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
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?
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!
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Trending Stories
Football: A People’s History of Europe?
In cooperation with the festival “Forum on European Culture”, we spoke with author David Goldblatt about the value of football for Europe, taking historical perspectives.
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.
More Football Stories
Football Makes HERstory
March is women’s history month. Join us in celebrating Herstory in Football history.
FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS Read more
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.
...
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.
...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.
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?
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.
One man, One vote
Today in 2011 Brazilian footballer Sócrates passed away. This is a story about the role he and his team played in restoring democracy to Brazil.
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!
Archive
United in sorrow
The story of Chapecoense and how disasters involving football teams unite the world in sorrow.
Referee in the Resistance
Dutch football referee Leo Horn, born in 1916, was a resistance fighter during the Second World War, all the while hiding his Jewish identity.
Referee in the Resistance
Dutch football referee Leo Horn, born in 1916, was a resistance fighter during the Second World War, all the while hiding his Jewish identity.
Football speaking out in perspective
Football represents a large cultural space in society. It is not isolated from political developments. How have football players used this space to achieve their social goals?
Book review: 50 Most Important Moments
Two history teachers in Wales work as “The Football History Boys” wrote a book about the “50 most important moments”. We reviewed it.
When the ball can be heard
On this day in 1946 Hans Laurenzen and Sett Randlem pioneered Goalball. But football for the visually impaired has older historical roots.
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.
Football in Primo Levi’s Work
On this day, 31 July, in 1919, Primo Levi was born in Turin, Italy. In his works about his experiences in the Shoah and afterwards, Levi recalls football on two occasions.
A World in Motion
Today in 1966, England won the World Cup. This represented a key moment of change, both in post-war Britain and for the post-colonial politics unfolding across the globe.
A tournament for not competing
On this day in 1997, the first Mondiali Antirazzisti, or Antiracist World Championship, was held. In 2020, due to corona, it is – just like the Euro2020 – postponed.
Teaching Northern Ireland’s History through Football
In this article history teacher Denver Charles from Northern Ireland, talks about his experience using football history in his lessons.
The national team from four countries
Most national teams dream of qualifying for big championships. But some teams of nations can not compete in such tournaments as they lack a state. This is the story of the Sápmi football team.
