Combination Game

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The Combination Game was a style of football (soccer) that favoured the passing of the ball between players instead of individual dribbling skills. It is considered to be the predecessor of the modern passing game of football. Whatever its origin - and this may have been in more than one place - the game spread throughout Britain and then overseas.

1 Development of football codes permitting ball passing
2 Early References to ball passing
3 The Public Schools of England (early 19th century) and the Cambridge Rules
4 Subsequent Development of passing and the "Combination Game"
5 C. W. Alcock
6 The Royal Engineers A.F.C.
7 Scotland
8 Lancashire
9 Spread of the Game Overseas
10 References

[edit] Development of football codes permitting ball passing

The earliest reference in English to "passing" of the ball occurs in the early 1860s ^[1], around the time that Association Football was being "invented". The original Football Association rules of 1863 state that: "A player shall not be allowed to throw the ball or pass it to another with his hands". It is clear that at this time players were familiar with the concept of passing the ball to each other with their feet.

There is, however, some evidence that passing ball games existed prior to this time, although it is obviously difficult to know if these resembled modern tactics.

[edit] Early References to ball passing

In 1581 Richard Mulcaster is the first describe football teams consisting of players of different positions ("standings"). This suggests that passsing probably took place between players, although this is not stated explicitly. The only specific reference to player to player passing in football like ball games comes from Carew in his 1602 account of Cornish Hurling ^[2]. In this he describes "dealing" as the ball being specifically passed from one member of the same team to another. There are two other early allusions to passing the ball, but in each it is not certain that the ball was being passed between members of their own team. In 1650 English puritan Richard Baxter alludes to player to player passing of the ball during a football game in his book Everlasting Rest: "like a Football in the midst of a crowd of Boys, tost about in contention from one to another"^[3]. Similarly David Wedderburn in 1633 suggests that his students might want to use the latin words literally meaning "strike it here" and "strike it again (or back)" during ball games. It is not clear whether this was intended to be used between players of the same team. One 1950s translation of this text uses the English word "pass", but this is not used explicitly in the original Latin or the English original translation. The original latin uses the word "percute", literally to "strike". Striking the ball with a foot is not specified.

[edit] The Public Schools of England (early 19th century) and the Cambridge Rules

The public schools of England had developed their own forms of football since at least the Fifteenth Century and these were subsequently very influential in the formulation of the 1863 first ever rules of modern Association Football by the Football Association. There was a wide range of games and codes at these schools, as these games had evolved in isolation. Many involved dribbling and players were often very skilful at this art. Passing was certainly part of some games, as can be seen in the game of rugby football. The value of passing the ball in these various games depended upon the Offside Rule in that particular code. Some public school games kept a very tight offside rule, thus making forward passing worthless. Some rules, however, allowed for forward passing so long as there were more than 3 opposition players behind the ball. This rule permitted the positioning of players ahead of the ball. Such passing was called "passing on" and some players became deft at spying gaps to move the ball forward to team mates. This is noteworthy for marking the origins of forward passing and is very likely to have been the predecessor of the "combination game". Definitive proof of rules permitting such "passing on" begins with the Cambridge Rules of 1856 but is likely to have been included in even earlier versions. As these were based upon public school football games it is also very probable that the origin of the passing game comes from certain English public schools. Certainly, during FA meetings to discuss the development of the rules of soccer before 1867 there is evidence that representatives of Charterhouse and Westminster School (whose football games did not involve handling) were advocates of the forward pass. As a result of these schools' enthusiasm for a "loose" off side rule, forward passing was not forbidden under the subsequent versions of the FA's rules and the original Cambridge rules off-side rule was introduced to the FA rules in 1867 ^[4]. An off side rule had not been specified in the 1863 rules and, presumably, these would have been decided between teams prior to matches.

Passing the ball continues in to this day in at least one of the traditional public school football games. Harrow Football is a dribbling game in which the ball may be chipped into the hands of a teammate ^[5]

[edit] Subsequent Development of passing and the "Combination Game"

Following the adoption of the Football Association of a "loose" off side rule (i.e. one that permitted the forward pass) in 1867 A number of people and places have been credited with the development of combination football:

[edit] C. W. Alcock

The earliest reference to the term "combination game" comes in 1874 by C. W. Alcock who states "Nothing succeeds better than what I may call a "combination game""^[6] Alcock was also the first soccer player ever to be ruled off side on the 31st March 1866, confirming that players were probing ways of exploiting the new off side rule right from the start <^[7]. In 1866 goal kicks became exempt from the offside rule, clearly allowing the ball to be passed forward by the goal keeper to someone who would otherwise have been off side.

[edit] The Royal Engineers A.F.C.

Sir Frederick Wall who was the secretary of the Football Association from 1895-1934 states in his biography that the passing game was created by the Royal Engineers A.F.C. in the early 1870s ^[8]^[9] It is noteworthy that while he describes the first international match (see below) and speaks highly of many Scottish teams and players he does not attribute the combination game to either of these.

[edit] Scotland

There is a tradition in Scotland^{[citation needed]} that there was a bit of a clash of styles in 1872 when Scotland played England in the world's first official football international. (A series of football games with players from England and Scotland had previously been played at the Oval, London). There is a tradition in Scotland that this clash was the result of the sides adopting different ways of exploiting the Offside Rule that had been introduced in the 1866 revision of the rules by the Football Association and stating that: "If the ball has passed a player and has come from the direction of his own goal, he may not touch it till the other side have kicked it, unless there are more than three of the other side before him. No player is allowed to loiter between the ball and the adversaries' goal." ^[10]. This rule had been part of the 1856 Cambridge rules, but had been not included in the 1863 Football Association rules. At the match England played a 1-2-7 formation ^[11] and favoured dribbling the ball at the opponents and passing the ball up field ("passing on") before being tackled. One of the seven forwards, following behind, would then chase the ball. Scotland played with a 2-2-6 system, with three banks of forwards divided into pairs. This tactic of 'passing and running' became known as the "combination game" and is believed by some to have originated in Scotland. The benefit of these tactics on the day must have been minimal as the game resulted in a 0-0 draw. Critics of this theory note that there were many Scottish people living and playing football throughout Britain in the 1860s (i.e. prior to the first official international match) and given this it is unlikely that such a technique would evolve in isolation. This is especially true since a team of Scottish players had played against an England side the year before. Certainly the passing game continued to undergo development, as is shown by typical modern football formations of 4-4-2.

Critics of this theory argue that this playing technique - with its clear benefits - is unlikely to have evolved separately in Scotland in the early 1870s as Scotland did not win their first international against England until 1874. In particular the ten year period of Scottish dominance at the game did not start properly until 1876. By time there had certainly been sufficient mixing of ideas about different ways to play the game.

It has been suggested that the reported difference in playing style was because, unlike the English side, the Scottish players all came from one team and knew each other well. They were used to playing with each other and this clearly this conferred an advantage in working together as a team This contrasts strongly with the English side which drew on players from nine different clubs^[12] There were also differences in the average weight of players from each team.

[edit] Lancashire

Certain Lancashire sides (for example Blackburn Olympic) have also been considered to be innovators of the early passing game.^[13]

[edit] Spread of the Game Overseas

In 1894 soccer was taken to Brazil by Charles William Miller, a Brazilian of British descent. He had been sent to England for schooling and learned to play football whilst at Banister Court School in Southampton, Hampshire. ^[14]