Page 16 - Keynsham Town Ladies programme

KEYNSHAM TOWN LADIES 16
More football facts…

Do you know why Norwich City are called The Canaries? It’s not to do with
the colour or cutting the mustard (Colman’s Mustard is based in Norwich).
The reason is that Norwich has been a popular breeding ground for canaries
going back as far as the Middle Ages. The bird was first imported to the
nearby weavers and has long been associated with the city ever since. The
kit colour and the canary on the club crest pay tribute to that part of
Norwich’s heritage.

Studs in football boots were introduced in 1886. Ellis Patent Boot Studs
advertised their product with a letter from a footballer who claimed that “they
were a wonderful improvement in making football boots suitable for any
weather.” It was, however not until 1891 that the Football Association allowed
football boots to be fitted with studs. It was stipulated they had to be “made
of leather and did not project more than ½ an inch and they had to have their
fastenings driven in flush with the leather.” Boots were made of thick leather
which stretched above the ankle. The toe area was made of hardened leather
as at that time it was usual for players to toe-kick the ball rather than use the
instep.

Shin pads were first introduced to football in 1874 when Sam Weller
Widdowson (did his mum read Dicken’s Pickwick Papers?) took his cue from
cricket and cut down his cricket pads to cover his shins. Nottingham Forest
was the first team to wear shinguards.

In the early games any disputes were settled by the two captains and
because ‘it was a gentleman’s game’ an umpire was not required. Once
Football Association rules were established and the competition began in
1872 each team appointed an umpire. The two ran about the pitch keeping
an eye on play. They had no tight to interfere with the game but could be
appealed to by the players.

A regular size 5 football must have an air pressure of between 8.5 and 15.6
psi. Psi stands for pounds per square inch.