The remains of this discipline , as well as other varieties of football , can be found in ball games popular in various civilizations . In the British Isles , this custom is of unknown origin . He could come with Celts , Romans , Danes , or Normans . You can trace the unflagging popularity of folk football from the oldest known note made between 1174 and 1183 . The origin of the English sport name - ' football ' - is also not explained . To this day , traditional folk football has survived in some places in the United Kingdom , such as Royal Shrovetide Football . The term " soccer ", contrary to popular opinion , is not a native American word but derives from British English and is a slang short name for the full football name : " association football ". It is used in many English-speaking countries , where a different type of football prevails , such as American football or Australian football . In the 19th century , the United Kingdom was the center of the industrial revolution , which led to significant civilizational changes . The ball was moved from cities to suburban meadows , the first rules were written down . Public schools lead the way , recognizing that movement games can positively affect the development and discipline of young people . The creation of the railroad meant that schools could compete with each other much easier . The problem was , however , the lack of common rules of the game . Rules - usually only a few - were set just before the match . The oldest known rules of the game were written in 1845 at the Rugby School in central England . The rules written at Cambridge in 1848 and Sheffield in 1857 turned out to be key to the development of football . From then on , we can talk about the gradual separation of football and rugby . At that time , a conflict between the supporters and opponents was growing . The Cambridge rules were written after the meeting of 12 clubs . They were distinguished by the fact that they limited the ability to hold the ball in hand and favored kicking it . The Cambridge rules were not widely adopted in England , but became the basis for the first rules of The Football Association in 1863 . The North English Sheffield Football Club , founded in 1857 , wrote in the same year its own rules that would significantly affect the development of the game . In this workers ' region , schools had less influence on the game . The innovations
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