Cambridge rules

The Cambridge Rules were a set of early rules for a game called football, created at the University of Cambridge in the 1800s. These rules helped shape the way football is played today.

Some people think the rules made in 1856 at Cambridge may have helped start Australian rules football. The rules made in 1863 are also believed to have been very important for creating the first official rules, called the Laws of the Game, used by the Football Association.

These early rules brought order and structure to football, making it easier for different teams and schools to play together fairly.

Context

Football has been played for a long time at Cambridge. In the 1500s, a game between townspeople and students turned into a big fight, so the leaders said they could only play on college grounds. Later, in 1631, a student hurt another while playing football.

In the early 1800s, different schools each had their own ways of playing football. When students from these schools wanted to play together at Cambridge, they had to make new rules that mixed the best parts of everyone’s rules.

1838–1842

Edgar Montagu, who went to school at Shrewsbury School and later attended Cambridge from 1838 to 1842, wrote letters many years later in 1897 and 1899. He remembered that he and six friends formed a club and created rules to make football fair for everyone. They even played two matches on a place called Parker’s Piece. Sadly, the original rules they made have been lost. Based on Montagu’s letters, some experts think the first football rules at Cambridge University might have been made around 1838.

1846

In 1846, two boys from Shrewsbury school, H. de Winton and J. C. Thring, invited some players from Eton to join them in forming a football club. They played a few matches on Parker's Piece, but the game wasn’t very popular at the university, so the club didn’t last long.

Later, Thring wrote that in 1846, they tried to create a common game and start a proper club at Cambridge, but the Rugby style of football made it hard to get players from Eton, Winchester, and Shrewsbury to agree. Sadly, no rules from this early attempt have survived.

1848

Henry Charles Malden went to Trinity College from 1847 to 1851. In 1897, he wrote a letter about how some students at Cambridge tried to make rules for football in 1848. Back then, different schools had different rules, so games were very confusing.

Fourteen students from different schools met to create new rules. They worked late into the night to agree on the new rules, which were called the "Cambridge Rules." These rules were shared around the university and used for many years. Some believe these early rules helped shape the rules of football we know today. However, some historians think these rules may not have worked perfectly, since new rules were made again in 1856.

1851–54

During the years 1851 to 1854, there was a Football Club at King's College Cambridge. They played their games on a field called "the Piece," using rules that were mostly like the Eton Field rules. However, sometimes players from Rugby and Harrow would start running with the ball or asking for special free kicks. This caused confusion. A man named Beamont, who later became a Fellow at his college, helped change the rules to make them fairer for everyone. Not many students from King's College played this version of the game, but later on, there were special Rugby games on a different field.

1856

In 1856, people tried to create shared rules for a game called football. A student named Frederic G. Sykes wrote about this later, saying the meeting happened in a room at Trinity College. Before this, football at the university had no rules and players could do almost anything.

The rules made in 1856 were signed by players from different schools and the university. They said players could only use their hands to stop the ball, and they could not push, trip, or hold each other. A goal was scored by kicking the ball between two posts under a string. These rules may have helped shape the football games we know today.

In 1861, a club called Forest Football Club used these Cambridge rules with a few extra changes. Later, they asked other teams to play using the same rules.

1862

In November 1862, a football match happened at Cambridge between two teams of former students from Eton and Harrow schools. Special rules were made just for this match. These rules mixed parts from Eton and Harrow but were simpler.

The rules said players could not handle the ball except to stop it. The field size and goal width followed Harrow rules, and goals were called "bases." A player was offside if fewer than four opponents were between them and the goal. When the ball went out of bounds, the game restarted with a kick-in. The match ended in a tie.

1863

In October 1863, a group of nine players from different schools created new rules for football at the University of Cambridge. These rules were shared with everyone in November that year. The first game using these rules would happen on November 20 at 2:15 p.m. on Parker's Piece.

The 1863 rules were different from older rules from 1856. For example, in 1856, players could catch the ball and get a free kick, but in 1863, this was not allowed. Also, the 1863 rules had a stricter offside rule where any player ahead of the ball was out of play.

When these Cambridge rules came out, they influenced the Football Association. At the time, some football clubs let players carry the ball and kick opponents’ shins, while others did not allow these actions. During a meeting on November 24, the secretary of the Football Association showed the Cambridge rules, which did not allow carrying the ball or kicking opponents. This helped change the mind of some people at the meeting. Finally, carrying the ball and kicking opponents were banned. This made football and rugby become two different sports.

1867

In March 1867, Cambridge University Football Club met with other school and college football teams. They wanted to create common rules that everyone could use, hoping these rules would become popular across the country. These new rules updated the rules from 1863 and included a special move called a "touch down." If a team touched the ball down behind their opponent's goal line, they could take a free kick at the goal. The number of "touch downs" would help decide the winner if both teams scored the same number of goals.

Subsequent developments

In 1869, the Cambridge club wanted to play a match against the FA but insisted on using their own rules, which the FA did not accept.

Then in 1871, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was created, marking a split between two main types of football. In 1872, the Cambridge Rugby Union Club was founded, using RFU rules. Without supporters of the "carrying game," the Cambridge University Football Club joined the FA in 1873 and played under FA rules in the third edition of the FA Cup during the 1873-4 season.

Recognition

In 2000, a plaque was placed in Parker's Piece by a football team made up of people without homes. The plaque says that in the 1800s, students created simple football rules on that spot. These rules focused on skill instead of rough play and did not allow catching the ball or tripping opponents. These "Cambridge Rules" helped shape the rules of football made in 1863.

In May 2018, a monument called "Cambridge Rules 1848" was put up on Parker's Piece. The monument has four stone pillars with the 1856 Cambridge Rules carved in many different languages.

Summary