• Football

Football's £2.5m original rule book on display

ESPN staff
August 21, 2013
Roy Hodgson was at the unveiling of the FA Minute Book at the British Library © Getty Images
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The original rules of the game of football have gone on display today as one of the Treasures of the British Library.

Written in 1863, the FA Minute Book - valued at £2.5 million - has been put on show alongside the Magna Carta and the works of Shakespeare, in the prestigious Sir John Ritblat Gallery.

It has been hailed as one of the most important documents of all time, selected by Lord Melvyn Bragg as one of the 'Twelve Books That Changed The World' due to its enormous global impact.

The book traces back to a gathering of eight men, dubbed the 'Founding Fathers of Football', that took place on October 26, 1863 at the Freemasons' Tavern in London, borne out of frustration at the lack of rules governing the game.

Ebenezer Morley, the first secretary of the FA, put their 13 laws into writing - including the rule: "No player shall carry the ball".

The Minute Book is on display until December, as part of the FA's 150th anniversary celebrations.

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