Cambridge Rules of Football 1848 — Rule #5

I recently had occasion to visit Cambridge, England and while I was there, I was interested to learn a unique piece of football history. Apparently, the first known instance of codifying (or writing down) the rules of association football (or, what we Yanks call soccer) happened in Cambridge. In 1848, a group of Cambridge University students wrote out a set of 11 rules. They nailed these to the trees surrounding Parker’s Piece, a large grassy park in central Cambridge. Today, on the From the Touchline podcast, I take a look at Rule 5: The ball is behind when it has passed the goal on either side of it. Rule #5 sets out another boundary line for the game. Last week, we talked about the value of boundary lines in soccer and in life. This week, we look at some distinctions that occur in God’s commands for us that are similar to the differences between the touchlines and end lines of the Beautiful Game. Specifically, in the 10 Commandments, we see that there are commands that have to do with our relationship specifically with God and commands that have to do specifically with our relationship with others. From the Touchline is a short-feature (10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer). Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.