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Full name | Cambridge University Association Football Club | |
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Nickname(s) | Blues | |
Founded | 1856[note 1] | |
Ground | Grange Road Stadium/Fenner's Pitches, Cambridge, UK | |
Capacity | 1,000 | |
Chairman | Dr. John Little [5] | |
Co-Presidents | Joseph Helm & Matthew Page (Men) Alissa Sattentau & Alexia Dengler (Women) [5] | |
Captain | Cai La Trobe Roberts (Men) Emilia Keavney & Abbie Hastie (Women) [5] | |
League | BUCS Midlands 1A | |
2023/24 | Men's Blues: Midlands 1A. Women's Blues: Midlands 1A. | |
Website | Club website | |
Cambridge University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Cambridge. It is affiliated to the Football Association as the Cambridge University FA, and has representation on the FA Council equivalent to a County Football Association. [6] [7]
Official university publications have claimed that the club was formed in 1856, [1] being also recognised as such by The Football Association. [3] The FA awarded Cambridge a plaque in 2006 in honour of its "150th anniversary", giving its foundation date official recognition. [2] Nevertheless, other sources state that the date of establishment of the Cambridge AFC is not clear enough, setting it between 1856 and 1866. [4]
Cambridge currently plays in the Midland 1A of the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), the governing body for university sport in the United Kingdom. The club has also a women's football section, managed by an independent committee. The section has two teams playing in their respective divisions.
The club organizes the intercollegiate Cambridge University Association Football League. [8]
Varieties of football have been played for many centuries, but until the mid-19th century, none of the modern codes of football existed. Many different games were played at English Public schools and all of these were known simply as "football". Naturally, children who had learnt these games at school now sought to play them at university, but this was problematic because they were used to so many different sets of rules.
Eton, Harrow and Winchester, in particular, developed codes which revolved around a roughly spherical ball being kicked along the ground (Weir, 2004). In 1846, H.C. Malden of Trinity combined these and other football games in the Cambridge Rules, one of the first codes of football, posting them on the trees around Parker's Piece. Debate on the rules continued, and in 1846, a revised set of Cambridge Rules were created. Some records (see Harvey) cite this as the foundation date of the club.
The foundation date of 1856 is based upon the 1856 copy of the Cambridge Rules held by Shrewsbury School which is entitled: "The Laws of the University Foot Ball Club". The Club history probably goes back even further: for example, Harvey states: "Salopians formed a club of their own in the late 1830s/early 1840s but that was presumably absorbed by the Cambridge University Football Club that they were so influential in creating in 1846" [9] Certainly in the early 1840s Charles Astor Bristed confirms that at Cambridge there were games played between football clubs from different colleges and houses [10] Similarly, other sources show that an Arthur Pell established a football club at Cambridge in 1839. [11] This may have been the origin of the Cambridge AFC.
Colin Weir asserted in his history of CUAFC that: "it would be hard to exaggerate the influence that the University footballers of Cambridge have had on the game in England and subsequently all over the world". This is borne out by the fact that the Cambridge Rules were an influence on the initial rules of The Football Association (FA) in October 1863, the first code for association football. Cambridge graduates set up many early football clubs, such as Hallam F.C. in the north and the Forest Club in Essex.
Meanwhile, within the university the 1860s witnessed the foundation of a formalised Cambridge University Association Football Club (CUAFC); the university club had previously been a somewhat ad hoc mix of students from Trinity and Jesus. Once Oxford had followed suit, there was immediate talk of a Varsity match, and on 30 March 1874 the two Universities first met. Although the Light Blues succumbed 1–0, they were to dominate their Oxford counterparts until the end of the century.
In 1882, and CUAFC were still playing on Parker's Piece. A meeting of the Club concluded that it would be advisable to buy a ground, for Parker's Piece was not appropriate "owing to the fact that anyone can walk across and about the ground during the game". But it was not until 1895, that they were able to acquire Grange Road, in tandem with the Rugby Club, for £4,300. They were still paying it off until just before the First World War. Grange Road remains the university ground, although it was joined by Fenner's in 1975.
The 1883 side was the first team to introduce the "pyramid" 2–3–5 formation (two defenders, three midfield, and five strikers). [12] [13] Following the success of the "Cambridge pyramid" this formation became the norm for all football teams.
Notable players of 1883 side included Nevill Cobbold, Arthur Dunn and Francis Pawson. [14] Their passing, attacking style led to a 3–2 victory in the Varsity match. The changes to team formation and playing style introduced by Cambridge AFC led to the longest consecutive run of victories (1883–1887) against the other university and their spectacular 5–1 victory in 1886 [14]
Combination play by Cambridge University FC is suggested in contemporary accounts as early as Dec 1872: "The goal for the university was the result of the combined efforts of Adams, Sparham and Smith". [15] In this account Cambridge "played well together". [15]
In 1882, and CUAFC were still playing on Parker's Piece. A meeting of the Club concluded that it would be advisable to buy a ground, for Parker's Piece was not appropriate "owing to the fact that anyone can walk across and about the ground during the game". But it was not until 1895, however, that they were able to acquire Grange Road, in tandem with the Rugby Club, for £4,300. They were still paying it off until just before the First World War. Grange Road remains the university ground, although it was joined by Fenner's in 1975.
Nationally, with the new social legislation of the early 20th century that distributed more money to the working classes and increased leisure time (particularly on Saturday afternoons) and with new technological advances, such as the expanse of railways, which facilitated the nationalisation of leagues, the game of football was truly blooming. All the great clubs of today were formed at this time. The munitions workers at Woolwich Arsenal put down their tools and started picking up their boots in 1886. Members of the cricket club at Everton widened their sporting interests in 1878. However, a disgruntled manager would later decide to form a rival club that played in red. With the support of the Three Crowns, Newton Heath was founded in 1878, soon joining with another side to become Manchester United, while Aston Villa grew out of the Bible Class at a Wesleyan Chapel in 1874. Fair to say that CUAFC's creation had truly captured the imagination of people from all walks of life.
Cambridge University embraced this football explosion. It provided almost fifty England internationals in the early years. It was given a seat on the FA Council, which it maintains to this day. It has played against a plethora of league sides from within Britain and abroad; the first overseas tour took place in Hungary in 1902. Varsity matches were contested at Wembley Stadium until 1989.
The pride in this history and tradition within the club held the celebrations of its 150th anniversary in 2006: there was a lunch at the new Wembley Stadium, attended by officials of the FA, UEFA and FIFA. [3] There was also a match against an FA XI on 1 May 2006, and a German TV documentary in which current players helped re-created that first game on Parker's Piece in 1866.
In 2016 the National Football Museum presented a special award to CUAFC who the museum recognise as the oldest football club in the world, setting its date of foundation in 1856. [16] [17]
A professional coaching set-up is being maintained. Both the Blues and Falcons are now competing in National BUCS leagues. [18]
In a detailed investigation into the evolution of football tactics based upon contemporary accounts, Adrian Harvey refers to the teams responsible for the early development of the passing game (including Sheffield, The Royal Engineers [19] and Queens Park) but comes to the following conclusion about the finished, modern team product: "Curiously, the side that was generally credited with transforming the tactics of association football and almost single-handedly inventing the modern game was not a professional team but the Cambridge University XI of 1882. Contemporaries described Cambridge as being the first "combination" team in which each player was allotted an area of the field and played as part of a team in a game that was based upon passing". [20]
In a discussion by CW Alcock on the history of a "definite scheme of attack" and "elaborate combination" in football playing style, he states in 1891: "The perfection of the system which is in vogue at the present time however is in a very great measure the creation of the last few years. The Cambridge University eleven of 1882 were the first to illustrate the full possibilities of a systematic combination giving full scope to the defence as well as the attack" [21] Although there is some disagreement over whether the innovation began with the team of 1882 or 3, other historians have backed up this view, [22] including the football historian Sir Montague Shearman. [23]
Twenty-four Cambridge players were capped for England.
The full list of England players (with the number of caps received whilst registered with Cambridge University A.F.C.) were: [24]
Offside is one of the laws in association football, codified in Law 11 of the Laws of the Game. The law states that a player is in an offside position if any of their body parts, except the hands and arms, are in the opponents' half of the pitch, and closer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent.
The Laws of the Game are the codified rules of association football. The laws mention the number of players a team should have, the game length, the size of the field and ball, the type and nature of fouls that referees may penalise, the offside law, and many other laws that define the sport. During a match, it is the task of the referee to interpret and enforce the Laws of the Game.
Andrew Watson was a Scottish footballer who is widely considered to be the first black person to play association football at international level. He played three matches for Scotland between 1881 and 1882. Arthur Wharton was previously commonly thought to be the first black player, as he was the first black professional footballer to play in the Football League, but Watson's career predated him by over a decade. There is evidence that Watson was paid professionally when at Bootle in 1887, two years prior to Wharton becoming a professional with Rotherham Town; however, the Merseyside club did not play in the Football League at the time Watson played there.
Wanderers Football Club was an English association football club. It was founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859 in Leytonstone. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers", a reference to it never having a home stadium, instead playing at various locations in London and the surrounding area. Comprising mainly former pupils of the leading English public schools, Wanderers was one of the dominant teams in the early years of organised football and won the inaugural Football Association Challenge Cup in 1872. The club won the competition five times in total, including three in succession from 1876 to 1878, a feat which has been repeated only once.
The Old Etonians Association Football Club is an English association football club whose players are alumni of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire.
A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of association football when the whole of ball passes over the touchline. It is governed by Law 15 of the Laws of the Game. In Scotland it is known as a shy.
Gonville & Caius AFC, more commonly known as Caius, is the representative football club of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, England. It is one of only a few university teams to have entered the FA Cup 1st round proper.
The Sheffield Rules was a code of football devised and played in the English city of Sheffield between 1858 and 1877. The rules were initially created and revised by Sheffield Football Club, with responsibility for the laws passing to the Sheffield Football Association upon that body's creation in 1867. The rules spread beyond the city boundaries to other clubs and associations in the north and midlands of England, making them one of the most popular forms of football during the 1860s and 1870s.
The Cambridge Rules were several formulations of the rules of football made at the University of Cambridge during the nineteenth century.
Oxford University Association Football Club is an English football club representing the University of Oxford. It is affiliated to the Football Association as the Oxford University FA, and has representation on the FA Council equivalent to a County Football Association.
The oldest football clubs trace their origins to the mid-19th century, a period when football evolved from being a casual pastime to an organised mainstream sport.
The history of association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, stretches back at least to medieval times. FIFA cites Cuju in ancient China is the earliest form of a kicking game for which there is scientific evidence, a military manual from the Han dynasty, and it resembles closely modern association football. The similar games were played in ancient Japan, Greece, Rome,...The first written evidence of a football match came in England in about 1170.
Parker's Piece is a 25-acre (100,000 m2) flat and roughly square green common located near the centre of Cambridge, England, regarded by some as the birthplace of the rules of association football. The two main walking and cycling paths across it run diagonally, and the single lamp-post at the junction is colloquially known as Reality Checkpoint. The area is bounded by Park Terrace, Parkside, Gonville Place, and Regent Terrace. The Cambridge University Football Club Laws were first used on Parker's Piece and adopted by the Football Association in 1863. "They embrace the true principles of the game, with the greatest simplicity". 'The Cambridge Rules appear to be the most desirable for the Association to adopt'.
Heeley F.C. was an English association football club based in Sheffield, Yorkshire.
The Combination Game was a style of association football based around teamwork and cooperation. It would gradually favour the passing of the ball between players over individual dribbling skills which had been a notable feature of early Association games. It developed from "scientific" football and is considered to be the predecessor of the modern passing game of football. It originated in Britain and its origins are associated with early clubs: Sheffield FC, The Royal Engineers AFC, Queen's Park FC and Cambridge University AFC. Each of these claimants is supported by retrospective accounts from men who were notable in the early history of football. They are considered below in the order of earliest contemporary evidence of "scientific" football playing styles.
The sport of association football has a long history in England.
The 1878 FA Cup final was an association football match between Wanderers F.C. and Royal Engineers A.F.C. on 23 March 1878 at Kennington Oval in London. It was the seventh final of the world's oldest football competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup. Wanderers had won the Cup in the previous two seasons and on four previous occasions in total, including the first FA Cup final in 1872, in which they defeated the Engineers. The Engineers had also won the Cup, having defeated Old Etonians in the 1875 final.
Passing the ball is a key part of association football. The purpose of passing is to keep possession of the ball by maneuvering it on the ground between different players with the objective of advancing it up the playing field.
Old Westminsters F.C. is an association football club composed of former pupils of Westminster School, London, England. They play in the Arthurian League.
Football in Sussex refers to the sport of association football in relation to its participation and history within Sussex, England. Football is one of the most popular sports in Sussex with over 500 football clubs and 38,000 players in the county.