On October 26, 1863, a significant event took place at the Freemasons’ Tavern on Great Queen Street in London: the establishment of The Football Association (FA). This historic meeting marked the official beginning of modern soccer, laying the groundwork for what would become the world’s most popular sport. Before this date, football was a disorganized pastime with no standardized rules.

Before the FA

Different schools, clubs, and regions all had their own interpretations and set of rules for the game; some allowed handling the ball, others banned it entirely. This lack of consistency often led to confusion and disputes. This was especially true when players from different backgrounds came together at universities and beyond, making the game extremely confusing and frustrating.

One primary source of division was between supporters of the more physical “rugby-style” of play and advocates for a more skill-focused game played primarily with the feet.

The Origin

In 1862, Ebenezer Cobb Morley, captain of Barnes Football Club, proposed in a letter to Bell’s Life newspaper the creation of a governing body to codify the rules of the game. This idea resulted in several meetings, culminating in the pivotal gathering on October 26, 1863. Representatives from eleven different London clubs and schools convened, including Barnes, Civil Service, Forest (Leytonstone), and Crystal Palace. Their goal was to create a unified set of football rules.

Over the course of six meetings, the group drafted and adopted the original Laws of the Game. A key turning point occurred when Blackheath Football Club withdrew in protest after the removal of two controversial rules:

• allowing players to carry the ball
• permitting physical tackles, such as tripping and hacking

This departure solidified the divide between what would become association football (soccer) and rugby.

Ebenezer Cobb Morley emerged as a foundational figure in this new era. As the first secretary and later second president of the FA, he not only helped draft the rules but also played in the first official match under the new regulations, a goalless draw between Barnes and Richmond in December 1863. That match, and a later exhibition game in Battersea Park, set the stage for the rapid expansion of the sport across England.

The FA’s influence grew quickly. In 1871, it established the FA Cup, the world’s oldest football competition. By 1885, professionalism was officially recognized, and in 1888, the first Football League was formed. 

Legacy

Today, The Football Association is the oldest governing body in football and plays a critical role in managing both amateur and professional levels of the sport in England.