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Did
you know that
soccer is not
"real football"? |
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What is "real" football? Soccer? American football,
Australian
Rules? Rugby? Canadian football? Gaelic football? Many
of course
would beg to
differ on the answer to that question. Much would
depend on the city you come from and often which way your
preferences
sway.
In reality, the answer to the question is not so complex at all.
All you have to do is
to sum up the courage
to
pay a visit to the town of Ashbourne in Derbyshire
(England) on
Shrove
Tuesday and any
doubts
you had about what football really is will be
cleared
up.
The origins of football, and all the similar ball games mentioned
above,
lie
in the town of Ashbourne where every Shrove Tuesday for over a
thousand years locals - and anyone else who is crazy or drunk
enough -
battle out
the game of "ball".
About
Foot Ball
I imagine everybody, including myself, thought that football got
its name because you used your foot to move the ball. Well, I'm
sorry to tell you that the great majority of people are wrong.
Football is called
so
simply because it was a game for common people who played "on
foot".
The rich,
you see,
when they participated in a sport, did so on horseback. Logical,
as you see. Why would they call football "football"
simply because you used your foot? What a stupid idea!!!
Well, there is some logic behind this apparent
madness.
Initially, football was not played using only the feet (but was
more like rugby or Australian Rules). In the original game the
rules were that there were no rules!!!
How
To Play
There are two teams
involved:
the "Uppards"
(people born north of the river) and "Downards" (people
born south of the river). The number of players depends on how
many people
turn up
but very often it is thousands against thousands.
The goals are three miles (5 km) apart and the idea of the game is
to touch the opposing goal three times. The game still played
today begins at two o'clock in the afternoon and finishes, if
neither team has managed to score the three "goals", at
ten o'clock in the evening. It's a
free-for-all
where
anything goes
and any method can be used to gain victory.
Nowadays
it's probably a little more genteel, but in the past it was used
by rather violent people
to
settle old scores or simply
to
let loose their aggression in a more or less legal way.
The modern game of "English soccer" is similar but it is
played by the spectators (known as "hooligans") of a
football match and they do not use a ball!!!
A
Local Derby
If anyone has ever asked themselves where the word
"Derby" comes from when referring to a game between two
local teams, the answer to this question can also be found in the
original game of football.
On one occasion in the year 1880, the game became so violent
between the two sides that the police from the
nearby
city of Derby had to be called to stop what had finished up being
a
riot.
Obviously a local derby does not have to involve such extreme
violence but the idea that something more is
at
stake is still there.
Well, you learn something new
every day, don't you? |
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Source:
Think in English |
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GLOSSARY |
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Australian
Rules:
type of rugby played in Australia
(rugby australiano)
to beg to differ:
to disagree
(no estar de acuerdo)
to
sway:
(here) to incline
(inclinarse)
to
sum up
courage: to find, to accumulate courage
(juntar coraje)
to
pay a visit to:
to visit, to go to
(visitar)
Shrove
Tuesday:
41 days before the Sunday of Holy Week
(Martes de Carnaval)
doubt:
uncertainty, indecision
(duda)
to
clear up:
to make free from confusion
(aclarar, despejar)
lie:
can be found
(se pueden encontrar)
to
battle out:
to compete aggressively
(competir agresivamente)
so:
this
(de este modo)
the
rich:
the rich people
(los ricos)
you
see: you must understand (como sabes) |
madness:
craziness, insanity
(locura)
to be involved: to be participating
(involucrados)
Uppards:
the suffix "ards" is sometimes used to denominate types
of people who are part of a group: Lombards, Spaniards.
to turn up:
to come, to go, to attend
(asistir, presentarse)
free-for-all:
argument or fight in which anyone can participate and there are no
rules
(revuelta)
anything
goes: no rules to limit you
(todo vale)
nowadays:
today, at present
(hoy en día)
to
settle old scores:
to take revenge for old disputes
(vengarse de antiguas disputas)
to let loose:
to free
(liberar)
nearby:
neighbouring
(vecina, cercana)
riot: public disturbance (disturbio)
at stake: at risk (en riesgo, en peligro) |
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MAS "DEPORTES"
FORO
INICIO |
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