When were goal nets first used in football?

Answer 1

Goal nets were the invention of J. A. Brodie, who took out a patent for his invention in 1890. The first official use of nets date from 1891 when they were used at Crosby Cricket ground near Liverpool, then home to a section of Old Etonians playing for a club called Liverpool Ramblers AFC, and at Nottingham Forest's Town Ground.

The first time the nets of John Alexander Brodies design were used by the f.a. was during a north south (Scotland v. England) friendly to trial the nets in 1891, Although Brodie first submitted his patented design to the f.a. in 1890 the trial wasn't held until 1891 because of concerns over royalty fees due to Mr Brodie should they be adopted as a nationwide requirement. It took Mr Brodie over a year to convince the f.a. that his only interest was in the line of fair play after watching a near riot caused by a goal being disallowed during a game between Everton and Accrington Stanley at Goodison Park. Oddly enough not only was it an Everton fan who invented the nets but it was also an Everton player, whose name escapes me, who first scored '' in the back of the net'' for England during the trial game.

Answer 2

In what the British call football and the Americans call soccer, the first goal nets were used at a match in Nottingham, England, in 1891. (See And Not Many People Know This, Either! by Michael Caine).

Answer 3

The use of football gloves by Wide Receivers and DB's gained in popularity after the use of Stickum spray adhesive by players was banned by the NFL in 1981.

Stickum spray is so effective if sprayed on a player's hands that you can literally hold your hand up and snatch a ball out of mid-flight with little effort (we used to use it in High School in the '70's). The spray was used religiously by Oakland Raiders' Wide Receivers Fred Biletnikoff and Lester Hayes, and their use is why the NFL banned it.

It's main disadvantage in those days though is that it was impossible to hide its use, especially when playing on grass turf; EVERYTHING sticks to your hands when you're using it.

However, these days WR's use sticky gloves that are just about as sticky as the old Stickum spray, so everyone is still looking for that edge in catching the ball.