The name is two words put together. "Foot" and "Ball". This is because when the game was first invented a ball would be kicked with a foot to score points. The game has remained largely unchanged, unlike other sports named in a similar way. Rugby (a joining of the words "Rug" and "Bee") was once a very different sport, devised by the Earl of Digby after spilling a jam sandwich on a picnic rug, thus attracting a wasp.
The original balls were made of porcelain and were extremely fragile. They were hand painted and very ornate. The players had to be incredibly careful when moving the ball as they were incredibly expensive to replace. These porcelain balls were used for the first hundred and thirty years of the sport and not a single goal was scored during that period.
The move to leather bought with it goals and of course headsies, now a staple part of any game. With all these goals flying about along came the dreaded referees!!!!!!! Dressed in black they had the legal power to giveth and taketh away goals and in some extreme cases, human lives. Until 1900 the referee was also able to carry out a wedding as long as it was on the pitch and during the 90 minutes. It was this rule that led to the famous "Match Made In Heaven" in 1886 where a linesman and a goalie met, fell in love and wed before the end of the first half.
Other than that, the rules have remained the same. God bless Football, may it always rule our lives.
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