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Quickies

Did you know …

• Ireland changed to green shirts against England on October 17, 1931? Up until then they had worn blue.

What is the difference between the Irish Football Association (IFA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI)?

Ireland has two FAs because Ireland itself is divided into two nations, Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which is a sovereign state formed in 1921. Beginning with the formation of the Irish Football Association (IFA) in 1879, all of Ireland was represented under that one association. But with the partition of Ireland in 1921, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) was formed to represent the Republic of Ireland, due to bitter disputes between Dublin-area teams and Belfast teams.

Quickies

Did you know …

• it was not until 1952 that a team from outside Belfast was crowned champions of the Irish League, formed in 1890?

How did soccer become American football?

In 1884, the American Amateur Football Association was formed, the first such soccer organization outside Britain. Ten years later, the United States became the second country in the world to introduce professional soccer. However, in the 1870s, Harvard University opted for a rugby-style “handling game” over the “kicking game.” As other universities followed Harvard’s example, the handling game developed into the American form of football.