Which is oldest: American football, English football, or rugby?

English Football.

The game of football generally flourished in England from around the 8th Century onwards. The game was incredibly popular with the working classes and there were considerable regional variations of the game throughout the country. Games were normally violent and disorganised affairs with any number of players - it was not uncommon for 1000 people to play in a single game. By the 11th Century, games were often played between rival villages and the 'pitch' could be an incredibly large area. The 'pitch' was not a defined size with a parameter, but included streets, fields, village squares and anything else that got in the way!

The level of violence within the game was astonishing. Players were kicked and punched regularly by opponents. In addition to any personal injury that occurred, countless property items were destroyed in the course of a match. Fields were often ruined, as were fences and hedges. Damage also occurred to people's houses and businesses within the main streets of the village (or wherever the game travelled in its course).

http://historyoffootballreally.blogspot.com/2009/09/history-of-english-football-8th-18th.html

With its origins dating back to the 17th century, American football is clearly the oldest sport. Archaeologists have unearthed the remains of early football fields in the areas surrounding Plymouth, Massachusettes, with definable end-zone markings and even a crude referee's whistle! There is profound evidence that after the very first Thanksgiving meal, the early settlers and the Indians engaged in a rousing game of touch football, with the Indians emerging victorious after kicking a late field goal and then just running down the clock. In 1773, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia to discuss, among other things, George II's outrageous "Pigskin Tax", which of course led to the "Pigskin Uprising" of 1774, where angry Americans, dressed as linesmen, looted the Boston homes of British aristocracy. No one was hurt, but the marauders woke everybody up and left some cigarette burns in the sofas.

English football can be traced to the 12th century. American football emerged about the middle of the 19th century. About 1865 the game began to be played in American colleges. The first intercollegiate game was played in November, 1869, between Rutgers and Princeton. Rutgers won 6 to 4.
In England, football (English) and rugby became two separate entities after 1823.

http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm

Shrovetide football matches were played in England well prior to the Norman conquest (1066) and so I'm not sure how Doug's 17th century comes even close !
I live only a few miles from Ashbourne where this is still played every Easter and is probably the most famous, having royal assent, and the oldest of similar events.

Marn-Grook, the ball game of the Australian Aboriginals, is far older than all of these sports. Australian Rules Football is the modern successor to this ancient game. Marn-Grook may be more than 10,000m years old.

Yeh also and the fact that henry the VIII played football in the 15th century (1526).

The fact that america was founded in 1776.


Also it was called Football back in the 15th century. I still dont understand why americans decided to name it football.

They could have named in Handball

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