 English football is credited with bringing the beautiful game to the world. Written evidence dated early versions of football back as far as 1170. References exist to organized teams playing each other in the sixteenth century, including organized school games. Various football codes existed and it was not until 1863 that the Football Association met for the first time to lay out rules which would form the basis of the modern game. Sheffield Football club was the world`s first football club, formed in 1857. In 1870 another first occurred when England played Scotland in a 1-1 draw at the Oval.
Football boomed in the early part of the twentieth century from one division of twelve clubs in 1888 to 88 clubs between four divisions in 1923-24. Although football was suspended during the war years, it came back as popular as ever. Football standards continued to improve and English clubs have had considerable success since the early 1960s which continues to the present day. Restructuring of the Football League occurred again with the launch of the Premiership in 1992. The game is now beamed all over the world making superstars of people like David Beckham. Initially, the Premiership only had eleven non British or Irish players in the league. The phenomenal impact of the new league was such that it attracted some of the best coaches in the world. Increased revenue also meant the transfer in of some of the world`s best players. At present, the Premiership has as many as 250 foreign players. In the first season, Alan Shearer transferred from Southampton to Blackburn. Eric Cantona was playing for Manchester United. The Frenchman was displaying some of the flamboyant skills, which had a major influence on the next generation of players. Following the arrival of Alan Shearer, Blackburn became one of only four clubs ever to win the Premiership, winning the title on the last day of the season. Alan Shearer joined Newcastle in the 1996/97 season and became the club`s record goalscorer. Meanwhile a young David Beckham announced his arrival on the Premiership scene with a goal scored from the half way line against Wimbledon. Arsenal appointed Frenchman Arsene Wenger as coach in 1997/98. He lead the team to the title in his first season. In the same season Michael Owen was making a name for himself at Liverpool. The following season, Manchester United won the Premiership as part of their treble winning season. They won the title again the following season, making them the first team to win the title three years on the trot. A sixteen year old Wayne Rooney became the youngest scorer in the Premiership when he scored a last minute goal for Everton against Arsenal in 2002/3. In recent years we have seen the arrival, success and departure of Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho. Manchester United continue to be the team to beat as the 2008/09 continues to be one of the most unpredictable on record. |
