1870s in Swedish football
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Events
- Early 1870s1870sThe 1870s continued the trends of the previous decade, as new empires, imperialism and militarism rose in Europe and Asia. America was recovering from the Civil War. Germany declared independence in 1871 and began its Second Reich. Labor unions and strikes occurred worldwide in the later part of...
: Various forms of football are introduced in Sweden. The development of football is centered around GothenburgGothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
—which has an extensive trade and workforce exchange with EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
—and southern Sweden, mainly the cities of MalmöMalmöMalmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
, LandskronaLandskronaLandskrona is a locality and the seat of Landskrona Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 28,670 inhabitants in 2005.-History:The city of Landskrona was founded at the location of Scania's best natural harbour, as a means of King Eric of Pomerania's anti-Hanseatic policy, intended to compete...
and HalmstadHalmstadHalmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
—which are influenced by the close-by neighbour DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, one of the early football nations. - 24 May or 28 May 1874: One of the earliest mentions of footballFootballFootball may refer to one of a number of team sports which all involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball with the foot to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
in Sweden occurs this day when the GothenburgGothenburgGothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
newspaper Göteborgs-PostenGöteborgs-PostenGöteborgs-Posten is a major daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Gothenburg, with containing coverage of local, regional, national and international issues. It is chiefly distributed in western Götaland. It has the second largest national circulation, after Dagens Nyheter and before...
publishes an article on a gymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
society—without mentioning any name—that has been founded in the city, also telling that the society has played "a few football player games, which seemed to be of a very animated nature" on HedenHedenHeden is a ballcourt and public space/square in the centre of Gothenburg, Sweden. Football matches are played here in the run up to the final of the Gothia Cup. The final is played at Ullevi. Also the largest handball tournament in the world is played here during the summer: Partille Cup. Then...
, a public space in the centre of Gothenburg. No information on the type of football played, or the society's whereabouts during the next years, has been found. - 1875: Göteborgs BKGöteborgs BKGöteborgs BK is a now defunct Swedish football club which was located in Gothenburg. The club is the oldest football club in Sweden known by name, and the second oldest known club in Sweden, only preceded by an unnamed society from Gothenburg that was mentioned in an article in Göteborgs-Posten in...
is founded, the first Swedish football club whose name is known. It is however most likely that the club used the Swedish football rulesSwedish football (code)Swedish football was a code of football devised and played in Sweden from the 1870s to the early 1890s, when the modern association football was introduced...
and not the association football rules. It is unknown for how long the club existed, but sources mention it as still active in the late 1880s1880sThe 1880s was the decade that spanned from January 1, 1880 to December 31, 1889. They occurred at the core period of the Second Industrial Revolution. Most Western countries experienced a large economic boom, due to the mass production of railroads and other more convenient methods of travel...
. Göteborgs BK was probably one of the clubs that standardised the rules for Swedish footballSwedish football (code)Swedish football was a code of football devised and played in Sweden from the 1870s to the early 1890s, when the modern association football was introduced...
in 1885. - 1879: Stockholms BK is founded as the first club from StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
playing the Swedish codeSwedish football (code)Swedish football was a code of football devised and played in Sweden from the 1870s to the early 1890s, when the modern association football was introduced...
. One source mentions the club playing a match on GotlandGotlandGotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
in 1878, but that seems unlikely as most sources gives 1879 as the year of foundation. A club with the same name regularly plays in the national league systemSwedish football league systemThe Swedish football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Sweden which is controlled by the Swedish Football Association and consists of 276 teams in 22 leagues divided into five levels...
during the 1920s1920sFile:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
, but it is unknown if that is the same club. - 1879: Lars Mauritz Törngren, one of the most prominent Ling gymnasticsPehr Henrik LingPer Henrik Ling was a Swedish physical therapist, developer and teacher of medical-gymnastics.-Early life:...
ideologists, publishes the book Fria Lekar. Anvisning till skolans tjenst ("Athletic games. Instruction for the school service") in which he mentions football as "somewhat known in Sweden", but neglects to mention the sport further due to its perceived violent and brutal nature.