(CNN) Before 1863, football was a chaotic and mostly unregulated sport, with differing sets of rules that added to the confusion.
The first rules of football were formally written by Ebenezer Cobb Morley, whose 187th birthday is celebrated Thursday by Google Doodle.
Morley was born in Hull, England, and after founding Barnes Football Club he went on to establish the Football Association (FA), the sport's leading body in England.
As captain of Barnes Football Club, he soon realized how wild and violent the game could be, and wrote a letter to the popular newspaper Bell's Life, suggesting a set of standardized rules. The letter eventually led to a now-historic meeting, led by Morley, at the Freeman's Tavern on October 26, 1863.
After the meeting, Morley created the first official rules of the game , which would be standardized across England.
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Ebenezer Cobb Morley (1831-1924), the first man to write down the rules of football, was born 187 years ago today.
Celebrated in a new Google Doodle, Morley was a Hull-born solicitor who relocated to Barnes in London in 1858 at the age of 27. The son of a minister and a keen sportsman, the young lawyer enjoyed rowing and took to the Thames like a duck to water, founding the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta in 1862 and competing in the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley in 1864.
But his real legacy lies in being the first to set the rules of the beautiful game down on paper.
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Hannah Glasse Google Doodle celebrating Hannah Glasse Google 15/102 Katsuko Saruhashi Google Doodle celebrating Katsuko Saruhashi Google 16/102 Guillermo Haro Google Doodle celebrating Guillermo Haro Google 17/102 Sir William Henry Perkin Google Doodle celebrating Sir William Henry Perkin Google 18/102 Gabriel Garcia Marquez Google Doodle celebrating Gabriel Garcia Marquez Google 19/102 Holi Google Doodle celebrating Holi Google 20/102 St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google 21/102 Carter G Woodson Google Doodle celebrating Carter G Woodson Google 22/102 Wilder Penfield Google Doodle celebrating Wilder Penfield Google 23/102 Virginia Woolf Google Doodle celebrating Virginia Woolf Google 24/102 Sergei Eisenstein Google Doodle celebrating Sergei Eisenstein Google 25/102 Winter Solstice Google Doodle celebrating Winter Solstice Google 26/102 St Andrew's Day Google Doodle celebrating St Andrew's Day Google 27/102 Gertrude Jekyll Google Doodle celebrating Gertrude 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41/102 Eduard Khil Google Doodle celebrating Eduard Khil Google 42/102 James Wong Howe Google Doodle celebrating James Wong Howe Google 43/102 Eiko Ishioka Google Doodle celebrating Eiko Ishioka Google 44/102 Eva Ekeblad Google Doodle celebrating Eva Ekeblad Google 45/102 Fourth of July Google Doodle celebrating Fourth of July Google 46/102 Wimbledon Championship Google Doodle celebrating Wimbledon Google 47/102 Victor Hugo Google Doodle celebrating Victor Hugo Google 48/102 Google Doodle celebrating Oskar Fischinger Google Doodle celebrating Oskar Fischinger Google 49/102 UK General Election 2017 Google celebrates the UK General Election Google 50/102 Zaha Hadid Google celebrates the acclaimed architect for becoming the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize on this day in 2004 Google 51/102 Richard Oakes Google Doodle celebrating Richard Oakes' 75 birthday Google 52/102 Google Doodle celebrating the Antikythera Mechanism Google Doodle celebrating the Antikythera Mechanism 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February 2 Google 86/102 Lantern Festival 2016 Google celebrates the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations with a doodle of the Lantern Festival Google 87/102 Stethoscope Inventor, René Laennec Google celebrate's René Laennec's 235th birthday 88/102 Valentine's Day 2016 Google celebrates Valentine's Day with a romantic Doodle 89/102 Dmitri Mendeleev Google celebrate Dmitri Mendeleev's 182nd birthday 90/102 "The televisor" demonstartion Google Doodle celebrates 90 years since the first demonstration of television or "the televisor" to the public 91/102 Professor Scoville Google marks Professor Scoville’s 151st birthday 92/102 Sophie Taeuber-Arp Google marks Sophie Taeuber-Arp's 127th birthday 93/102 Charles Perrault Google celebrates author Charles Perrault's 388th birthday 94/102 Mountain of Butterflies discovery Google celebrates the 41st anniversary of the discovery of the Mountain of Butterflies 95/102 Winter Solstice 2015 Google celebrate the Winter Solstice 96/102 St Andrew's Day 2015 Google marks St Andrew's Day with doodle featuring Scotland's flag and Loch Ness monster 97/102 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy' Google marks the 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy', the name given to a collection of fossilised bones that once made up the skeleton of a hominid from the Australopithecus afarensis species, who lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago 98/102 George Boole Google marks George Boole's 200th birthday 99/102 Halloween 2015 Google celebrates Halloween using an interactive doodle game "Global Candy Cup" 100/102 Prague Astronomical Clock Google celebrates the 605th anniversary of the Prague Astronomical Clock, one of the oldest functioning timepieces in the world 101/102 Autumnal Equinox 2015 Google marks the autumnal equinox on 23 September 102/102 International Women's Day 2018 Google marks IWD with a doodle featuring a dozen female artists from 12 different countries 1/102 Ebenezer Cobb Morley Google Doodle celebrating Ebenezer Cobb Morley Google 2/102 Mary G Ross Google Doodle celebrating Mary G Ross Google 3/102 Octavia E Butler Google Doodle celebrating Octavia E Butler Google 4/102 Dame Cicely Saunders Google Doodle celebrating Dame Cicely Saunders Google 5/102 Virginia Apgar Google Doodle celebrating Virginia Apgar Google 6/102 Tamara de Lempicka Google Doodle celebrating Tamara de Lempicka Google 7/102 Maria Reiche Google Doodle celebrating Maria Reiche Google 8/102 Georges Melies Google Doodle celebrating Georges Melies Google 9/102 Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Google Doodle celebrating Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss Google 10/102 Fanny Blankers-Koen Google Doodle celebrating Fanny Blankers-Koen Google 11/102 Omar Sharif Google Doodle celebrating Omar Sharif Google 12/102 Maya Angelou Google Doodle celebrating Maya Angelou Google 13/102 John Harrison Google Doodle celebrating John Harrison Google 14/102 Hannah Glasse Google Doodle celebrating Hannah Glasse Google 15/102 Katsuko Saruhashi Google Doodle celebrating Katsuko Saruhashi Google 16/102 Guillermo Haro Google Doodle celebrating Guillermo Haro Google 17/102 Sir William Henry Perkin Google Doodle celebrating Sir William Henry Perkin Google 18/102 Gabriel Garcia Marquez Google Doodle celebrating Gabriel Garcia Marquez Google 19/102 Holi Google Doodle celebrating Holi Google 20/102 St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google 21/102 Carter G Woodson Google Doodle celebrating Carter G Woodson Google 22/102 Wilder Penfield Google Doodle celebrating Wilder Penfield Google 23/102 Virginia Woolf Google Doodle celebrating Virginia Woolf Google 24/102 Sergei Eisenstein Google Doodle celebrating Sergei Eisenstein Google 25/102 Winter Solstice Google Doodle celebrating Winter Solstice Google 26/102 St Andrew's Day Google Doodle celebrating St Andrew's Day Google 27/102 Gertrude Jekyll Google Doodle celebrating Gertrude Jekyll Google 28/102 Children's Day 2017 Google Doodle celebrating Children's Day 2017 Google 29/102 Cornelia Sorabji Google Doodle celebrating Cornelia Sorabji Google 30/102 Pad Thai Google Doodle celebrating Pad Thai Google 31/102 Jackie Forster Google Doodle celebrating Jackie Forster Google 32/102 Halloween 2017 Google Doodle celebrating Halloween 2017 Google 33/102 Studio for Electronic Music Google Doodle celebrating the Studio for Electronic Music Google 34/102 Selena Quintanilla Google Doodle celebrating Selena Quintanilla Google 35/102 Olaudah Equiano Google Doodle celebrating Olaudah Equiano Google 36/102 Fridtjof Nansen Google Doodle celebrating Fridtjof Nansen Google 37/102 Amalia Hernandez Google Doodle celebrating Amalia Hernandez Google 38/102 Dr Samuel Johnson Google Doodle celebrating Dr Samuel Johnson Google 39/102 Sir John Cornforth Google Doodle celebrating Sir John Cornforth Google 40/102 British Sign Language Google Doodle celebrating British Sign Language Google 41/102 Eduard Khil Google Doodle celebrating Eduard Khil Google 42/102 James Wong Howe Google Doodle celebrating James Wong Howe Google 43/102 Eiko Ishioka Google Doodle celebrating Eiko Ishioka Google 44/102 Eva Ekeblad Google Doodle celebrating Eva Ekeblad Google 45/102 Fourth of July Google Doodle celebrating Fourth of July Google 46/102 Wimbledon Championship Google Doodle celebrating Wimbledon Google 47/102 Victor Hugo Google Doodle celebrating Victor Hugo Google 48/102 Google Doodle celebrating Oskar Fischinger Google Doodle celebrating Oskar Fischinger Google 49/102 UK General Election 2017 Google celebrates the UK General Election Google 50/102 Zaha Hadid Google celebrates the acclaimed architect for becoming the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize on this day in 2004 Google 51/102 Richard Oakes Google Doodle celebrating Richard Oakes' 75 birthday Google 52/102 Google Doodle celebrating the Antikythera Mechanism Google Doodle celebrating the Antikythera Mechanism Google 53/102 Ferdinand Monoyer The famous French ophthalmologist, who invented the eye test, would have celebrated his 181st birthday today Google 54/102 Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google Doodle celebrating Giro d'Italia's 100th Anniversary Google 55/102 Google Doodle celebrating Nasa's Cassini probe Google Doodle celebrating Nasa's Cassini probe Google 56/102 Google Doodle celebrating Fazlur Rahman Khan Google Doodle celebrating Fazlur Rahman Khan Google 57/102 Google Doodle celebrating Sergei Diaghilev Google Doodle celebrating Sergei Diaghilev Google 58/102 Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. Patrick's Day Google 59/102 Google Doodle celebrating Holi Festival Google Doodle celebrating Holi Festival Google 60/102 Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google Doodle celebrating St. David's Day Google 61/102 Abdul Sattar Edhi Google Doodle of Abdul Sattar Edhi on February 28 2017 Google 62/102 Seven earth-sized exoplanets discovered Google Doodle celebrates Nasa's discovery of seven earth-sized exoplanets in new solar system Google 63/102 Bessie Coleman Google Doodle honours the first African American woman to get an international pilot licence on her 125th birthday Google 64/102 Caroling Google Doodle celebrates Christmas caroling Google 65/102 Today's Google Doodle features activist Steve Biko Google 66/102 Walter Cronkite Google celebrates Walter Cronkite's 100th birthday 67/102 Ladislao José Biro Google celebrates Ladislao José Biro 117th birthday 68/102 Google Google celebrates its 18th birthday 69/102 The history of tea in Britain Google celebrates the 385th anniversary of tea in the UK 70/102 Autumnal equinox 2016 Google marks the start of fall 71/102 Paralympics 2016 Google marks the start of the Paralympic Games 2016 72/102 Nettie Stevens Google celebrates Nettie Stevens 155th birthday 73/102 Father's Day 2016 Google celebrates Father's Day 74/102 Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Google celebrates Elizabeth Garrett Anderson 180th birthday 75/102 Earth Day 2016 Google celebrates Earth Day 76/102 Ravi Shankar Google marks Pandit Ravi Shankar's 96th birthday 77/102 Olympic Games in 1896 Google are celebrates the 120th anniversary of the modern Olympic Games in 1896 78/102 World Twenty20 final Google celebrates the 2016 World Twenty20 cricket final between the West Indies and England with a doodle Google 79/102 William Morris Google celebrates William Morris' 182 birthday with a doodle showcasing his most famous designs Google 80/102 St Patrick's Day 2016 Googlle celebrates St Patrick's Day on 17 March 81/102 Caroline Herschel Google marks Caroline Herschel's 266th birthday Google 82/102 Clara Rockmore Google celebrates Clara Rockmore's 105th birthday 83/102 International Women's Day 2016 #OneDayIWill video marks International Woman's Day on 8 March 84/102 St David's Day 2016 Google marks St David's Day Google 85/102 Leap Year 2016 Google celebrates Leap Day on 28 February 2 Google 86/102 Lantern Festival 2016 Google celebrates the last day of the Chinese New Year celebrations with a doodle of the Lantern Festival Google 87/102 Stethoscope Inventor, René Laennec Google celebrate's René Laennec's 235th birthday 88/102 Valentine's Day 2016 Google celebrates Valentine's Day with a romantic Doodle 89/102 Dmitri Mendeleev Google celebrate Dmitri Mendeleev's 182nd birthday 90/102 "The televisor" demonstartion Google Doodle celebrates 90 years since the first demonstration of television or "the televisor" to the public 91/102 Professor Scoville Google marks Professor Scoville’s 151st birthday 92/102 Sophie Taeuber-Arp Google marks Sophie Taeuber-Arp's 127th birthday 93/102 Charles Perrault Google celebrates author Charles Perrault's 388th birthday 94/102 Mountain of Butterflies discovery Google celebrates the 41st anniversary of the discovery of the Mountain of Butterflies 95/102 Winter Solstice 2015 Google celebrate the Winter Solstice 96/102 St Andrew's Day 2015 Google marks St Andrew's Day with doodle featuring Scotland's flag and Loch Ness monster 97/102 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy' Google marks the 41st anniversary of the discovery of 'Lucy', the name given to a collection of fossilised bones that once made up the skeleton of a hominid from the Australopithecus afarensis species, who lived in Ethiopia 3.2 million years ago 98/102 George Boole Google marks George Boole's 200th birthday 99/102 Halloween 2015 Google celebrates Halloween using an interactive doodle game "Global Candy Cup" 100/102 Prague Astronomical Clock Google celebrates the 605th anniversary of the Prague Astronomical Clock, one of the oldest functioning timepieces in the world 101/102 Autumnal Equinox 2015 Google marks the autumnal equinox on 23 September 102/102 International Women's Day 2018 Google marks IWD with a doodle featuring a dozen female artists from 12 different countries
Prior to Morley, football was a chaotic business, with no organised competitions and multiple regional variations making matches confusing affairs to take part in.
As captain of Barnes Football Club, the lawyer saw the potential of the game and recognised the need for proper rules and a governing body akin to that operating out of Marylebone Cricket Club, outlining his plans in a letter to the sporting paper Bell’s Life of London. He also contacted the nation’s most prestigious public schools for support, but was rebuffed.
Undeterred, Morley convened a meeting at the Freemason’s Tavern in Holborn on 26 October 1863 - a historic gathering attended by representatives from such future giants of the sport as Blackheath, Perceval House, Kensington School, the War Office, Crystal Palace, the Crusaders, Charterhouse and No Names of Kilburn.
The Football Association (FA) was born, with Morley serving as its first secretary and later president.
His original draft of 23 rules included a provision allowing players to “hack the front of the leg”, a controversial line that one FW Campbell of Blackheath felt was essential to promote “masculine toughness”. Another adherent suggested that without hacking tackles, “you will do away with the courage and pluck of the game, and it will be bound to bring over a lot of Frenchmen who would beat you with a week’s practice”.
The divisive law was eventually cut (Roy Keane must never have got the memo) and the finalised version was published in the FA's December 1863 pamphlet, Laws of the Game.
These rules were adopted across London and, subsequently, the rest of the country, followed by the wider world.
Here they are in full:
The maximum length of the ground shall be 200 yards, the maximum breadth shall be 100 yards, the length and breadth shall be marked off with flags; and the goals shall be defined by two upright posts, 8 yards apart, without any tape or bar across them. The winner of the toss shall have the choice of goals. The game shall be commenced by a place kick from the centre of the ground by the side losing the toss, the other side shall not approach within 10 yards of the ball until it is kicked off. After a goal is won the losing side shall kick off and the goals shall be changed. A goal shall be won when the ball passes between the goal posts or over the space between the goal posts (at whatever height), not being thrown, knocked on, or carried. When the ball is in touch the first player who touches it shall throw it from the point on the boundary line where it left the ground, in a direction at right angles with the boundary line. When a player has kicked the ball any one of the same side who is nearer to the opponent’s goal line is out of play and may not touch the ball himself nor in any way whatever prevent any other player from doing so until the ball has been played; but no player is out of play when the ball is kicked from behind the goal line. In case the ball goes behind the goal line, if a player on the side to whom the goal belongs first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick from the goal line at the point opposite the place where the ball shall be touched. If a player of the opposite side first touches the ball, one of his side shall be entitled to a free kick (but at the goal only) from a point 15 yards from the goal line opposite the place where the ball is touched. The opposing side shall stand behind their goal line until he has had his kick. If a player makes a fair catch he shall be entitled to a free kick, provided he claims it by making a mark with his heel at once; and in order to take such a kick he may go back as far as he pleases, and no player on the opposite side shall advance beyond his mark until he has kicked. No player shall carry the ball. Neither tripping nor hacking shall be allowed and no player shall use his hands to hold or push an adversary. A player shall not throw the ball or pass it to another. No player shall take the ball from the ground with his hands while it is in play under any pretence whatever. No player shall wear projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta percha on the soles or heels of his boots.
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Before Ebenezer Cobb Morley, soccer looked quite different — and much more brutal — than “The Beautiful Game” played around the world today. Association football, as the sport was then known, bore a closer resemblance to rugby, permitting a greater amount of tackling and ball-handling. It also suffered from chaotic disorganization, with multiple competing leagues, schools, and competitions lacking a formal managing structure, and many playing by different sets of rules.
Morley set the foundation for the Football Association (FA), the sport’s oldest official governing body, and laid down 13 rules to regulate the game, creating the first consistent definition of the sport. On what would have been Morley’s 187th birthday, Google celebrated the father of modern football with a Doodle. Here’s what to know about the man who codified the world’s most popular sport:
An early sports enthusiast
Morley was born on Aug. 16, 1831 in Yorkshire, northern England. A trained lawyer, Morley was also an avid fan of rowing, and founded the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta after moving to London at the age of 27.
But it was his mark on football for which Morley would be known. While in London, Morley also joined the Barnes Club. In 1863, as the captain of the club, Morley wrote to a newspaper called Bell’s Life with a now-famous proposal: an officiating body for the fast-growing sport.
Football Association founder
The scheme led to a meeting between other club representatives in London’s Freemasons’ Tavern in 1863, and resulted in the formation of the FA. A blue heritage plaque now adorns the site, proclaiming “the modern game of football was born on this day. 26 October 1863.”
Morley served as the FA’s first secretary until 1866 and its second president until 1874. But he wasn’t just an administrator: Morley also took the field as a player in the first FA-supervised match in 1863, and scored a goal in the first representative match in 1866.
Laws of the new game
With the other clubs’ input, Morley drafted a list of 13 rules to reduce violence and regulate gameplay, creating the more orderly, free flowing pace of soccer that we know today.
The Laws of the Game covered a range of the sport’s elements, from dimensions of the field and length of the game, to the number of players permitted per team, the type of fouls subject to penalties, and even the Offside Rule, which prohibits players from waiting near the opponent’s goal for an easy score. Key rules prevented players from picking up and throwing the ball to one another, distinguishing the sport from its rugby-like relatives.
Other rules, since changed, seem unfamiliar today: teams switched sides after every goal, while goalposts lacked a crossbar across the top, allowing goals to be scored “at whatever height.”
Morley was also a supporter of limited amounts of contact, notably arguing that players should be permitted to “hack the front leg,” or kick opponents in the shin. That rule was lost, but others have stood the test of time, and Morley’s Laws were upheld in 1904 when the sport’s international governing body, FIFA, was founded.
Thursday’s Doodle depicts Morley scribbling a letter to the newspaper while in the background are two scenes: to the left, a chaotic soccer match before his rules were instated, and to the right, a more orderly game.
Morley died on Nov. 20, 1924 in Richmond, London.
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Next time your football team is awarded a penalty, spare a thought for Ebenezer Cobb Morley .
Before he set down the rules of football in 1863, the game was much more chaotic than the version we know today.
Morley was born in Hull on August 16, 1831, 187 years ago today as marked with a Google Doodle.
The son of a minister, Morley grew up a sports enthusiast and went on to study law before he left East Yorkshire for London aged 27.
After joining Barnes Football Club in London, he realised that the game would be benefit from more structure and regulation.
He wrote to the sports newspaper Bell’s Life to make the case for a more organised game.
A meeting followed at Freeman’s Tavern where Morley was joined by members of football clubs across England, who all had input into the rulemaking before Morley drafted his list of 13 rules, which became the standard of play in England.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
Morley’s laws helped reduce violence on the field — his 13th rule gives some indication of how unruly football used to be: 'No player shall wear projecting nails, iron plates, or gutta percha on the soles or heels of his boots.'
However he did think players should be able to “hack the front leg".
(Image: GOOGLE)
He also formalised the crucial rule we now call offsides, which prevents players from permanently stationing themselves behind an opponent’s defensive line, waiting for a pass.
Morley later helped establish the Football Association , which is still the governing body for football in Great Britain.
In 1863 he was elected the Honorary Secretary of the FA, holding the post until 1866 and president of the FA from 1867 to 1874.
Other groups from various countries made crucial developments to football as well, but thanks to Morley “the beautiful game” became less brutal, the action more spread out across the field, and is played the way it is today.
