ABSTRACT
Though the modern version of association football originated in England during the mid-1800s, other games involving kicking a ball can be traced to earlier times. In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa football became an important element of culture and identify formation by the early twentieth century. The Ministry of Education, through its subsidiary Japanese Amateur Sports Association, organized a men’s national team during the First World War. In 1892 women participated in a formal match arranged by the Scottish football association. By the end of the nineteenth century football associations existed in countries around the world. These associations, as well as prominent clubs acting as de facto authorities in countries lacking national associations, had begun staging international matches and exhibitions while also providing an administrative or organizational structure for the sport within their own borders. Among the most pressing issues involved the eligibility of players and the inclusion of certain national associations.
