User:Grover cleveland/History of the laws of the game/Sheffield/1862
1862 Annual Meeting[edit]
1862-01-30, Falcon Inn. "Laws of the Game will be amended".
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000250/18620131/073/0002 (Sheffield DT 1862-01-31)
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000181/18620131/018/0003 (1862-01-31 Sheffield Independent)
Meeting adjourned for the purpose of drawing out (alterations to the rules). The most important alteration is the adoption of "rouges" which will have the effect of preventing matches to result in "draws".
Several alterations of old rules were made, and new rules were adopted with a view of enlivening and increasing the interest of the game.
1862-02-01 (Sheffield Indepedent) https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000181/18620201/060/0010
Same article
Crewsick resigns as secretary and is replaced by Chesterman. (Nothing about treasurer).
Adjourned meeting[edit]
1862-02-07, Falcoln Inn.
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000250/18620208/098/0005
"rules adopted at th elast meeting were confirmed"
"General Annual Meeting"[edit]
1862-10-07, Black Swan Hotel
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000250/18621006/004/0001
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000250/18621008/070/0002
No mention of laws.
President: F. Ward (re-elected)
Vice-Presidents: T. A. Sorby, M. J. Ellison (re-elected)
Secretary: W. Chesterman (re-elected)
Treasurer: W. Chesterman (re-elected)
From Harvey[edit]
However, in 1862, after another series of meetings, Sheffield published a far more sophisticated and comprehensive code than that of 1858 and made the bold pronouncement that from now on these would be the only rules that they would use in matches.123 As it was, the supremacy enjoyed by Sheffield FC, in terms of the social standing of its members, the wealth of the club and the ability of its players, meant that every club in the area adopted ‘The Sheffield Rules’, thus producing an important uni- formity. As can be seen from the following laws, the code that was printed in 1862 was far more sophisticated than that of 1858. Of particular interest are the following laws:
11 A rouge is obtained by the player who first touches the ball after it has been kicked between the rouge flags, and when a rouge has been obtained one of the defending side must stand post two yards from the front of the centre of the goal sticks. 12 No rouge is obtained when the player who first touches the ball is on the defending side. In that case it is a kick out as specified in law 2. 14 A goal outweighs any number of rouges. Should no goals be scored or an equal number be obtained, the match is decided by rouges. 16 In setting out the ground, the goal sticks must be placed 12 feet apart, and the cross bar 9 feet from the ground. The rouge flags must be placed one on each side and in line with the goal, and 12 feet distance from the goal.124 The rouge was introduced as an additional mode of scoring because the small size of Sheffield’s goals led to a proliferation of goalless draws.125 NOTES 123 Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 25 January 1862; 10 October 1862. 124 FCR12. 125 Field 9 February 1867. 126 There was an extensive correspondence on this matter in Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 January and finally 12 January 1863, whence the edi- tor brought the dispute to a close. It is difficult reconstructing events, especially as some of the correspondents appear less than neutral, denouncing statements as being the ‘usual Hallam excuse’. It appears likely that the tension between Sheffield and Hallam was further stoked by an incident between two athletes belong- ing to the respective clubs that occurred during a foot race at York a couple of months earlier. The dispute is described in Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 8, 9, 10 October 1862. 127 Field 26 December 1863.
- 10 October 1862 reference is merely a brief invitation to other clubs to use the rules
"Rouge flags" seem to be a Sheffield invention: the equivalent laws of the Eton Field Game had:
- A "rouge" is obtained by the player who first touches the ball after it
has been kicked behind, or on the line of the goal -sticks of the opposite side ...
- sliould the bait le fi»>-t loucho-l by
one of the defending part), no " rouge " is obtaine<
- When a "rouge" has been obtained, tl e ball )>m t be ] la'fnd hy; theruiti-
pire one yard from the centre of the goal-sticks at the end at which it was obtained. '
- 11. No player who is behind the line of the goal-sticks, before the ball be
kicked behind, may touch it in any way, either to prevent or obtain a
- rouge. "
- 12. Should the ball have been behind the goal-sticks, and be kicked before
them again without being touched, any player may touch it, and claim a "rouge."
- 18. No player may kick the ball behind the goal-sticks of his own party.
Should this be done, and one of the opposite party touch the ball a "rouge" is obtained.
- 26. A " goal " outweighs any number of "rouges. " Should no " goals " or
an equal number be obtained, the match is decided by " rouges. "
In 1867, Sheffield FC proposed several changes to the FA rules:
- addition of rouges / rouge flags
- lenient offside with just one player required
- prohibition on handling, penalized by free kick.
All were rejected (although the prohibition on handling would be adopted in 1870).
In response?? The Sheffield FA was formed and adopted its own rules one month later.
Report of match involving rouge flags: https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001055/18670214/113/0004
As far as I can tell, the phrase "rouge flags" has only ever been used in Sheffield football.
Other stuff on "rouge flags"[edit]
- borrowed from Eton in 1861
- scrapped in 1868, but Aussie rules has a similar system
Extra notes[edit]
128 In a letter from H. Chambers in 1867 it was recorded that the offside law, with its
definition of the goalkeeper, was adopted at the beginning of 1863 season. Field
9 February 1867.
129 P. Young, Football in Sheffield, pp. 20–1. Young details the ideas that Chesterman
proposed. The only one that appears particularly strange was Chesterman’s advocacy
of spiked shoes, which he did not believe to be dangerous.
130 Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 3 October 1863.
131 FCR3 (Sheffield City Archives).
132 Field 9 February 1867. Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 4, 18 November 1865. It
appears that previous to the 1865–66 season Sheffield FC were the only team in the region who used an offside law. See remarks at Sheffield FC AGM September 1865 FCR3 (Sheffield City Archives).
133 Bell’s Life in London 24 February 1866. Sheffield and Rotherham Independent 13, 22 November 1866. Sheffield rules dictated that ends should be changed at halftime.
Mechanics Rules 1865-66[edit]
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19350222/061/0014
Eton Field Game (from where rouges came)[edit]
1847 rules
Match won by rouges[edit]
https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000181/18620305/018/0003
Sheffield v Hallam, 1862-02
When were rouges introduced[edit]
Article quoted above implies rouges were introduced only in 1862. But Harvey, in http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/714001668?journalCode=fhsp20 claims they had been introduced earlier, citing "Sheffield and Rotherham Advertiser, 29 Dec. 1860.".