1888 in association football

Events

• February 1 - Royal Arsenal move to Manor Ground, their first permanent stadium, playing their first match there, against Millwall Rovers.
• March 23 - A meeting of 12 clubs at Anderson's Hotel in London on the eve of the FA Cup Final, convened by Aston Villa's William McGregor, discusses the possibility of a national football league competition.
• April 17 - A further meeting at Manchester's Royal Hotel leads to the competition being named The Football League.
• September 8 - The first Football League matches are played.

  Clubs founded in 1888

• Barnet
• Celtic
• Dartford
• Sparta Rotterdam
• Walsall

  Winners club national championship

• No national leagues existed prior to 1888, when the English Football League was founded. The first champions, Preston North End, emerged in the spring of 1889.

  International tournaments

• 1888 British Home Championship

  Births

• 11 March – Hermann Garrn, German international footballer.
• 23 July – Jimmy Gordon, Scotland international half-back in ten matches.
• 24 August – Leo Bosschart, Dutch international footballer.
• 6 December – Wilhelm Trautmann, German international footballer.

  Deaths