Furbish rules football

Furbish rules football

Highest governing body	International Federation of Furbish Football
Nicknames	Football
First played	c. 1830s-1840s (predecessors) 23 November 1864 (current rules)
Registered players	12,185,129 (2020)
Clubs	301,739 (2020)
Characteristics
Contact	Full
Team members	16 per side including goalkeeper, can be freely substituted with 8 others including one goalkeeper
Mixed gender	Yes, separate competitions
Type	Ball sport, Outdoor sport, Team sport
Equipment	Football
Venue	Furbish football field
Glossary	Glossary of Furbish rules football
Presence
Country or region	Worldwide, primarily The Furbish Islands

Furbish football, also called Furbish rules football or football.

History

Origins

Furbish football shares origins with other sports like association football, fullball, and rugby, which were brought to The Furbish Islands by colonists in the 1700s. Like in many countries at the time, the game was popular in schools and universities, which had varying rules.

According to Furbish football historian Thomas Edward Brady, the precursor to Furbish football was first developed by Furbish Army Captain XXX in 1836 as a way to entertain bored soldiers. His game was based off a game played by his alma mater, XXXUNIVERSITY, and some games played by natives. This claim is disputed by other historians, notably by Michael Parsons, who claims the first code was developed by Gendarmerie Captain XXX in 1837, who took inspiration from several different codes. Regardless of its origin, the game began to spread among the Army and Gendarmerie throughout the 1840s and 1850s, then to the civilian population. Reasons for its rapid spread include its faster pace of gameplay and its few material requirements, needing nothing more than a field, a pig bladder for a ball, and four guns with bayonets for goalposts.

First rules

Several attempts to standardize the rules in the 1840s and 1850s did not gain traction.

Laws of the game

Pitch and goalposts

Furbish Football Federation rules state the pitch must be between 14 and 16 arpents (111.81 to 127.79 meters) in length and 8 to 9 arpents (63.89 to 71.88 meters) in width, making it one of the strictest definitions for any sport. These dimensions mean a Furbish football pitch can be used for other sports, including association football, rugby union, and rugby league. Furbish teams frequently share stadiums for other sports.