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How Football Began: A Global History of How the World's Football Codes Were Born
This ambitious and fascinating history considers why, in the space of sixty years between 1850 and 1910, football grew from a marginal and unorganised activity to become the dominant winter entertainment for millions of people around the world. The book explores how the world’s football codes - soccer, rugby league, rugby union, American, Australian, Canadian and Gaelic - developed as part of the commercialised leisure industry in the nineteenth century. Football, however and wherever it was played, was a product of the second industrial revolution, the rise of the mass media, and the spirit of the age of the masses. Important reading for students of sports studies, history, sociology, development and management, this book is also a valuable resource for scholars and academics involved in the study of football in all its forms, as well as an engrossing read for anyone interested in the early history of football.
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 30, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 19, 2021
I love a good historical contextualisation of the things I love the most that legitimises my love for them, and How Football Began gave me precisely that. Touching heavily upon the basis of the sport in its origin (muscular Christianity, professionalism vs amateurism, class struggle), I loved the way Collins reconstructed the evolution of football from its start, an evolution that led to the triumphant non-british working class to reappropriate what had been a symbol of British imperialism. I really enjoyed the chapter on women's football in the c19, although it feels a bit stand alonish in perspective, I think it was well-argued. However, I must add that (personally) I could have done without some of the middle chapters.
July 21, 2019
I hope one day to meet author Tony Collins just to shake his hand and say how much I admire his work. The nerdiest thing I've ever come up with is a list of favourite scholars - of vastly different fields that I'm interested in - and professor Collins comes right up at the top of it (for reference, it also includes the likes of Sir Alexander Grey for the history of economic thought, Norman Cohn for medieval history, James C. Scott on non-state societies and anarchism, to name a few). Sports history being arguably my favourite thing, though, means Tony Collins gets a head start on the rest.
In any case, "How Football Began" is yet another easily readable but extremely informative foray into the origins of the sport(s) that we love so dearly. It's always pleasing to see sports being taken seriously and put into the right context, making it a very relevant read for any fans of the game or anyone - as is my case - that works in the sports industry. I particularly enjoy the objective and historical reading of the creation myths so embedded on the culture of some of those sports that many seem to take for granted although there's no actual evidence for them.
This is a relatively short book given the scope that it encompasses, so obviously the level of detail suffers as a result - but those details can be found elsewhere in the author's writings, particularly in regards to rugby. In short: I'm a huge fan.
In any case, "How Football Began" is yet another easily readable but extremely informative foray into the origins of the sport(s) that we love so dearly. It's always pleasing to see sports being taken seriously and put into the right context, making it a very relevant read for any fans of the game or anyone - as is my case - that works in the sports industry. I particularly enjoy the objective and historical reading of the creation myths so embedded on the culture of some of those sports that many seem to take for granted although there's no actual evidence for them.
This is a relatively short book given the scope that it encompasses, so obviously the level of detail suffers as a result - but those details can be found elsewhere in the author's writings, particularly in regards to rugby. In short: I'm a huge fan.
May 25, 2020
One of the things I have long been taken by in my professional life as a scholar of sport is the multiple meanings of the word ‘football’, having lived in places where it refers to seemingly very different practices. Yet the more I looked at it, and in the late 1990s having been one of the initial members of a network the set out to build scholarly links between those of us working on the seven different versions of the game (not counting non-contact versions, youth and variable team sizes), the more it became increasingly obvious to me that perhaps the differences weren’t so great.
Tony Collins, in this excellent transnational history, has done us a great service by exploring football’s perplexing narrative from multiple localised forms in the mid 19th century to an effort to build a single global game to the situation where, by the time Europe descended into war in 1914 these seven basic versions of the game – soccer, rugby union, rugby league, Gaelic football, Australian football, American football and Canadian football – were established. Alongside this, he also explores and outlines the shift in global dominance from rugby-like versions in the 1880s to soccer by the end of the 1910s. It is an elegantly crafted argument as we’d expect from one of the world’s leading analysts of the multiple versions of the game, although with roots very firmly in the rugby-like codes.
Collins weaves together the complex and myriad social forces of the late 19th century – the embedding of a capitalist order, class realignments, migration, colonial and imperial growth, the cultures of modernity and of gender, the expectations of Britishness and whiteness (for the most part not language he uses) – to explore and account or the major trajectories of football’s development, turning as it did on issues of class (amateurism and professionalism), nationhood (ideas of national particularity), and institutionalisation. Overall, the argument is grounded in two characteristics – the revisionist outlook that ‘it’s not that simple’ alongside a close engagement with the transnational forces of empire, class, and cultural affinity. Amid all of this he is carefully alert to the evidence, noting where there may appear to be influences but for which there is no specific evidence: this is as we’d expect of Collins – the care and caution of a good scholar.
I expect that there will be some upset by the case Collins makes: he debunks myths, but also asks why they come about and retain their power. This is most obvious in his discussion of the origins of Australia football, linked by some to an Indigenous game. His case here is framed in a series of meanings this code has carried in relation to Australia’s relationship with Britain, the commonality between various set of rules for various forms of football in England in mid 19th century, and the characteristics of the game when it emerged, not as it became. In rejecting this association as an invented tradition, however, he failed to pose the question about why many Aboriginal Australians hold on to the notion despite the absence, as he notes, of archival evidence. This gap marks one of the challenges of transnational history, especially in colonial settings, of the coloniality of the archive.
One of the great strengths of the case is Collins’ scepticism, and in particular his resistance to the romanticisation of various codes. This may be seen most clearly in the final stages of the case where he explores the reason for rugby’s decline and soccer’s global dominance and uptake, which he links to the institutionalisation and organisation of the sports rather than any aesthetic or similar argument. His case then is that soccer’s permission of professionalism made it both meritocratic and modern, rather than privilege of amateurism and of control by a social elite because they are an elite. That is to say, alongside his analysis of transnational cultural flows, Collins is acutely aware of the impacts of capitalist modernity on global sporting cultures – although this attention is subtle and worn lightly.
This is a major contribution to the field of sports history, locating the origins of the world’s multiple football codes not in the distinctive sports they became but the common practice they grew from, the transnational inter-relationships of their advocates, and the global socio-economic and cultural transformations of the era. It is an excellent instance of the emerging transnational approach to sport history. Highly recommended.
Tony Collins, in this excellent transnational history, has done us a great service by exploring football’s perplexing narrative from multiple localised forms in the mid 19th century to an effort to build a single global game to the situation where, by the time Europe descended into war in 1914 these seven basic versions of the game – soccer, rugby union, rugby league, Gaelic football, Australian football, American football and Canadian football – were established. Alongside this, he also explores and outlines the shift in global dominance from rugby-like versions in the 1880s to soccer by the end of the 1910s. It is an elegantly crafted argument as we’d expect from one of the world’s leading analysts of the multiple versions of the game, although with roots very firmly in the rugby-like codes.
Collins weaves together the complex and myriad social forces of the late 19th century – the embedding of a capitalist order, class realignments, migration, colonial and imperial growth, the cultures of modernity and of gender, the expectations of Britishness and whiteness (for the most part not language he uses) – to explore and account or the major trajectories of football’s development, turning as it did on issues of class (amateurism and professionalism), nationhood (ideas of national particularity), and institutionalisation. Overall, the argument is grounded in two characteristics – the revisionist outlook that ‘it’s not that simple’ alongside a close engagement with the transnational forces of empire, class, and cultural affinity. Amid all of this he is carefully alert to the evidence, noting where there may appear to be influences but for which there is no specific evidence: this is as we’d expect of Collins – the care and caution of a good scholar.
I expect that there will be some upset by the case Collins makes: he debunks myths, but also asks why they come about and retain their power. This is most obvious in his discussion of the origins of Australia football, linked by some to an Indigenous game. His case here is framed in a series of meanings this code has carried in relation to Australia’s relationship with Britain, the commonality between various set of rules for various forms of football in England in mid 19th century, and the characteristics of the game when it emerged, not as it became. In rejecting this association as an invented tradition, however, he failed to pose the question about why many Aboriginal Australians hold on to the notion despite the absence, as he notes, of archival evidence. This gap marks one of the challenges of transnational history, especially in colonial settings, of the coloniality of the archive.
One of the great strengths of the case is Collins’ scepticism, and in particular his resistance to the romanticisation of various codes. This may be seen most clearly in the final stages of the case where he explores the reason for rugby’s decline and soccer’s global dominance and uptake, which he links to the institutionalisation and organisation of the sports rather than any aesthetic or similar argument. His case then is that soccer’s permission of professionalism made it both meritocratic and modern, rather than privilege of amateurism and of control by a social elite because they are an elite. That is to say, alongside his analysis of transnational cultural flows, Collins is acutely aware of the impacts of capitalist modernity on global sporting cultures – although this attention is subtle and worn lightly.
This is a major contribution to the field of sports history, locating the origins of the world’s multiple football codes not in the distinctive sports they became but the common practice they grew from, the transnational inter-relationships of their advocates, and the global socio-economic and cultural transformations of the era. It is an excellent instance of the emerging transnational approach to sport history. Highly recommended.
February 7, 2022
An excellent introduction to the background of all football codes. Must read for all sports fans and social culture fiends. Just a few mispronunciations on the audiobook that no doubt wouldn't have happened if Tony read it.
July 17, 2021
One of the best books on soccer and football games I've read, academic or otherwise. Collins is clear in his prose, and his ability to pull apart the various fabrics of all the football games across the world is brilliantly done. In contrast, some sports history can get bogged down in anecdote and interesting but non-consequential narratives; How Football Began avoids these pitfalls to tell a complete origin story of multiple football game variations.
Collins answers all of the questions about why the U.S., Australia, and Canada play a similar national sport that feels a bit similar and completely different. His analysis of amateurism, professionalism, the role of empire, and industrialization are all well articulated. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in soccer, rugby, or any of the national footballs. I would think this book is foundational to any understanding of these games. That said, using football games as a lens, this book also highlights cultural, class, empire, mass culture, nationalism, and globalization.
Minor critiques are an oddly absent Africa in the larger narrative of football and empire. It appears through South Africa and a few passing mentions. The same for the women's game generally. Perhaps the lack of a separate football code for women or clubs in Africa and Asia would suggest this is "beyond the scope of this study?"
Minor critiques aside, I'm comfortable with unrestrained praise for this work. I will revisit this book again.
Collins answers all of the questions about why the U.S., Australia, and Canada play a similar national sport that feels a bit similar and completely different. His analysis of amateurism, professionalism, the role of empire, and industrialization are all well articulated. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in soccer, rugby, or any of the national footballs. I would think this book is foundational to any understanding of these games. That said, using football games as a lens, this book also highlights cultural, class, empire, mass culture, nationalism, and globalization.
Minor critiques are an oddly absent Africa in the larger narrative of football and empire. It appears through South Africa and a few passing mentions. The same for the women's game generally. Perhaps the lack of a separate football code for women or clubs in Africa and Asia would suggest this is "beyond the scope of this study?"
Minor critiques aside, I'm comfortable with unrestrained praise for this work. I will revisit this book again.
February 7, 2025
Originally published at myreadinglife.com.
A little less than a year ago, I became a soccer referee. Since then, I have refereed all ages from ten up to adult, in club games and high school. I love the beautiful game, but I didn't really know where it came from. After doing a little research, I found this short history. The full text of the book is available for free online here.
It covers from the beginnings of football in the mid-nineteenth century in England through the mid-twentieth century. The focus is on the early part of the history, the first fifty to seventy years. When I picked up the book, I knew about the relationship between soccer (or association football) and rugby football. But I didn't know much about how those games evolved separately into all the varieties we have now like American football, Canadian football, and Australian Rules football. This book is a great introduction to the development and relationships between all those football rules.
The writing, however, was not the best. It might be a cultural thing. This book was written and published originally in England. Regardless, I found much of the writing stilted and some of the sentence construction would just yank me out of the narrative. That said, the stories and information, including the extensive notes and bibliography, are so valuable I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in any variety of football.
My rating: 3.5/5
A little less than a year ago, I became a soccer referee. Since then, I have refereed all ages from ten up to adult, in club games and high school. I love the beautiful game, but I didn't really know where it came from. After doing a little research, I found this short history. The full text of the book is available for free online here.
It covers from the beginnings of football in the mid-nineteenth century in England through the mid-twentieth century. The focus is on the early part of the history, the first fifty to seventy years. When I picked up the book, I knew about the relationship between soccer (or association football) and rugby football. But I didn't know much about how those games evolved separately into all the varieties we have now like American football, Canadian football, and Australian Rules football. This book is a great introduction to the development and relationships between all those football rules.
The writing, however, was not the best. It might be a cultural thing. This book was written and published originally in England. Regardless, I found much of the writing stilted and some of the sentence construction would just yank me out of the narrative. That said, the stories and information, including the extensive notes and bibliography, are so valuable I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in any variety of football.
My rating: 3.5/5
September 24, 2024
For my Social and Cultural History of Soccer class
January 23, 2026
So rugby exists cos of a 19th century equivalent of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone lol
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews