Where did the name football come from?

Answer 1

The word 'football' is from the English language. It is a compound of two words 'foot' and 'ball' that cannot be translated literally into any other language without creating a corresponding compound. The origins of the words etymology are vague. The circumstantial evidence points to a medieval ball game played on foot that to varying degrees included carrying the ball and manipulating the ball with the feet. All modern codes of football allow for both carrying and kicking of the ball.

Answer 2

I'll just give you the short version. Basically, football has been around in some form or another for 100s of years. The British are the people who really embraced the sport. At the time, the game was played with a round ball and only feet were used. Then, in the 1800s (I think, it might have been earlier) a school in England (or thereabouts) named Rugby changed the rules and started carrying the ball and running with it. This split the sport into two games that they called Rugby Football and Association Football. The word Soccer is derived from the word "asSOCiation". When the game migrated to the US, the Rugby version became the more popular sport. People started playing it in college, sort of like an intramural sport. Then, some colleges wanted to play each other. When they got together they realized that they all had slightly different rules. So the officials sat down to write down rules everyone could agree on. Thus, our Gridiron Football was evolved! From Football (or Soccer) -> Rugby -> Gridiron. You can say that Soccer is Gridiron's grandpa!

Answer

The word 'football' is from the English language and was originally spelt as 'foot ball'. When the term 'foot ball' was first used in medieval England it described 'a ball game played on foot' known as mob football or Shrovetide football in which more running with the ball was required than kicking the ball. These ball games had earlier descriptions such as 'playing at ball' and there were similar if not identical ball games being played in other countries at the same time. These games include 'Hurling' played in Wales & Cornwall and 'La Soule' or 'Choule' played in the north of France. However, mob football or Shrovetide football was the first ball game to be specifically referred to as 'foot ball'. These games evolved into other forms of football notably Rugby football which was said to have been started by a Rugby school pupil called William Webb Ellis in 1823. The rules of early Rugby contributed too many other codes of football in England and other English speaking countries during the 19th centaury. American football is one of these games. It could be argued that American football is a purer form of football than say Association football (soccer) or Australian Rules football because like Rugby is retains more of the original medieval characteristics.