rugby union. III. Redacción inicial por Ebenezer Cobb Morley, capitán del Barnes F.C.; aprobadas (08 dic.)..
    [Show full text]
  • Chairman's Report
    Newsletter No. 95 – May 2019 Free to members Chairman’s Report In this Issue: Bob Flanagan Members will have heard that the National Lottery Herit- Alexander and age Fund has granted £4,604,800, 68 % of the cost of the Mary Croll New Beginning project. We have promised £20,000 in Page 5 addition to our contribution of volunteer time. Lambeth will make up the difference and provide management and Henry Dunn other resources to support the project. (1801-1878): In summary, the project aims to: (1) reinstate the Hubbard Educationalist Road entrance using the original piers and gates; (2) create Page 7 a new pedestrian entrance at Robson Road; (3) conserve the listed boundary wall and railings with help from W.J. Adams: The trainees & apprentices; (4) repair/renew drainage systems Man Behind at key points; (5) carry out road and footpath surfacing ‘Bradshaw’ Page works; (6) create a Visitor Centre at the existing cemetery 12 lodge; (7) carry out repairs/enhancements to St Stephen’s Chapel, including accessible entry and Recent Events toilet; (8) repair 16 Page 14 listed monuments including that of Forthcoming John Wimble (grave Events Page 15 2,952, square 76); (9) employ a co- A Bit of Mystery ordinator to deliver Page 16 an activities plan; (10) start a volunt- eering programme; (11) create two 2-yr apprentice posts and develop a trainee/ work experience Tomb of Captain John Wimble partnership with Lambeth College construction students; and (12) deliver training to staff and volunteers in bereavement support, conservation, recycling and sustainability, and visitor/venue management.
    [Show full text]
  • FA Report and Financial Statement 2012
    The Football Association Limited REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 31 December 2012 Company Registration No. 00077797 The Football Association Limited 2012 REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1 Supporting football since 1863 The FA is the not-for-profit, governing body of football in England. It grows participation, promotes diversity and regulates the sport for everyone to enjoy. Seven million players of all ages, 400,000 volunteers, 300,000 coaches and 27,000 qualified referees help The FA keep the grassroots game going. The FA runs 24 England teams, across men’s, women’s, youth and disability football, utilising the world-class facilities of Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park. Football is the nation’s favourite game. The FA aims to grow it further in 2013. To find out more about events in The Football Association’s 150th year, and to get involved in football, visit TheFA.com and follow @FA. The Football Association Limited 2012 REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2 Officers and professional advisers Directors Solicitors D A Bernstein Bird & Bird (Chairman) 15 Fetter Lane A Horne London EC4A 1JP (General Secretary) B W Bright Charles Russell LLP R F Burden 5 Fleet Place R Devlin London EC4M 7RD M Game D Gill Mayer Brown A Kleanthous 201 Bishopsgate K Lamb London EC2M 3AF M R Leggett H Rabbatts CBE Pinsent Masons LLP Sir D Richards 30 Crown Place London EC2A 4ES Secretary A Maclean Independent Auditor Deloitte LLP Registered Office Chartered Accountants Wembley Stadium and Statutory Auditor Wembley London London HA9 0WS Bankers Barclays Bank
    [Show full text]
  • Ebenezer Cobb Morley
    Ebenezer Cobb Morley The world has never taken proper note of achievements of Ebenezer Cobb Morley and the vital contribution he made to the game of association football. The Yorkshire-born lawyer came to Barnes in 1858, aged 27, and threw himself into the life of the community with enormous energy. A gifted sporting enthusiast in an era when team games became a passion of vigorous Victorians, he divided his energies between land and water, first making his mark on the Thames. Morley founded the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta in 1862, which with occasional gaps has continued to today. An excellent oarsman, he competed regularly on the Thames and in 1864 rowed in the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley. But it was a year earlier when Morley made his impact on what was to become the most popular game across the globe. Football to that time had been a disorganised pastime, played under a range of local rules with wide variants, and no organised competitions. If a team from a particular school or club wished to play another, there was often great difficulty in agreeing exactly how the game should proceed, and under what rules. Morley was founder-captain of Barnes Football Club, and a player of much ability, with ambitions for the betterment of the game. Noting that cricket had laws agreed under a controlling body, the Marylebone Cricket Club, Morley decided a similar organisation could put football on a sound and organised footing. He wrote in 1863 to the main sporting paper of the day, Bell’s Life in London, proposing ”an association of football clubs” to allow matches to be organised under an agreed code of rules.
    [Show full text]
  • It's Sink Or Swim for Football's Minnows As the Deep Hosts the FA Cup
    It’s sink or swim for football’s minnows as The Deep hosts the FA Cup Third Round draw Football’s coming home as FA Cup showpiece heads to Ebenezer’s birthplace Big fish and minnows have taken on a whole new meaning for the team at The Deep as the region’s leading tourist attraction prepares to host one of football’s great occasions. The arrival of the draw for the Third Round Proper of the FA Cup will complete a sporting hat-trick for the award-winning venue, which has already provided a spectacular backdrop for the Olympic Torch Relay and the Queen’s Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games. England legend Alan Shearer will conduct the draw in partnership with Paul Adamson, a grassroots coach with the East Riding County FA, against the backdrop of a huge tank containing 2.5 million litres of water, 87 tonnes of salt and thousands of marine creatures. The event will be broadcast live on BBC Two in a special programme presented by Mark Chapman, the regular host of Match of the Day 2, and attended by Hull City Manager Steve Bruce and team captain Curtis Davies. Viewers can expect to catch a glimpse of such exotic marine life as sharks, rays, Green sawfish and the many other species which have helped The Deep win countless awards for tourism, business and sustainability. Freya Cross, Business and Corporate Manager at The Deep, said the draw has captured the imagination of fans who want to share in one of football’s great showpiece occasions.
    [Show full text]
  • Rrane Our First Game Until We Have Tried And
    rrane our first game until we have tried and tested all aspects of facility from playing on the pitches to pouring a pint in the bar and Life President: Frank King ensuring there is hot water in the showers. This in itself will take time but get ready to move home games from Lancing by around mid Directors: season. I can't wait !! Kevin Borrett (Chairman), John Lines (CEO), Mark Butler (Finance) David Hillier, Paul Osborn (Commercial) James Clewlow (Legal Advisor and Company Secretary), Jeff Barrett Club Committee: The above plus: Sean Bravery (chairman), Annie Raby, Mark Wells, Sam Borrett, Jeanie Charman Roger Charman, Joe Clarke, Ray Farrell, Howard Frogley, Paul Ockenden Nigel Smithers, Matt Dale, Mark Barrett, Paul Osborn HORSHAM FOOTBALL Club Secretary CLUB Jeff Barrett 07712 888980 Email: [email protected] FOUNDED 1881 Youth Secretary & Child Welfare Officer: Annie Raby 07800 922442 Email: [email protected] Health & Safety Officer: Roger Charman Major honours Programme: Mark Wells West Sussex Football Website: Mark Wells League Commercial: 1899-90, 1900-1, 1925-6 Programme advertising: Sue Bravery Email: [email protected] Sussex County League Matchday advertising: Paul Osborn 07748802424 Email: [email protected] 1931-2, 1932-3, 1933-4, Vice Presidents: 1935-6, 1936-7, 1937-8, S.Bravery, Mrs J Brittain, G Brittain, J.Dale, T.Dickinson, D.Duffield 1946-7 Southern Combination Mrs J.Mallard, W.Michel, D.Rick, J.Smyth, E.Stephens, Howie the Hornet Football League Life Members: 2015-16 Jeff Barrett, Roger Charman,
    [Show full text]
  • LOTG History and Development
    LOTG History and Development LOTG History and Development The Laws of the Game are the codified rules that help define association football. They are the only rules of association football subscribed to by the sport's governing body FIFA. The laws mention the number of players a team should have, the game length, the size of the field and ball, the type and nature of fouls that referees may penalise, the frequently misinterpreted offside law, and many other laws that define the sport. During a match, it is the task of the referee to interpret and enforce the Laws of the Game. There were various attempts to codify the rules of football in England in the mid-19th century. The extant Laws date back to 1863 where a ruleset was formally adopted by the newly formed Football Association. The original Laws were heavily influenced by the Cambridge rules and their early development saw substantial influence from the Sheffield Rules. Over time the Laws have been amended, and since 1886 they have been maintained by the International Football Association Board. History Pre-1863 Games which could be described in the most general sense as 'football' had been popular in Britain since the Medieval period. Rules for these games, where they existed, were neither universal nor codified. A significant step towards unification was the drafting of the Cambridge rules in 1848 – though these were not universally adopted outside Cambridge University. The first and still oldest Football Club was Sheffield FC (founded in 1857), who in 1858 codified the Sheffield rules of football.
    [Show full text]
  • Barnes Rfc – Club Story 1862…
    BARNES RFC – CLUB STORY 1862…Where legends began The Barnes name as a sporting club is connected with both the birth of Association football, and by default, the early foundations of Rugby. Barnes Club was established by Ebenezer Cobb Morley, a solicitor from Hull who in 1858 moved to London to further his career. He was a gifted sportsman and rower who also established the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta which still runs today. At the time he started Barnes Club there were many versions of ball games that had elements of both today’s football and Rugby and there is a documented game between Barnes and Richmond in 1862, where there were no universal rules - despite attempts to codify the game by Cambridge and Harrow schools. Then in 1863, Cobb Morley drafted the first rules for the game at his home in Barnes and they were revised with other clubs in 6 meetings at the Freemasons Tavern. This was the birth of the FA or Football Association. His rules were in favour of the ‘kicking game’, and outlawed running with the ball in hand (as well as ‘hacking’ or tripping). A disgruntled Blackheath Club walked out of the Association. There was an inaugural game planned at Battersea Park for 1864 but legend has it that some couldn’t wait to try out the new rules – among them Cobb Morley. And so in December 1863, his Barnes team took on neighbours Richmond ending in a goalless draw. Richmond went on to become founder members of the Rugby Football Union – formed from Clubs that preferred rules that allowed for the handling of the ball.
    [Show full text]