ðɪ ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ ˈɔːθɚ ænd fˈʊtbɔːl fɐnˈæɾɪk ˈeɪtʃ. ˈiː. bˈeɪts jˈuːzd ðə tˈɜːm ˈɜːlɪɚ, ɪŋklˈuːdɪŋ ɪn ɐ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti tˈuː nˈuːzpeɪpɚ pˈiːs ɛkstˈoʊlɪŋ ðə vˈɜːtʃuːz ʌvðə ɡˈeɪm ɛntˈaɪɾəld "bɹˈeɪnz ɪnðə fˈiːt".
The English author and football fanatic H. E. Bates used the term earlier, including in a 1952 newspaper piece extolling the virtues of the game entitled "Brains in the Feet".