A Scottish historian has discovered that the game of football was being played as early as the 15th century, and that by the 16th century organized games were taking place just outside castles throughout Scotland. Scottish Football Museum curator Richard McBrearty has found several records relating to the game in the archives of the National Library of Scotland.
He discovered a manuscript of accounts from King James IV of Scotland that showed he paid two shillings for a bag of ‘fut ballis’ on 11 April, 1497. More evidence came with we came across several diary accounts of football being played in places like Stirling Castle, Edzell Castle and Carlisle Castle. The games were played on pitches smaller than the current regular football field, and featured between 10 and 20 men on each side.
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