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
Unpacking women’s football history one picture at a time
There is a lot to be discovered about women’s football history despite the limited evidence available.
Unpacking women’s football history one picture at a time
There is a lot to be discovered about women’s football history despite the limited evidence available.
Football at the Concentration Camp
Interview with researcher Bas Kortholt of Camp Westerbork Memorial Centre on football’s unique potential.
Birth of nations
On this day in 1930, the first ever World Cup got underway in Uruguay. It marked a special period in the development of nationalism.
Competing for more than goals
Today is the final day of the European Championship 2020, in 2021, whose central campaign was #EqualGame. How did that go?
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Trending Stories
Refugees
In the wake of the 2015 migration peak, activists and volunteers across Europe have been involved in supporting refugees, sometimes with the simple act of offering space and friendship to participate in football through grassroots clubs to help newcomers integrate.
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.
More Football Stories
Panenka and Penalty Pressures
What was so special about the penalty scored in EURO 1976 Finals?
FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS Read more
May in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
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April in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
...
March in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
...
February in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
...
December in Football
Waiting for UEFA2020, we provided you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts. Here is what you enjoyed reading in December!
...
November in Football
Waiting for UEFA2020, we provided you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts. Here is what you enjoyed reading in November!
...
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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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.
...May in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
Painting the picture of women’s football in 1922
Artist Ángel Zárraga caused a storm in the conservative climate of Dutch Football.
Football vs. antisemitism
The EU-funded project “Changing the Chants” released a documentary exploring a border-crossing cooperation to tackle antisemitism in football.
A long journey
Retelling the history of the women’s football in Northern Ireland offers us a view on how the game came, went and is here to stay.
Let the students decide!
History uses Football Makes History is the classroom to teach about equality and let’s students decide!
April in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
The Blitz and the Oval
During WWII Nazi Germany attacked the harbors of Belfast, destroying with them most of the stadium of Glentoran F.C.
Class war on the football pitch
Football StoriesOn this day, International Workers’ Day, also known as Labour Day or May Day, is celebrated in many...
My boyfriend, my husband, and my lover
Football was never a boys’ club: the story of a trailblazing woman in the stands.
Blue (and gold) blood: la Raulito’s love story with Boca Juniors
Love’s the only engine of survival: the story of La Raulito’s passion for Boca Juniors
The rise of female referees in professional men’s football
Although there have only been ten female referees in the top leagues of men’s football in Europe over the last 30 years, seven of them are currently active.
Archive
March in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
1. Deutscher Damenfußballclub 2 – 1 Dick, Kerr Ladies
On this day in 1981 a game that never happened took place. Or: How can counterfactual history help us shift perspectives?
A game for equality
Today in 1895, a football game was played as women were claiming equality in a patriarchal society.
A transfer in football heritage practices
Football clubs and fan groups can (re)tell the migration stories of players for education. Here is one transferable practice!
Football Makes HERstory
March is women’s history month. Join us in celebrating Herstory in Football history.
Blood on the goalpost
“Action Argentina”, or when a Dutch cabaret group protested the participation of the Dutch team in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.
February in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
When football went viral
On this day in 2020, Atalanta Bergamo hosted Valencia in a final-16 Champions League match. It was a superspreading event of the Covid-19 pandemic.
World War 1 in one life
A story of a professional footballer who died at the battle of the Somme in 1916.
Remembering the Holocaust through Football
Today, 27 January, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Educators can use the life stories of footballers to explore this painful past with the students.
December in Football
Waiting for UEFA2020, we provided you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts. Here is what you enjoyed reading in December!
Parr: A Life of Football
The story of Lily Parr sketches out the earlier days of female football in England and beyond.
What you think you know about football is wrong
Enter a journey along known, and less well-known stories in football history. Dr. Kevin Moore’s work will be good with students too!
Simply the best?
The most prestigious football prize is awarded annually. What does looking at its history tell us?
Global Game! Green Game?
Today in 2015, the Paris Climate Accords were agreed. This article reminds us of football’s industrial origins and provides some perspective to the future.
