New Delhi: Google Doodle on Thursday honoured the 187th birth anniversary of Ebenezer Cobb Morley, the father of modern football. Morley, who was born in Hull on August 16, 1831 to a Minister father, grew up as a sports enthusiast. He went on to study law and moved to London to work as a solicitor.
In London, Morley joined the Barnes Football Club realised that the game could be benefitted with a more defined structure and with the introduction of regulations. Before Morley laid down his set of rules for the game of football in 1863, the game was significantly more chaotic.
Hence, He wrote to Bell’s Life, a sports newspaper, to make the case for a more organised game. Following this, a group of members of football clubs across England met at Freeman’s Tavern, where Morley tabled his draft of 13 rules, which later went on to become the standard of play in England.
Morley’s 13 laws eventually reduced violence on the field and later formalised the rule of ‘offsides’ that prevents players from permanently stationing themselves behind an opponent’s defensive line, waiting for a pass.
In the year 1863, Morley was elected the Honorary Secretary of the F.A., holding the post until 1866 and president of the F.A. from 1867 to 1874.
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