In a 1321 document where it is stated that a young man hurt himself during a "game as he kicked the ball". Other references of kicking games abound during that period and the first mentioning of the word "football" was made by King Henry IV of England, who issued a proclamation that forbad betting on "foteball".

In any case, it's well known that the history of English football as we know it begins with the game being introduced in physical education classes throughout the entire public school system of England.

These public schools had their own rules that they played by, although the object of the game, the boundaries and several other aspects started to become common for all of them.

History of English Football – The Rules

In 1848, as the game started growing more and more popular in the public school system, Henry de Winton and John Charles Thring organized a meeting at Trinity College in Cambridge, with several representatives from other colleges being invited.

They devised a set of soccer rules known as the "Cambridge Rules" and despite the fact that they haven't been found yet, it's believed that they played a major role in England's football history, as they are allegedly the base on which the Laws of the Game would later be constructed.

The footballing authorities have always been ambiguous about the relationship they should have with television. A fear of losing match day revenue, control of the sport and supporters` loyalty has been counterbalanced by the income television has helped generate through the direct and indirect exposure it bring to the game, the clubs and the player. Horrie 2002 notes how the advent of ITV in the mid 1950s and the appetite of the new commercially oriented regional network to secure football led to a threatened breakaway league in 1955 ITV was keep to do deals with the individual clubs involved but the Football League threatened to expel any member clubs who entered into such arrangements with ITV companies.

Led by Newcastle United, the idea emerged of a TV Floodlit League encompassing sunderland, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur and Edinburgh teams Hearts and Hibs with ITV prepared to pay 50,000 Euro dollars for the privilege of broadcasting these evening matches. Horrie argues that idea was destroyed by a combination of political lobbying by the small clubs, the opposition of the FA, and vacillation on the part of ITV, which had begun to doubt that the matches would get the audiences need to justify the massive investment. There was another decisive factor. Manchester United and Celtic cam out against the idea of a British Floodlit league because it conflicted with their preoccupation with the European cup.