Crystal Palace’s Integral Role in the Formation of the Football Association: A 160-Year Journey
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In this special month commemorating the 160th anniversary of the Football Association, historian Peter Manning delves into the intertwined origins of the FA and Crystal Palace Football Club.
During the mid-19th century, cricket held sway as England’s major team sport, boasting established laws for over a century. In stark contrast, football was marked by disorganization, with public schools creating their own rules. The ‘dribbling game’ and the Rugby variant, allowing handling and hacking, represented the two extremes, while other schools adopted rules in between.
As schoolboys progressed to Oxford and Cambridge, a clash emerged over which rules should prevail. In 1848, Cambridge student Charles Thring devised a ‘universal code,’ amalgamating key elements from major school rules to facilitate inter-university play. However, schools clung to their rules, impeding progress.
Simultaneously, serious cricketers recognized the fitness benefits of winter football. Here, Crystal Palace enters the narrative. After moving to Sydenham in 1854, the Crystal Palace laid its cricket pitch in 1857, establishing the Crystal Palace Club. Organized football clubs emerged in London around this time, with Forest and Crystal Palace forming their own clubs in 1861.
On March 15, 1862, these clubs, including Crystal Palace, played the first recorded game between future Football Association founders. The meeting at the Freemason’s Tavern on October 26, 1863, involving eleven clubs, including Crystal Palace, aimed to establish a definitive code of football rules.
The task of agreeing on the rules proved challenging. While nine rules for the Association were swiftly accepted, the laws of the game proved more contentious. Crystal Palace, represented by team captain James Turner, played a pivotal role in the process, attending all six meetings and sending seven delegates, the most among all clubs.
After extensive discussions and adjournments, a final meeting on December 8, 1863, led to the confirmation of the laws that largely shape global football today. Crystal Palace’s unwavering participation and contribution to the formation of these laws remain a source of pride for the club, marking its crucial role in football history.