Firstly, that's Gaelic Football which I believe is a different beast to Association Football.
Obviously we didn't invent kicking a ball itself, I believe the chinese did that, but what we did, according to that link, was invent what we know today as football. A passing game with set teams and a goalkeeper. Until now it was assumed by the English that Football just evolved from their chaotic public school games.
But no, chalk it up as yet another thing the world should be grateful to Scotland for
chrisoff wrote:Obviously we didn't invent kicking a ball itself, I believe the chinese did that, but what we did, according to that link, was invent what we know today as football.
There was a Chinese ball game called "Tsu Chu", but it died out long ago and the Japanese have kept Kemari, their version of it, still going for over 1400 years at Shinto festivals, groovy court costumes and all (it was known to be a pastime of gentlemen of the Imperial Court in the Heian period). Some have suggested that Japanese ball play probably preceded Tsu Chu on its own merits, but no matter. There are no winners or losers in Kemari. The idea is just to keep the ball in the air. Basically a form of hackey-sack, by the look of it, just with a bigger ball.
Ball play has a very ancient history in the Precolumbian Americas, too. It appears that human society and ball play go hand-in-hand, but I don't know about the Pacific islands or Africa.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
Poland played like a bunch of dustbinmen. Except for about ten minutes in the second half they looked like a team of bruisers down on Hackney Marshes on a Sunday afternoon. It was as much as Germany could do to get their lads out of the game in one piece.
"Last night, among his fellow roughs,
He jested, quaff'd and swore."
They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the life that'll never, never die.
I'll live in you if you'll live in me -
I am the lord of the dance, said he!
SteveShaw wrote: It was as much as Germany could do to get their lads out !.
Sorry steve, its Irish slang!
see Fr Teds "passion of st Tibulus"!
MRS.GLYNN: "Oh we saw a great one a few weeks ago, the Crying Game."
MRS.SHERIDAN: "Oh it was brilliant!"
MRS.GLYNN: "Oh but there's this great bit in it, you see there was this girl but then you find out it's not a girl but a MAN!"
MRS.SHERIDAN: "And he got his lad out."
FR.TED: "He got his what?"
MRS.GLYNN: "He got his lad out although you only see it for a second but you get the message."
MRS.SHERIDAN: "I didn't know what it was at first it's been so long since I've seen one."
MRS.GLYNN: "I thought it looked rather like your Billy's."
MRS.SHERIDAN: "Not at all. Billy's is rounder at the top. Cheerio Fathers."
Listen to me young fellow, what need is there for fish to sing when i can roar and bellow?
I thought it was quite climactic. 
