Football’s modern origins began in England more than 100 years ago, in 1863. Rugby football and association football, once the same thing, went their separate ways and the Football Association, the first official governing body for the sport, was established.

The Football Association was founded in England in 1863. This came a year after Notts County was formed, the oldest surviving professional club. Though the game continued to evolve, this era marks the beginning of the sport we knew as association football, otherwise known simply as football or, in some territories, soccer.