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Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
World's oldest pitch proves football was born in SCOTLAND - and not England, expert claims
It's the song that every English football fan sings at the top of their lungs every four years. But 'It's Coming Home' – belted out at the UEFA European Championships – might now take on a slightly different meaning, according to a study. An expert has uncovered compelling evidence that suggests the 'beautiful game' may have actually originated in Scotland some 200 years before the English started officially playing it. Historian and sports archaeologist Ged O'Brien claims a 17th century football pitch in Kirkcudbrightshire county is the first playing field. And if correct, it would predate England's claim to have formally recognised the game by decades – and more than two centuries before the formation of the Football Association (FA). Mr O'Brien, the former president of the Association of Sports Historians, said his discovery will force those who believe modern football was invented in England to 'rewrite everything they think they know'. He said the first clues emerged in a letter from the Reverend Samuel Rutherford, minister at Anwoth Old Kirk from 1627 and 1638. The letter reveals his dismay at finding parishioners playing 'foot-ball' on Sabbath afternoons at the nearby Mossrobin Farm. In an attempt to ban the games, Revered Rutherford repeatedly ordered a line of stones to be placed across the field. Mr O'Brien, whose discovery was revealed on BBC Scotland's 'A View From The Terrace', said: 'I have always thought football has been played in Scotland for hundreds of years. 'Not mob-football, but proper football. Of course it has always been very hard to prove it because working people never kept records. 'Rutherford is enraged by the fact his parishioners played football every Sunday, and so one day he heads out after doing his preaching to remonstrate with them and say that, 'As the stones around him were his witness they were doing wrong'.' Mr O'Brien and his team of archaeologists set out to find the stones – and discovered a line of 14 large rocks cutting across a flat area at the former Mossrobin farm. Tests of the soil beneath the stones suggest they were put there around the time of Rutherford's order. Archaeologist Phil Richardson, of Archaeology Scotland, who conducted the tests, said: 'This backs up the story that a barrier was put across an open space. 'It's not about stock control, it's not about agriculture or land boundaries and ownership. 'This is not a wall, it's a temporary barrier to stop a particular event happening – in this case football.' 'In the history books, football is mob-football. It was chaos, people drunk, it's anarchy. 'The traditional view of modern football is that it started in 1863 with a group of ex-public schoolboys from places like Eton and Harrow. 'Now, this is entirely and utterly mistaken because, for hundreds of years, the Scots have been regularly playing football in Anwoth and places like it. 'Looking at the map, there are five tracks leading to the edge of this site. So, 400 years ago, everybody in a 10-mile radius knew where this was. 'If you're playing football every Sunday of every year, you've got rules because you have to agree on rules. 'You couldn't play violent football because you needed to work on Monday, so you're thinking about your football, you're playing regular football. 'This is the ancestor, the grandparent, of modern world football, and it's Scottish.' Archaeologist Kieran Manchip, who assisted with the discovery, said: 'You do get that sense of it being almost like a natural amphitheatre. 'Putting together all the sources, being here in the landscape and seeing how it all pieces together, all of those things corroborate with one another.' Sheffield FC, founded in 1857, is currently recognized as the world's oldest football club, and the establishment of England's Football Association in 1863 marked the beginning of formalized rules. Scotland's own Football Association followed in 1873, and by 1872, Scotland and England played the world's first official international match. The discovery could help explain Scotland's early dominance when playing football against England, Mr O'Brien said. 'It's absolutely no surprise', he said, 'because these people are 200 years in front of what England are doing.' WHAT MAKES THE BEST FOOTBALLER? Skillful footballers are more likely to win matches than even the most athletic players, according to research from the University of Queensland. A study found that balance and skill when controlling the ball can tip a game toward a win more than speed, strength, or fitness. The researchers say their study could help football coaching academies focus their training on player attributes that are more likely to win games. The Queensland team used analytical techniques developed in evolutionary biology to determine the impact of a player's skill, athletic ability, and balance on their success during a game. They found that a player's skill that was the most important factor to their and their team's performance. Players will higher skill were more likely to be more involved in games and have more successful contributions. However, players with top athletic abilities like speed, strength and fitness were not associated with higher success rates in games. 'Higher skill allows players to have a greater impact on the game,'said lead researcher Dr Robbie Wilson, from the University of Queensland, Australia, told MailOnline. 'Accurate passing and greater ball control are more important for success than high speed, strength and fitness. 'It may be obvious to fans and coaches that players like Lionel Messi and Neymar are the best due to their skill. 'However, 90 per cent of research on soccer players is based on how to improve their speed, strength, and agility — not their skill.'
The National
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The National
Archaeologists find 'world's oldest football pitch' in Scottish field
Ged O'Brien, the former president of the Association of Sports Historians and founder of the Scottish Football Museum, said people who believed the modern game originated in England would have to 'rewrite everything they think they know'. The Times reported that the newly-uncovered archaeological evidence, found a mile west of Gatehouse of Fleet near the Solway Firth, showed that modern football had originated in Anwoth, in Kirkcudbrightshire. O'Brien's discovery is due to be broadcast on BBC Scotland's A View From The Terrace on Friday evening. READ MORE: Is football 'coming home' to England? No – Scotland invented the modern game The historian told The Times that the first clues had come from Samuel Rutherford, a minister at Anwoth Old Kirk from 1627 to 1638 and later professor of divinity at St Andrews University. The letter says there 'was a piece of ground on Mossrobin farm where on Sabbath afternoon the people used to play at football'. O'Brien told The Times: 'This is one of the most important sentences I have ever read in football history, because it specifically identifies the exact place the football pitch was.' He added: 'I have always thought football has been played in Scotland for hundreds of years. Not mob-football, but proper football. Of course it has always been very hard to prove it because working people never kept records. 'Rutherford is enraged by the fact his parishioners played football every Sunday, and so one day he heads out after doing his preaching to remonstrate with them and say that 'as the stones around him were his witness they were doing wrong'.' READ MORE: 'More than a game': The history and psychology of Scottish football O'Brien said that Rutherford had stones put across the pitch to stop the weekly games – and a team of historians set out to find them. They found 14 large stones in a row across a flat area at the former Mossrobin farm, and soil tests suggest they had been arranged in place at around Rutherford's time. O'Brien said the common belief was that modern football originated in English public schools like Eton and Harrow in the later 1800s. However, he told The Times: 'If you're playing football every Sunday of every year, you've got rules because you have to agree on rules. You couldn't play violent football because you needed to work on Monday so you're thinking about your football, you're playing regular football. 'This is the ancestor, the grandparent, of modern world football, and it's Scottish.' He added: 'In 1872, the minute international football started, Scottish clubs were absolutely destroying English teams. 'It's absolutely no surprise because these people are 200 years in front of what England is doing.' A View from the Terrace will be shown on BBC Scotland on April 25 at 10.30pm.
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Historian believes Dumfries and Galloway is home of world's oldest known football pitch
The Stewartry may be the home of the world's oldest known football pitch. Football historian Ged O'Brien has uncovered evidence that suggests the beautiful game was played on farmland near Gatehouse more than 400 years ago. And he believes this will lead other experts to 'rewrite everything they think they know'. Ged's discovery was unveiled in the final episode in the current series of BBC Scotland's A View From The Terrace, which will be shown tonight. The founder of the Scottish Football Museum has discovered a letter written by Rev Samuel Rutherford, who was minister at Anwoth Old Kirk in the 17th century. It shows that when he arrived at the parish he found 'a piece of ground on Mossrobin farm where on Sabbath afternoon the people used to play at foot-ball'. Ged – a former president of the Association of Sports Historians – believes this sentence backs up his argument that football was being played in Scotland hundreds of years before it was invented in England. He said: 'This is one of the most important sentences I have ever read in football history, because it specifically identifies the exact place the football pitch was.' Rev Rutherford was furious his parishioners were playing football on a Sunday and ordered some of his flock to put stones on the pitch to stop the games. The film for A View From The Terrace shows Ged and a team of archaeologists discovered a line of 14 large rocks across a flat area at the former Mossrobin farm, with tests indicating they were put there around the time Rutherford was minister. Archaeologist Phil Richardson from Archaeology Scotland, who conducted the tests, said: 'This backs up the story that a barrier was put across an open space. It's not about stock control, it's not about agriculture or land boundaries and ownership. This is not a wall, it's a temporary barrier to stop a particular event happening – in this case football.' Ged added: 'There are serious implications for historians because they are going to have to rewrite everything they think they know. In the history books, football is mob-football. 'It was chaos, people drunk, it's anarchy. The traditional view of modern football is that it started in 1863 with a group of ex-public schoolboys from places like Eton and Harrow.' O'Brien argues this narrative is 'entirely and utterly mistaken', pointing out that for centuries, Scots have been playing a more organised form of football in places like Anwoth, where his discovery was made. Standing on the site of the ancient pitch, he added: 'This is one of my great days ever, because we're stood on the proof that we need to show that Scotland invented modern world football.' Anwoth Old Kirk is perhaps better known as one of the filming locations of The Wicker Man. Now it may have another claim to fame. Click here for more news and sport from Dumfries and Galloway. Ged said: 'Anwoth is going to be one of the cornerstones of the new world history of football. 'This is a place that the locals specifically chose as a football pitch and I've got the evidence. It's the start of the narrative that runs through to today because the game they played is the game everybody plays everywhere in the world.' 'You can be up the side of a mountain in the Himalayas, watching a football game, and the ghosts of Anwoth will be watching,' he added. The episode of A View From The Terrace is available on iPlayer and will be shown on the BBC Scotland channel tonight at 10.30pm.
Daily Record
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Sports historian finds pitch from 1600s 'proving Scotland invented football'
A sports historian who has long argued that Scotland, not England, is the birthplace of football now claims to have discovered the world's oldest known football pitch - and it's north of the border. Ged O'Brien, a former president of the Association of Sports Historians and founder of the Scottish Football Museum, says new archaeological evidence points to a farm in Scotland where the sport was played over 400 years ago. This predates the formation of the Football Association in England in 1863 by more than two centuries. O'Brien believes the discovery will challenge the widely held belief that England is the true birthplace of modern football, forcing its proponents to 'rewrite everything they think they know.' His findings centre on the small village of Anwoth, located in Kirkcudbrightshire , which O'Brien argues should now be recognised as 'one of the cornerstones of the new world history of football.' The breakthrough, which will be revealed on BBC Scotland's A View From The Terrace on Friday, April 25, follows the emergence of a key historical clue. And it's one that O'Brien says is the "proof" that Scotland "invented modern world football". O'Brien points to a letter written by the Rev Samuel Rutherford, who served as the minister at Anwoth Old Kirk from 1627 to 1638. The letter details how Rutherford arrived at the parish to find 'there was a piece of ground on Mossrobin farm where on Sabbath afternoon the people used to play at foot-ball.' O'Brien, who has spent years campaigning for Scotland to be recognised as the birthplace of football, says his breakthrough discovery could change the history of the game. Since 2019, O'Brien has argued that football was being played in Scotland around 500 years before England claimed its invention. Now, he believes he has uncovered crucial evidence that supports his theory. He said: 'This is one of the most important sentences I have ever read in football history, because it specifically identifies the exact place the football pitch was." He believes football was played in Scotland long before England laid claim to the sport, though proving it has always been difficult due to the lack of records from working people. The new evidence comes from a letter written by Rev Samuel Rutherford. The minister was infuriated at his Anwoth parishioners playing football every Sunday and he took it upon himself to confront them, declaring that "as the stones around him were his witness, they were doing wrong." According to the letter, Rutherford took action by ordering the parishioners to move a line of stones across the pitch to stop their weekly games. O'Brien, working with a team of archaeologists, set out to find these stones. Their efforts led them to uncover a line of 14 large rocks across a flat area at the former Mossrobin farm, where the game was reportedly played. Tests on the soil beneath the stones confirmed that they were placed there around the time of Rutherford's intervention. Archaeologist Phil Richardson from Archaeology Scotland, who conducted the tests, said: 'This backs up the story that a barrier was put across an open space. It's not about stock control, it's not about agriculture or land boundaries and ownership. This is not a wall, it's a temporary barrier to stop a particular event happening – in this case football.' O'Brien added: "There are serious implications for historians because they are going to have to rewrite everything they think they know. In the history books, football is mob-football. It was chaos, people drunk, it's anarchy. The traditional view of modern football is that it started in 1863 with a group of ex-public schoolboys from places like Eton and Harrow.' O'Brien argues this narrative is "entirely and utterly mistaken", pointing out that for centuries, Scots have been playing a more organised form of football in places like Anwoth, where his discovery was made. "Looking at the map, there are five tracks leading to the edge of this site," O'Brien continued. 'So, 400 years ago, everybody in a 10-mile radius knew where this was. If you're playing football every Sunday of every year, you've got rules because you have to agree on rules. You couldn't play violent football because you needed to work on Monday, so you're thinking about your football, you're playing regular football.' O'Brien firmly believes that this was the ancestor of modern football. "This is the ancestor, the grandparent, of modern world football, and it's Scottish," he said. Standing on the site of the ancient pitch, he added: 'This is one of my great days ever, because we're stood on the proof that we need to show that Scotland invented modern world football.' He points to Scotland's dominance in early international football matches as further evidence of the country's head start. 'In 1872, the minute international football started [with Scotland v England], Scottish clubs were absolutely destroying English teams. It's absolutely no surprise because these people are 200 years in front of what England is doing.' For O'Brien, Anwoth now holds a crucial place in the history of football. 'Anwoth is going to be one of the cornerstones of the new world history of football. This is a place that the locals specifically chose as a football pitch and I've got the evidence. It's the start of the narrative that runs through to today because the game they played is the game everybody plays everywhere in the world." O'Brien also believes the legacy of the game played in Anwoth lives on in every match, no matter where it's played. 'You can be up the side of a mountain in the Himalayas, watching a football game, and the ghosts of Anwoth will be watching,' he added. Archaeologist Kieran Manchip, who assisted with the discovery, agreed that the site felt particularly significant. 'You do get that sense of it being almost like a natural amphitheatre," Manchip said. "Putting together all the sources, being here in the landscape and seeing how it all pieces together, all of those things corroborate with one another.' O'Brien's findings will be revealed on BBC Scotland's A View from the Terrace on Friday, April 25, at 10.30pm.
Scottish Sun
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Scotland invented football TWO HUNDRED years before England is said to have started beautiful game new discovery reveals
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A LEADING sports historian has claimed to have found the world's oldest known football pitch on a former 17th century farm in the south of Scotland -- proving that organised games have been played north of the Border for over 400 years. Ged O'Brien, former president of the Association of Sports Historians and founder of the Scottish Football Museum, says new evidence backed by archaeology suggests the "beautiful game" was born in Anwoth, in Kirkcudbrightshire. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Historians have found what they believe is the world's oldest football ground 4 They visited the iconic site 4 Evidence dates back to as early as 1627 He says the discovery of the "natural amphitheatre" a mile west of Gatehouse of Fleet near the Solway Firth will force those who believe modern football was invented in England around 1860 to "rewrite everything they think they know". And he claims it will establish Anwoth as "one of the cornerstones of the new world history of football". O'Brien, who was born and brought up in Southampton, on the south coast of England, has been convinced the Scots invented modern football for over 30 years. He said the first clues to the oldest known football pitch emerged in a letter from the Rev Samuel Rutherford, minister at Anwoth Old Kirk from 1627-1638 and later Professor of Divinity at St Andrews University. The letter relates how the Presbyterian pastor arrived in the parish to discover "there was a piece of ground on Mossrobin farm where on Sabbath afternoon the people used to play at foot-ball". O'Brien said: "This is one of the most important sentences I have ever read in football history, because it specifically identifies the exact place the football pitch was." He added: "I have always thought football has been played in Scotland for hundreds of years. Not mob-football, but proper football. "Of course it has always been very hard to prove it because working people never kept records. "Rutherford is enraged by the fact his parishioners played football every Sunday, and so one day he heads out after doing his preaching to remonstrate with them and say that 'as the stones around him were his witness they were doing wrong'." The outraged Reverend Rutherford got the parishioners to move a line of stones across the pitch to stop them playing their weekly games. The Coffee Club assess who could be Rangers' next manager as doubts emerge over Daniel Farke's future at Leeds O'Brien and a team of archaeologists who set out to find the stones discovered a line of 14 large rocks cutting across a flat area at the former Mossrobin farm. Results of tests of the soil beneath the stones suggest they were put there around the time of Rutherford's order. Archaeologist Phil Richardson, of Archaeology Scotland, who conducted the tests, said: "This backs up the story that a barrier was put across an open space. It's not about stock control, it's not about agriculture or land boundaries and ownership. "This is not a wall, it's a temporary barrier to stop a particular event happening -- in this case football." O'Brien, whose discovery was revealed on BBC Scotland's A View From The Terrace -- now available on BBC iPlayer -- said: "There are serious implications for historians because they are going to have to rewrite everything they think they know. "In the history books, football is mob-football. It was chaos, people drunk, it's anarchy. The traditional view of modern football is that it started in 1863 with a group of ex-public schoolboys from places like Eton and Harrow. "Now this is entirely and utterly mistaken because for hundreds of years the Scots have been regularly playing football in Anwoth and places like it. 4 The world's earliest known football ground at Anwoth "Looking at the map there's five tracks leading to the edge of this site. So 400 years ago everybody in a ten mile radius knew where this was. "If you're playing football every Sunday of every year, you've got rules because you have to agree on rules. "You couldn't play violent football because you needed to work on Monday so you're thinking about your football, you're playing regular football. "This is the ancestor, the grandparent, of modern world football, and it's Scottish." Standing on the location of the ancient pitch, he added: "This is one of my great days ever, because we're stood on the proof that we need to show that Scotland invented modern world football. "In 1872, the minute international football started, Scottish clubs were absolutely destroying English teams. It's absolutely no surprise because these people are 200 years infront of what England is doing. "Anwoth is going to be one of the cornerstones of the new world history of football. This is a place that the locals specifically chose as a football pitch and I've got the evidence. "It's the start of the narrative that runs through to today because the game they played is the game everybody plays everywhere in the world. "You can be up the side of a mountain in the Himalayas, watching a football game, and the ghosts of Anwoth will be watching." Archaeologist Kieran Manchip, who assisted with the discovery, said: "You do get that sense of it being almost like a natural amphitheatre. "Putting together all the sources, being here in the landscape and seeing how it all pieces together, all of those things corroborate with one another." Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
