Posted by Robert Hill on May 08, 2007 at 18:12:57 from 195.92.168.166 user eclrh.
In Reply to: Re: Football term[s] posted by Adam Quinan on May 08, 2007 at 12:48:24:
Just to supplement Adam Quinan's answer ...
The usual meaning of 'football' in Britain (and indeed most of the world) is soccer, but we have to remember that John attended a private (possibly 'public' in the English sense) boarding school.
If I remember correctly, AR himself went to Rugby school, where rugby was invented, apparently by a player cheating in a soccer game by picking up the ball. In one of those great mysteries of history, instead of punishing him as would have happened if you or I did it, they designed a new game round the event.