The Game that Would be King

This guide takes the reader on a journey through history, tracing the origins of soccer from its humble beginning to an established sport beloved worldwide. It is a story that spans five thousand years, from ancient Egypt to MesoAmerica, from the Greek Empire to Chinese Dynasties, and from the Roman Empire to medieval Britain.

From the Middle Ages onwards, Britain and Ireland unfurl their lineage, from the lesser-known trapball and stoolball to the lamentably extinct camping and knappan. All forms find a voice in this book, as do hockey and hurling, baseball and bowling, tennis and golf. Primarily a narrative of British and Irish ball games, esteemed foreigners are welcomed: baggataway, knattleikur, soule, kolven, calcio. Many games come to life, revealing their motivations, and their complex inner world. Still, soccer is firmly center stage. This is, after all, its picaresque journey.

As the games sweep across history, the social, religious, and political contexts are threaded throughout, and this book is peppered with news snippets, anecdotes, comedy, and intrigue, which gift the centuries life. Crammed with eccentric sports ephemera, untold tales, and unearthed facts, The Game That Would Be King is the most comprehensive work on the early history of ball games ever written.

Brendan Murphy is the author of From Sheffield with Love, a history of the world’s oldest soccer club. He is an adjunct associate professor of psychiatry and has written widely on youth mental health. He was raised in Sheffield, England, and lives in Melbourne.