{"id":5213,"date":"2018-06-25T02:12:18","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T02:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/?p=5213"},"modified":"2020-03-02T12:21:15","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T12:21:15","slug":"england-football-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bestonlinebettingsites.co.uk\/football\/teams\/england-football-team\/","title":{"rendered":"England Football Team Stats, Trivia and History"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"England<\/a>

Credit: Philosophy Football Flickr<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Football, the beautiful game we know and love, was born in this green and pleasant land, so it seems only fitting to take a closer look at the history of England\u2019s very own national side.<\/p>\n

There has rarely been a dull moment being a fan of England over the decades, whether they have been exciting highs or heart breaking lows, the Three Lions have certainly kept us on our toes.<\/p>\n

Here we focus on the history, the records, the characters, and the trivia of one of world football\u2019s most recogniseable teams.<\/p>\n

Early History<\/h2>\n

England played their first ever fixture on 5th March 1870 against Scotland. With this being the first international match ever to take place, England (and Scotland) are officially the oldest national team in the world. The first meeting was entirely organised by the Football Association, but for the reverse fixture that took place on 30th November 1872, both teams were independently selected. Because of this, the game played at Hamilton Crescent in the winter of \u201972 is the one that is deemed to be the first official international game of football.<\/p>\n

\"England<\/a>

England Team, 1893.<\/p><\/div>\n

With few other teams around to play, England were limited to playing the Home Nations of Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. A formal competition among them, the British Home Championship, was introduced in 1884, with Scotland winning the inaugural season. World football\u2019s oldest international competition lasted 100 years before it was eventually abandoned.<\/p>\n

For decades England had no proper home ground, but this was rectified in 1923 when Wembley (now Old Wembley) opened and became the main base for the Three Lions. The official capacity of the \u00a3750,000 building was 127,000, although during the 1923 FA Cup Final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham it is believed 300,000 people crammed themselves in. These were the days before health and safety.<\/p>\n

Due to a dispute with FIFA, England left the footballing governing body in 1928, 22 years after initially joining. This meant that England were unable to take part in any World Cups until they eventually re-joined in 1946. The year they returned was also the year England hired their first full-time manager, Sir Walter Winterbottom. His responsibilities did not go as far as picking the team, however, as this was handled by a committee until Sir Alf Ramsey\u2019s appointment in 1963.<\/p>\n

World Cup Glory<\/h3>\n