Around the world - but not in 80 days

In 1863 England was the first country to organise football. Probably, the founders never thought that other countries might want to follow their lead because they called their new association The Football Association without indicating the country it represented.

Since then the English Football Association has had the honour of being the only Football Association in the world allowed not to include its country in its name. Although its correct title is The Football Association it is known thoughout the world as the FA.

The First International

In 1870, Charles Alcock, the Secretary of the Football Association, wrote to the Glasgow Herald to announce that a team of English players was to meet a team of Scottish players at Kennington Oval (Cricket Ground) in London.

The Scots, however, were not happy about the fact that Alcock - an Englishman - selected the Scotish team from Scottish players who were playing for English teams.

The teams met on 19 November 1870 and England won
1-0. The match must have been a success because two similar matches followed in 1871.

Strictly speaking these games could not be classed as internationals because the Scottish teams were not truly representative of Scotland.

The First OFFICIAL International

The first official match between England and a genuine Scottish team took place in Glasgow on 30 November 1872.

There were 2,000 spectators. They paid a total of £102 to see the game. There was £38 profit. This paid the travel expenses of the team to the return leg at the Oval in 1873 - England won 4-2.

Scenes from the first official International match ever played to association rules. Scotland v England 1872 .

These sketches, from a hand coloured woodcut print from drawings by W. Ralston, appeared in The Graphic,
14 December 1872.

As a result:

in 1873 the Scottish FA was formed

followed by the Welsh in1876 and

the Irish in 1880; completing the four countries of the British Isles.

As there were no other Associations or national teams in the world they played each other. In 1883, the British (Home) International Championship was started. This is football's oldest international series.

It was based on a points system and contested annually between England Scotland, Wales and Ireland (Northern Iteland after 1921). It lasted 100 years until 1984.

By the time FIFA was formed in 1904 it was far too late for them to insist that the UK should be represented by only one team .

To non Britons, the fact that there are four national teams in one political country appears strange.

Many still think of the British as English and wonder why players like Roy Keane, Captain of Manchester United, for example, does not play for England. He plays for the Republic of Ireland.

The flag of Northern Ireland. A red hand in the centre of the cross of St George surmounted by a crown.

The flag of Wales is known as the Red Dragon, Y Ddraig Goch and is now widely used following its approval in 1959.

The Union Jack is a combination of emblems representing England, Scotland and Ireland. In its present form it dates from 1801 following the union with Ireland. The jack means a flag used in the bow of a ship. In 1606 the first Union Jack was used in ships following the union of the English and Scottish thrones in 1603.

UEFA

It was not until 1954 that The European Union of Football Associations (UEFA) was founded with 30 members. As the organising force behind modern European Football, UEFA administers competitions at both national and club level. Teams from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are all entitled to enter if they qualify.

All countries entering teams for competitions must be European with their Football Associations members of UEFA.