The First Football League

On 22 March 1888 a meeting was held in London. The seven clubs represented - Aston Villa, Notts. County, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley, West Bromwich Albion and Stoke - agreed to form a new football league.

The Football League was officially founded at a second meeting on 17 April. Five more teams - Preston, Accrington, Derby, Bolton Wanderers and Everton were added. Many of the rules that were introduced at the meeting still apply today.

Rule Three, for example, was that ‘...each team .....plays its full strength in all matches.’

Money shared

The club representatives argued about the money taken at games. After many hours they agreed that the home club should give £12 to the away or visiting team. They also agreed to only award points for a win. This rule was changed half way through the first season.

• After November 21, 1888 two points were given for a win. One point was given for a draw. This system was adopted by nearly every league in the world.
• At half time the players were allowed a five minute break. The players stayed on the pitch, and sometimes they just changed ends and continued with the game.
• There were no team-sheets or clocks in the ground.
• Shirt numbers were not introduced until 1939.

• Poaching

One of the biggest problems for the League in its early years was the ‘poaching’ of players. Rule Two was that a player could only play for one club in a season, but players were sometimes secretly offered money to change teams. Non-League teams like Sheffield Wednesday and Ardwick (later Manchester City) also tried to poach players from League clubs.