Football in the UK

United Kingdom Football Associations:
England (white), Northern Ireland (green), Scotland (blue), Wales (red)

The football in the UK is one of the most popular sports are unlike other countries, there are in. The United Kingdom not only a Football Association :

The Football Association (FA, founded in 1863) for England , Guernsey , the Isle of Man and Jersey
Scottish Football Association (SFA, founded in 1872) for Scotland
Football Association of Wales (FAW, founded in 1876) for Wales
Irish Football Association (IFA, founded in 1880) for Northern Ireland , until 1921 for all of Ireland

In addition, the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA, founded in 1895) for the British overseas territory of Gibraltar was formed in Europe as the fifth association .

All associations are members of UEFA and FIFA , play their own championships and cup competitions and have their own national football teams . These teams take part in world and European championships independently of each other .

history

This division into several associations is a concession that modern football developed in the British Isles ; England is known as the "motherland of football". England, Scotland and Wales, along with Ireland, are among the original football associations (founded in the 19th century) that established the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in 1882 , the body that advises on football rules and decides on changes.

After the formation of FIFA in 1904, these four British associations became early members (until 1911).

A dispute over a non-issued ban on games against the former opponents of the First World War ( Germany , Austria and Hungary ) led the associations to withdraw from FIFA between 1920 and 1924.

Before the Second World War , the British football associations did not approve of professional players taking part in football World Cups. The national teams therefore did not take part in the tournaments in 1930 , 1934 and 1938 .

The IFAB decides on rule changes in football on an international level to this day. In addition to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the body also includes four other rotating members of FIFA .

Question of eligibility to play

player

Since there is only one British citizenship, there is no government definition of who is a citizen of any part of the country. For the four football associations, a Briton can only play in one of the four national teams, namely for the association of his home country . The home country is the part of the United Kingdom where he, his parents or his grandparents were born. If multiple home countries are eligible, or if the player and both generations before him were born outside the UK, he or she can choose one of the four associations. Since 2009, attendance at school for at least five years in the relevant part of the country has also ensured that players are eligible to play. As soon as a player has played an international match , a change is no longer possible, although appointments to national teams are an exception for schoolchildren.

societies

Sometimes it can happen that clubs do not play in their home league, but switch to a league that is more attractive to them. Five Welsh clubs (these are the Football League participants Cardiff City , Swansea City and AFC Newport County as well as Wrexham FC and Colwyn Bay FC in non-league football ) compete in English leagues (see also League of Wales foundation the league ).

In addition, the inclusion of Scottish top clubs (including Celtic Glasgow and the Glasgow Rangers ) in the English league system is repeatedly discussed. However, these considerations have not yet led to concrete planning. After the forced relegation of the Glasgow Rangers in 2012, this issue was no longer taken up.

Participation in international competitions

societies

So far, clubs from the United Kingdom have won the Champions League or the European Cup , seven times the Europa League or the UEFA Cup and ten times the European Cup Winners' Cup .

Since Gibraltar's entry into UEFA in 2013, the UK and overseas leagues have eight spots in the Champions League and 13 spots in the Europa League.

National teams

To participate in the Olympic Games , a British national team was set up (until 1972), which also played friendly games against teams from other nations. After a 40-year hiatus, a British team again took part in the 2012 Olympic Games in London , representing the whole of the Kingdom. For the first time, a women's team was also set up.

Apart from the Olympic Games, the four associations have their own national football teams:

country	team	Greatest successes	membership
England England	English national football team	WM : victory 1966 ; EM : Third place in 1968	FIFA , UEFA
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland National Football Team ( Irish National Football Team 1882-1921 )	WM: quarter-finals 1958 , intermediate round 1982 ; EM: Round of 16 2016	FIFA, UEFA
Scotland Scotland	Scottish national football team	WM: First final round 1974 , 1978 ; EM: Preliminary round 1996	FIFA, UEFA
Wales Wales	Welsh national football team	WM: quarter-finals 1958 ; EM: semi-finals 2016	FIFA, UEFA

The crown possessions of the British Crown have their own football selections:

country	team	membership
guernsey guernsey	Guernsey football selection	no
Isle of Man Isle of Man	Isle of Man football selection	no
jersey jersey	Jersey football selection	no

In addition, the following British overseas territories have their own national football teams:

country	team	Greatest successes	membership
Anguilla Anguilla	Anguillan national football team	WM : not qualified; Gold Cup : not qualified	FIFA , CONCACAF
Bermuda Bermuda	Bermuda National Football Team	WM: not qualified; Gold Cup: not qualified	FIFA, CONCACAF
British Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands	British Virgin Islands National Football Team	WM: not qualified; Gold Cup: not qualified	FIFA, CONCACAF
Cayman Islands Cayman Islands	National soccer team of the Cayman Islands	WM: not qualified; Gold Cup: not qualified	FIFA, CONCACAF
Falkland Islands Falkland Islands	Falkland Islands football selection	no	no
Gibraltar Gibraltar	Gibraltar national football team	WM: not qualified; EM : not qualified	FIFA, UEFA
Montserrat Montserrat	National football team of Montserrat	WM: not qualified; Gold Cup: not qualified	FIFA, CONCACAF
Turks Islands and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands	National football team of the Turks and Caicos Islands	WM: not qualified; Gold Cup: not qualified	FIFA, CONCACAF

Web links

Commons : Association football in the United Kingdom - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Is Scotland the real motherland of football? - “There was no revolution in the 19th century”. 11 Friends , October 19, 2011, accessed August 16, 2014 .

↑ FIFA : FIFA Statutes . Implementing provisions for the statutes / rules of procedure of the Congress . 2013, p. 11 . Article 10, paragraph 5: Each of the four British associations is recognized as an individual member of FIFA.
↑ FIFA : FIFA Statutes . Implementing provisions for the statutes / rules of procedure of the Congress . 2013, p. 8 . Art. 6, para. 2: The IFAB consists of eight members. Four of these members are appointed by FIFA and four by the British associations.
↑ Shawcross now eligible for Wales. news.bbc.co.uk, October 13, 2009, accessed May 5, 2016 .
↑ Team GB decision reached. The Football Association, June 21, 2011, accessed August 16, 2014 .

[1] Is Scotland the real motherland of football? - “There was no revolution in the 19th century”. 11 Friends , October 19, 2011, accessed August 16, 2014 .