It is generally accepted the first officially organised league competition in the world was the (English) Football League formed in 1888. Then, it contained 12 clubs most of whom were based in the North as well as the Midlands of England. The very first winners from the Football League Championship were Preston North End.

In 1992 using the influx of megabucks from BSkyB (now called Sky TV), the most notable teams broke away to form their very own league known as the FA Premier League.

Today, the first Football League has 3 divisions called; the Championship, Division 1 and Division 2.

In order that England today has a total of four years old professional football leagues, with teams moving up (promotion) or down (relegation) with the leagues based on their points tally at the end of each season.

The initial Football Association Cup (FA Cup)

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The initial FA Cup final was played in England in 1872 between Royal Engineers and Wanderers facing 2,000 spectators. Wanderers ran out 1-0 winners partly because Royal Engineers -- have been the favourites -- lost a player through injury, early in the match, together to play up with only 10 men since substitutes weren't allowed then. The "Challenge Cup", as it was known originally, was the brainchild of Mr. C. W. Alcock of Sunderland who proposed only the year before that "A challenge cup ought to be established in connection with the Association"; the "Association" being the Football Association, hence the FA Cup.

The Oldest Soccer club on earth

There have for ages been many arguments over the oldest football team in the world. Below are a few facts to consider though...

The oldest, continuously documented, "football" club on earth is Dublin University Soccer club, in the Republic of Ireland, which was founded in 1854. However, the club now plays Rugby Union, not Association Football. Because of this it is not officially acknowledged as the oldest football team in the world.

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Sheffield Football Club -- Sheffield FC -- founded in England in 1857, is recognised by both the English FA and FIFA as the oldest, continuously documented football team on earth still playing Association Football. They participate in the Northern Premier League Division 1 South in England. So that they are generally now recognised as being the oldest soccer club on earth.

But, there's documentation of a "football club" in Edinburgh, Scotland between 1824 and 1841. Several documents still exist today which refer to the "Foot Ball Club" and it's rules. It worked rather like a golf club where members selected teams from other membership to try out one another. The club continues to be now been reconstituted and plays as of "The Foot Ball Club of Edinburgh" in a amateur capacity.

The First International Football Match

The first international football match was played between Scotland and England in Glasgow, Scotland on 30th November 1872, in front of 4,000 spectators. The effect would be a hard-fought 0-0 draw. And also the 110 games played between 1872 and 1999 once the fixture was disbanded, Scotland had won 41, England 45, and 24 games had led to a draw.

The First Trainer's Dugout

The initial ever recorded utilization of a sunken covered enclosure at the side of the pitch (the dugout) was at the early 1920s at Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen, Scotland. The trainer at that time, Donald Coleman, had it built to protect himself when he took detailed notes of his players during matches, as was his practice, and, was partly sunken to the ground so they won't block spectators' views from the game. Visiting teams were so impressed how the idea soon spread throughout great britain and then the world.