Trivia

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Questions

1. Why do England wear three lions on their shirts?
   
   
2. Why is the England strip white and blue when the English flag is white and red?
   
   
3. Who were the other members of England’s 1966 World Cup squad, i.e. the ones who didn’t play in the Final?
   
   
4. Who won The FA Cup and never (or “Never”) scored a goal?
   
   
5. Who were the founder members of The FA?
   
   
6. Why do people refer to football as "soccer"?

Answers

1. England teams have worn the three lions on their shirts since international football began. A contemporary drawing of action from the first match - Scotland v England in Glasgow in 1872 - clearly shows them. In those days, though, there was a little rose above the shield enclosing the lions. The rose persisted until 1949.
   
   A number of sporting bodies - as well as towns like Canterbury and York - adopted the three lions as their crest. It derives from the royal coat of arms borne in battle by English kings, initially by Richard I in the 12th century. The FA Committee thought it appropriate for a football team "going into battle".
   
   
2. The England football team is the representative team of The (English) Football Association. The lions on The FA’s crest are blue, so blue is an FA colour
   
   
3. Other England ’66 squad members: Ron Springett, Peter Bonetti, Jimmy Armfield, Gerry Byrne, Ron Flowers, Norman Hunter, Terry Paine, Ian Callaghan, George Eastham, Jimmy Greaves and John Connelly.
   
   
4. Who won The FA Cup and never scored a goal?” should be understood as “Who won The FA Cup without scoring a goal?”  The answer is Cardiff City – they beat Arsenal 1-0 to lift The Cup in 1927 and the only goal is sometimes given as an own goal by the Arsenal ‘keeper, Dan Lewis. If anyone suggests that a player called “Never” played in The Cup Final, they’re wrong.
   
   
5. The Founding members of The Football Association were:
   Surbington - school
   Barnes  -school
   Blackheath -school
   Charterhouse - school
   Percival House - school
   Kensington - school
   War Office – Gov
   Crystal Palace - club
   Blackheath – club
   The Crusaders - club
   Forest  - school
   
   
6. Association football was so named during the formation of the Football Association in England in the 1860s. This was to maintain a distinction from the other football game being organised in England at the same time known as Rugby football, named after the Rugby School in England.
   English public schoolboys preferred instead to go for a game of "soccer" - a play on the word "association", similarly they would often refer to Rugby football as 'rugger'