Stories
History
Some would say history is just one damned thing after the other, that it should be put to rest in the past and that bygones should be bygones.
These people are not necessarily wrong, but in an ever-complex world of globalised societies and rising exclusivist identity-politics, the stories we tell ourselves about the past help us define ourselves in the present and orient toward an unpredictable future.
Football
Some would say football is nothing more than 22 people chasing a ball around a pitch for 90 minutes.
Also those people are not necessarily wrong, but history is made up of whatever people have come to value, and certainly football – a game played and watched by billions for over 100 years – seems highly valued.
Our Latest Stories
Seen from the Valley
Football in India arose from the presence of British troops, but the game that could unite, was later eclipsed by cricket. A local story from India.
Seen from the Valley
Football in India arose from the presence of British troops, but the game that could unite, was later eclipsed by cricket. A local story from India.
Ballon d’Or at the presidential palace
On this day, 11th October, in 2005, football star George Weah ran for the office of president of Liberia.
Learning history in 100 football life stories
Over 100 life stories have been collected. Together they present a story of the people of Europe in the last 150 years. Time to connect the dots.
October in Football
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, we provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
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The Incredible Life of a French Footballer
Today, 29 September, is the day on which French female football pioneer Carmen Pomiès was born in 1900 and passed away in 1982.
FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS Read more
October in Football
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, we provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
...
September in Football
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, we provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
...
August in Football
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, the team of Football Makes History will provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
...
July in football history
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, the team of Football Makes History will provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
...
Waiting for EURO2020? Play Football History!
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, the team of Football Makes History will provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
...
Playing the game for peace
September in Football
Football speaking out in perspective
Book review: 50 Most Important Moments
When the ball can be heard
August in Football
Football in Primo Levi’s Work
A World in Motion
A tournament for not competing
Teaching Northern Ireland’s History through Football
The national team from four countries
Archive
France in the mirror of football
On this day, Euro2020 would have almost reached the finals. The French team gives us the opportunity to look at national identity and migration.
A final painted in contrasts
On this day, 12 July 2020, Euro2020 would have reached the final. In 1992 Denmark, which hadn’t qualified, won. While Yugoslavia, a favorite, never made it due to UN sanctions.
The last defectors
Today 30 years ago in 1989 three players of the East German football club Wismut Aue were getting ready to escape from the DDR.
Four decades of UEFA Women’s Championships “come home”
Today Wembley would have a Euro 2020 semi-final. Also the UEFA 2021 Women’s Championship is pushed to 2022. A chance to look forwards and backwards.
Saga of a small nation in a bigger Europe
On this day in 2016, Iceland’s football men lost to France at the European Championship. It ended an amazing run for the team which had not yet reached such heights. This is a story of a small nation in a bigger Europe.
Football without frontiers for a Europe without borders
On this day in the year 2000, the final of the first European Championship co-hosted by two countries was played. The idea to host such an event together is an example of the 1990s momentum in European cooperation. Euro2020, now postponed till 2021, is co-hosted by 12 European cities. This is the story of crossing borders.
Local football history closest to school teaching
A conversation with Football Makes History developer Geir Ove Halvorsen, a teacher at a secondary school in Norway, about his experience using football history, connecting local and global perspectives in his lessons.
When fans sing together for joy
On this day in 2016, Northern Irish and Irish fans received a medal for exemplar behaviour. An important moment for the countries, as well as in the history of the European Nations Cup. This is the story of the remarkable fans of Northern Ireland and Ireland. It is a story about football innovation and bridging countries.
July in football history
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, the team of Football Makes History will provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
Puskás: a political refugee in Europe
On this day, the Puskás stadium would have hosted a Euro2020 match. Being postponed for one year, we have a chance to go into the history of the European Nations Cup, which is full of remarkable stories and people. This is the story of a star player and a European political refugee.
Black and white in the orange
On this day at the Euro2020, an inclusive Dutch team would have played in Amsterdam. Something of a contrast with the Dutch team who lost to France 24 years ago on this date during the Euro1996. An opportunity to use football as a lens into changes in Dutch society, the role of footballers and a look ahead.
The first Euro’s amidst Cold War tensions
On this day, 20 June 2020, France was supposed to play a Euro2020 game in the city of Budapest. The Euro2020 tournament is postponed for one year, which gives us a chance to go into the history of the European Nations Cup, which is full of remarkable stories and people. This is the story of the first tournament. It is a story about the legacy of the Cold War.
