This fascinating history considers why football grew from a marginal and un-organised activity into the dominant winter entertainment for millions of people globally, comparing the development of each of the major forms of football.

1. The Failure of the Football Association 2. Before the Beginning: Folk Football 3. The Gentleman's Game 4. Sheffield: Football Beyond the Metropolis 5. The End of the Universal Game 6. From the Classes to the Masses 7. Glasgow: Football Capital of the 19th Century 8. The Coming of Professionalism 9. Women and Football: Kicking against the Pricks 10. Rugby Football: A House Divided 11. Melbourne: A City and Its Football 12. Australian Rules and the Invention of Football Traditions 13. Ireland: Creating Gaelic Football 14. Football and Nationalism in Ireland and Beyond 15. American Football: The Old Game in the New World 16. Canadian Football: Between Scrum and Snapback 17. Rugby League Football: From People's Game to Proletarian Sport 18. The 1905-06 Football Crisis: North America 19. The 1905-06 Football Crisis: Rugby 20. Soccer: The Modern Game for the Modern World 21. The Global Game