FOOTBALL
101
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to the sport - Football 101 is here to help you understand the origins, terms, and rules of the game we play. Let’s celebrate 2026 together as we hit a milestone 50-year anniversary for our club, and cheer on Team Canada as our country jointly hosts the World Cup!
Creating the Game
Football’s origins actually come from English rugby. Variations of the game started with localized rules, but as the sport grew in popularity, the need for a unified rulebook arose. Football’s first codified rulebook was written back in 1863 by the brand-new Football Association (FA). Initially, the FA Cup was contested in the south of England with amateur teams and players among the English upper classes.
As the game evolved, more northern, working-class teams started to win consistently. By the 1880’s, professionalization (paid players) began to creep into the amateur game, with the rules officially allowing paid players in 1885. The Football League was created in 1888, which included a total of 12 teams - 6 from Northwest England (Preston North End, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Accrington, Everton, Burnley), and 6 from the English Midlands (Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Derby County, Notts County, Stoke). The season consisted of a home and away match for each team, with Preston North End being crowned the inaugural champions.
The Rulebook
The evolution of football’s rules has taken over a century to get it to our modern day. The general principles are:
No hands allowed (except for the goalkeeper inside their box).
When the ball goes out of play…
along the sidelines; a throw-in is awarded to the other team to restart.
from behind the goal line by the attacking team; a goal kick is awarded to the defending team.
from behind the goal line by the defending team; a corner kick is awarded to the attacking team.
When a player commits a foul…
a free-kick is awarded to the fouled team
for serious fouls, the player may be shown a;
Yellow Card (warning)
Red Card (immediate ejection from the game)
if a defender commits a foul inside their box, a penalty shot is awarded to the attacking team.
Football’s Structure
In 1892 the Football League expanded after the fold of the rival Football Alliance. By absorbing the newly displaced Alliance teams, the Football League was able to form another division - the start of the football pyramid that exists today. The original 1888 division became the “First Division”, and the new division was named “Second Division”, being made up of most of the Alliance clubs. Newly joined Sunderland took top honours, with Notts County and Accrington as the first teams relegated, and Sheffield United and Darwen as the promoted clubs out of Second Division.
After the formation of the Premier League in 1992, the English divisions were renamed again into the current football pyramid:
Premier League
EFL Championship
EFL League 1
EFL League 2
The pyramid model has been adopted across the European mainland including (but not limited to): France (Ligue 1), Germany (Bundesliga), Spain (La Liga), and Italy (Serie A).