• History


    Since the first ball was kicked in any form of competitive anger in medieval times, through to the first formal rules being formulated in England in the nineteeth century, the history of association football continues to generate a compelling story.

    Differing rules had been used in different regions until, in 1871, former Harrow School pupil Charles Alcock proposed the first formal competition – the FA Cup.

    Alcock also initiated the first-ever international match that was played between England and Scotland at the Kennington Oval in London in 1870.

    The first league competition followed in 1888 when Aston Villa director William McGregor was one of the leading figures in forming the Football League.

    With interest in the game spreading throughout the world, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in Paris in 1904 leading to the first FIFA World Cup taking place in 1930.

    Before that and ever since, football has created a long and ever-intriguing tale to tell.

    How football betting has created more revenue for top flight football

    Betting on football is almost as old as the game itself although, for many years, the football pools was the only way that most people gambled on the game. So much so that it became something of a British institution.
    However, the boom in online betting over the last decade or so has seen a revolution in the partnership between the gambling industry and the beautiful game.
    The link between the football and the gambling industry is now more intense and commercial than ever before. Multi-million pound sponsorship deals have flourished while television coverage has been re-invented with the advent of in-play betting giving birth to a myriad of possible bets from the comfort of a mobile phone or laptop.
    The mass of revenue streams from many online gambling organisations such as Spin Palace online casino benefits clubs, supporters and even institutions such as the AFS!
    Unlike the football pools era, interest is no longer restricted to 3 o’clock on a Saturday afternoon.
    FIFA recognizes 208 national federations. The total number of pro and national teams worldwide now exceeds 10,000.
    It is now possible for the enthusiastic punter to turn their informed attention to dozens of matches every day, ranging from the English Premier League to the Guatemala Liga Nacional to European youth championship qualifiers.

    The 50 greatest world cup goals! 


    The 50 greatest world cup goals of all time as determined scientifically by the AFS goal-ranking system.


    Visit the 50 greatest world cup goals forum