Football and rugby

Story 6 of 8

Embroidered picture: a football and a rugby ball on a pitch, with a football goal and H-shaped rugby posts behind

Football is the most popular sport in the UK. It has a long history here, and the first professional clubs appeared in the late 19th century.

Leagues: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run their own leagues, with clubs from different towns and cities. The English Premier League has a huge international audience, and many of the world's best players play in it.
Europe: many UK clubs also take on teams from the rest of Europe in competitions such as the UEFA Champions League.
Home teams: many towns and cities have a professional club, and fans are proud to back their local team. Rivalry between clubs, and between their fans, can be fierce.
National teams: each of the four nations has its own national team, which plays in tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Football Championships. The only major international tournament England has won is the 1966 World Cup, which the UK hosted. That final was played at Wembley Stadium, where England beat West Germany 4–2 after extra time. The captain who received the trophy from Elizabeth II was Bobby Moore, and today a statue of him stands outside the new Wembley.
Amateur football: every week lots of people play amateur matches in parks all over the UK, and football is a popular community sport.

Rugby: two sets of rules

Rugby began in England in the early 19th century. There are two kinds, each with its own rules: rugby union and rugby league. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland each have leagues and national teams in both kinds of rugby. Northern Ireland joins with the Republic of Ireland to make one Irish team.

Rugby union's most famous competition is the Six Nations Championship, played by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, plus France and Italy.
The best-known rugby league competition for clubs is the Super League.

As for how rugby began, the story goes that in 1823 William Webb Ellis, a pupil at Rugby School, picked up the ball during a game of football and ran with it, and so "invented" the sport. The story was only written down decades later, and many historians think it is just a legend. Even so, the Rugby World Cup trophy is still called the Webb Ellis Cup.

Key facts

Cricket started in England. A match can last up to five days and still be a draw. People say its odd character and complex rules show the British at their best, with a strong sense of fair play. Everyday phrases that come from cricket include it's just not cricket, rain stopped play, bowled a googly, playing a straight bat and batting on a sticky wicket.
The most famous cricket competition is the Ashes: a series of Test matches between England and Australia.
Football is the UK's most popular sport; professional clubs first appeared in the late 19th century. There are separate leagues in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Premier League has a huge international audience. Many UK clubs play in the UEFA Champions League.
Each nation has its own national team, playing in the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships. England's only international tournament win was the 1966 World Cup, hosted in the UK.
Rugby began in England in the early 19th century. There are two kinds: union and league. Northern Ireland plays together with the Republic of Ireland.
Rugby union's biggest competition is the Six Nations: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, plus France and Italy. The best-known rugby league club competition is the Super League.

Quiz

Which TWO of these countries take part in the Six Nations rugby union championship?

Chapter contents: Sport