You’re sitting on a couch, wings in hand, watching a 300-pound lineman burst off the snap. It feels modern. It feels like a product of the 21st-century media machine. But if you’re asking how long has football been around, the answer depends entirely on what you consider "football" to be.
Is it the NFL? Is it the Premier League? Or is it a group of medieval villagers trying to kick a pig’s bladder across three miles of muddy English countryside?
Football isn't one invention. It’s a messy, violent, and surprisingly ancient evolution. Most people think it started with some Ivy League guys in the 1800s, but that’s just the most recent chapter. Humans have been kicking things toward a goal since we figured out how to stand upright and find something roundish.
The Ancient Roots: When It Wasn't Called Football
If we’re being technical, the oldest version of a "football-like" game that FIFA actually recognizes is Cuju. This was a Chinese game played during the Han Dynasty, roughly 2,200 years ago.
It wasn't just a casual hobby. Cuju was used for military fitness. Players used a leather ball filled with feathers and hair. They had to kick it through a small opening in a net strung between bamboo poles. No hands. Sound familiar? It’s basically the great-great-grandfather of the modern beautiful game.
But the Chinese weren't the only ones.
The Greeks had Episkyros. The Romans had Harpastum. These games were brutal. Harpastum, in particular, was a small-ball game that involved a lot of wrestling and speed. It was so intense that some historians describe it as "war by other means." When the Romans expanded their empire into Britain, they brought these ball games with them. This is where the timeline of how long has football been around starts to get interesting for Western fans.
The Chaos of Medieval Mob Football
Forget referees. Forget VAR. Forget yard lines.
Between the 8th and 19th centuries, England played something called "Mob Football." Honestly, it was a nightmare. Entire villages would compete against each other. The "goal" might be a landmark three miles away. You could kick the ball, throw it, or carry it. There were almost no rules except "don't actually murder anyone," though even that was probably more of a suggestion than a strict requirement.
King Edward II actually banned the game in 1314. He said the "noise in the city caused by hustling over large footballs" was a public nuisance. He wasn't the last one to try. Between 1324 and 1667, football was banned over 30 times in England alone. People loved it too much to stop.
This period is crucial because it’s when the "mob" game started to split. Some people liked the kicking. Some liked the carrying. This tension eventually gave us the two biggest sports in the world.
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1863: The Great Divorce
If you want to know when football became the organized sport we recognize today, the year is 1863.
Before this, every school in England had its own rules. If Eton played Rugby School, they spent the first hour arguing about whether you could trip people or use your hands. It was a mess.
On October 26, 1863, several clubs met at the Freemasons’ Tavern in London to create the Football Association (FA). They wanted a single set of rules. This is the birth of "Association Football."
Why do Americans call it soccer? It’s actually British slang. "Association" became "Assoc," which became "soccer."
But not everyone liked the FA rules. The guys at Rugby School wanted to keep carrying the ball and "hacking" (kicking people in the shins). They walked out and formed Rugby Football. This split is the reason we have different definitions of how long has football been around. One group chose the feet; the other chose the hands and the collisions.
The American Mutation: Rutgers vs. Princeton
Across the Atlantic, Americans were doing their own thing.
On November 6, 1869, Rutgers and Princeton played what is often cited as the first "American Football" game. But if you saw a video of it today, you’d call it soccer. There were 25 players on each side. You couldn't pick up the ball. You couldn't pass it.
It was essentially a glorified mob game.
The sport only started looking like "Gridiron" because of a guy named Walter Camp. Often called the Father of American Football, Camp was a Yale student who hated the chaos of the scrum. In the 1880s, he suggested the "line of scrimmage" and the system of "downs."
Before Camp, the game was a continuous pile-up. He turned it into a game of strategy and segments. He also legalized the "snap," which changed everything. Suddenly, you could plan a play. You could have a quarterback.
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The Brutal Years and the Forward Pass
By the early 1900s, American football was almost banned. It was literally killing people. In 1905 alone, 19 players died from injuries on the field. The "Flying Wedge" formation—where players formed a V-shape and charged like a battering ram—was causing fractured skulls and broken necks.
President Theodore Roosevelt stepped in. He told the schools to fix the game or he would abolish it by executive order.
The solution? The forward pass.
Before 1906, throwing the ball forward was illegal. It was considered a "coward's" move. But opening up the field meant players weren't constantly smashing into each other in a giant pile. This change is what truly separated American football from rugby and soccer.
Timeline of Significant Milestones
- 206 BC – 220 AD: Cuju is played in China, the earliest form of a kicking ball game.
- 1314: King Edward II issues the first ban on football in London.
- 1863: The FA is formed in London, officially codifying "soccer."
- 1869: Rutgers beats Princeton in the first American intercollegiate game.
- 1880: Walter Camp introduces the line of scrimmage and the snap.
- 1892: William "Pudge" Heffelfinger becomes the first professional football player, paid $500 for one game.
- 1906: The forward pass is legalized to make the game safer.
- 1920: The American Professional Football Association (later the NFL) is founded in a car showroom in Canton, Ohio.
- 1967: The first Super Bowl (then called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game) is played.
The Global Spread
While Americans were obsessed with the gridiron, the rest of the world was falling in love with the FA’s version.
British sailors and railway workers took the sport to South America and Europe. In 1904, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) was founded in Paris. They didn't even invite the British at first.
The first World Cup happened in 1930 in Uruguay. Only 13 teams showed up because it was too expensive for European teams to travel by boat. Fast forward to 2026, and it’s the most-watched event on the planet.
This tells us that how long has football been around is less about a single date and more about a global obsession that refused to die out, despite bans, wars, and travel logistics.
Common Misconceptions About Football’s Age
A lot of people think Abner Doubleday invented baseball and some equivalent hero invented football. It just didn't happen that way.
One big myth is that football was "invented" in the United States. In reality, American football is a highly modified version of English Rugby. If you look at the rules of Rugby Union from the 1870s, you’ll see the DNA of the modern NFL.
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Another misconception is that the "Super Bowl" has always been the pinnacle. For decades, college football was much more popular than the NFL. Professional players were seen as "hired guns" with no loyalty, while college players played for "glory." It wasn't until the 1958 NFL Championship—often called "The Greatest Game Ever Played"—that the pro game truly captured the American imagination.
Why Does It Persist?
Humans have a weird, baked-in need to compete over territory.
Whether it’s a village green in the 1400s or a high-tech stadium in 2026, the core of football hasn't changed. It’s about moving an object from Point A to Point B while people try to stop you.
The technology has evolved. We have synthetic turf, GPS trackers in jerseys, and helmets that cost more than a used car. But the fundamental question of how long has football been around reminds us that we are still playing the same games our ancestors played in the dirt.
Taking Action: Explore the History Yourself
If you’re a fan, don’t just watch the game. Understanding where it came from makes the modern version much more fascinating. Here is how you can dive deeper into the history:
Visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame
If you’re ever in Canton, Ohio, go there. It’s not just about the players; it’s about the artifacts from the 1920s when the league was barely a business. You’ll see the original leather helmets that look more like aviator caps.
Watch Early Footage
Search for "1903 football game footage" on archives. It looks like a different planet. You’ll see players lining up in bizarre formations and moving in ways that would get them flagged instantly today.
Read "The Big Scrum" by John J. Miller
This book focuses specifically on Teddy Roosevelt’s role in saving the game. It’s a wild look at how close we came to never having the NFL at all.
Check out a Local Rugby Match
To see what football looked like before Walter Camp changed the rules, watch a local rugby club. The flow of the game, the lack of a line of scrimmage, and the lateral passing will give you a "live" look at the sport's immediate ancestor.
Football is roughly 160 years old in its organized form, about 150 years old in its American form, and over 2,000 years old if you count the act of kicking a ball for sport. It’s a timeline of human aggression turned into art. Next time you see a touchdown or a goal, remember you're watching a tradition that survived kings, popes, and presidents.