Rugby football in Great Britain and Canada Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as "football", played at public schools in Great Britain in the mid-19th century. By the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as rugby football. The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges.
Rugby football in Great Britain and Canada Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as "football" played at public schools in Great Britain in the mid-19th century By the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as rugby football The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges.