Tyneside History
Football had been around the north-east in various forms throughout history as an undisciplined game. Following on from the cohorts of Rome and the early Normans, the game developed in a crude way and was actually banned by Royal decree on several occasions.
In 1579 a certain John Winkell of County Durham was sent to prison for a week and had to pay a public penance for playing football, while in the same year Sir Thomas Elyot wrote that the sport was a 'game giving no pleasure but beastlie furie and violence', and Philip Stubbs recorded in 1583 that football was, 'Rather a friendlie kinde of fyghte than a play or recreation - a bloody and murthering practise than a fellowly sport or pastime.'
Early such games were played between rural villages, on sports or carnival days, at places like Alnwick and Chester-le-Street. But it was only during the mid-19th century that the medieval brawl game evolved in a form that can be recognised as the sport of today.
See Newcasle united website at http://www.nufc.nu/history/history1.html for more info.http://www.geordiepride.demon.co.uk/earlyhistory.htm