Football Stories
A heated election season, new and uncertain times for football with an ever-increasing sense of urgency within football to deliver positive change. What moments in football history are we looking to highlight in the coming month which might provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
In this article:
COVER Image
Archive photo of Ponziana: Enrico Cavalieri.
Football People
Between 8-22 October, Football Makes History founding partner Fare Network champions grassroots football activism that advances inclusion in all shapes and forms. We will highlight the lives of pioneers in football who have broken ceilings and changed perspectives to allow for more inclusion in the game and combat racism and hate.
Highlights to cherish
We pay close attention to stories – large and small – that connect football to social and cultural developments on the continent. Some of our highlights from November were that on:
- 1 November 1946 a team from Trieste joined the Yugoslavian Prva Liga, The city in that period had 2 teams in 2 different national championships, US Triestina in Italian and ASD Ponziana in Yugoslavian. Our developer Enrico Cavallieri explored this in a social media post (on Facebook and LinkedIn)
- 11 November 1918, the Austrian Republic was founded. Our developer Dario Brentin penned a little social media post (on Facebook and LinkedIn) to look at the role of football in the emergence of this nation-state.
- 18 November 1922, Agustín Gómez de Pagola was born. Check out Agustin de Julio’s article about the Basque in the USSR.
- 20 November 1966, a charity match was played between Wales and a TV stars team to raise money for the victims of the Aberfan disaster. Our developer Marcel Put put together a little social media post (on Facebook and LinkedIn).
- 24 November 1953, Dutch-Jewish referee Leo Horn supervised the “Match of the Century” where England lost to Hungary’s Mighty Magyars. We took a look at his life and war-time experience in our article about the Referee in the Resistance. Our developer Gabriella van Karsbergen translated from the original story posted on the Dutch portal Sportgeschiedenis.
These were just some of the highlights! Explore more of our November stories on our social media. Miss something? Why not tell us if you think we missed something important in November!
Pass the ball around
Our campaign’s content is almost entirely produced by educators. Each day we aim to deliver interesting mini-stories from football’s rich history. These will be posted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The content is aimed to support the educational objectives of the Football Makes History project. If you are reading this and have suggestions or ideas for the months ahead, we are most happy to receive those! Join us! Help our team tell the stories that matter.
RELATED STORIES You may also be interested in
Nationalism in Spanish Football in the 20th Century
A lesson plan putting the Spanish Civil War and football in perspective.
Have World Cup Team become more diverse over time?
Researchers of the Sport and Nation Programme at Erasmus University Rotterdam conducted an analysis on 4.761 footballers, derived from the fifteen national teams that competed in at least ten editions of the World Cup between 1930 and 2018, which comprises of 301 foreign-born football players.
October in Football
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, we provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.

Football Highlights

February in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?

December in Football
Waiting for UEFA2020, we provided you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts. Here is what you enjoyed reading in December!

October in Football
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, we provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
February in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?
December in Football
Waiting for UEFA2020, we provided you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts. Here is what you enjoyed reading in December!
October in Football
As the UEFA 2020 European Championships got pushed ahead one year, we provide you with a 365-day #onthisday series of posts to help all fans out there to go back in time, think, and reflect.
LATEST POST You may also be interested in

Blood on the goalpost
“Action Argentina”, or when a Dutch cabaret group protested the participation of the Dutch team in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina.

February in Football
What moments in football history have we highlighted in the last month? How do they provide us with historical mirrors to the present?

Multiculturalism and representations of national identity
Teach students about questions of identity, citizenship and multiculturalism by looking at national football teams across Western Europe.

When football went viral
On this day in 2020, Atalanta Bergamo hosted Valencia in a final-16 Champions League match. It was a superspreading event of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Should we always blame someone when something goes wrong?
Help your students develop social and civic competences by using examples of events in football history.

A system of push and pull
Expand the knowledge of your students about migration and its push and pull factors through the example of football.