British Championship Home

The British Home Championship (also known under the name of International Home Championship ) was a tournament of football between the four nations of the the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and at the base of the Ireland then of the Northern Ireland. The tournament was disputed season 1883-1884 at the season 1983-1984.

General sight

At the beginning of the Years 1880, the development of football in the the United Kingdom becomes important and the four national teams play regularly between them of the friendly matches. Each years each team played year in year out against each of the three others. At that time there each federation had a little different rules of play and when a match proceeded, the rules were those of the team which received. This situation was original but not very ideal. To cure it, the four federations met in Manchester the December 6th 1882 to work out single rules of play. They founded in same time the International Football Association Board to take care of the standardization and the changes of the rules. This organization exists always today.

The adoption of identical rules for all could thus only support the international matches. During the same meeting, the four federations officialized these friendly meetings and created the British Home Championship . It is the first international competition of football.

The championship takes place each season of football, beginning at the time of the season 1883 - 1884. The first played match was the Scottish victory 5-0 in Ireland the January 24th 1884. The dates of the matche fluctuated much, but the matches were held rather towards the end of the season. Sometimes the competition proceeded entirely over a week at the end of the season. Initially, gaining it was regarded as the best team of the world when well even the competition gathered only the British teams. The development of other international competitions as the Football world cup as from the years 1930 made of course lose enormously prestige in British Home Championship.

However, the appearance of new international competitions, made it possible the British Championship to take importance certain years. In 1949 - 1950 and 1953 - 1954, the championship was also used as group of qualification with the Football world cups of 1950 and 1954. The results of the matches of 1966 - 1967 and 1967 - 1968 were used to determine which teams qualified themselves for the second turn qualifier of the Championnat of Europe of football 1968.

British Home Championship was abandoned after the competition of 1983 - 1984. There exist several reasons explaining this stop of which importance taken by the world cups and the championships of Europe, the fall of the number of spectators (except for the matches between England and Scotland), the emergence of the phenomenon of the Hooliganisme, the turbid in Northern Ireland which obliged to cancel the test of 1980 - 1981 and finally the will of England and Scotland primarily to be able to more often play against world teams stronger than Northern Ireland and than Wales.

The end of the competition was announced in 1983 when the English federation followed of little by the Scottish federation stated not to want to be registered with the following competition. The competition take place while summarizing itself by only one match gained by Northern Ireland against Wales. The trophy will thus remain forever in the hands of the federation of Northern Ireland.

British Home Championship was replaced by a smaller competition, the Rous Cup which gathered only England and Scotland and in its last years an invited South American team. This competition disappeared in its turn at the end of only five years from existence.

To note that the competition could make its return for an edition 2008 after the 4 Britanniques did not qualify for the Euro 2008. This assumption was suggested by the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown; in order not to deprive with its fellow-citizens a be of Football.

Format of the competition

The competition proceeded kind which each team once played against the three others, which made three matches by team and six matches on the whole. Generally (but not always) the teams were to play one or two matches in residence, with the advantage of the ground alternating each year (thus if England played in residence against Scotland, the following match was to proceed in Scotland).

A team received 2 points for a victory, for a tie and any point for a defeat. The title crowned the team which after her three matches had the most points. If two had the same number of points, they were declared ex-aequo and shared the victory. In 1956, the four teams finished ex-aequo and gained all the competition. From 1978 - 1979 the rules changed and the Goal-average was used to decide between the teams. If this one could not decide between the teams have used the number of marked goals.

Principal moments

1902: Tragedy with Ibrox

The Scotland match against England of the April 5th 1902 will remain forever like one of the greatest catastrophe of British football. It is commonly called the Désastre of Ibrox of 1902. The match was played in the stage of Ibrox Stadium with Glasgow. During the first half, part of the platform of West-Strand crumbled because too much filled. There be 26 killed and nearly 500 wounded. The match was stopped, but in an incomprehensible way, was continued after a score of minutes of interruption. The majority of the assistance then did not have idea from what had just occurred in the stage. The result of the match was cancelled and it was rejoué a little later with Villa Park with Birmingham.

1950: Qualification for the world cup

British Home Championship of the year 1949-1950 was used as group of qualification with the Football world cup 1950 with the Brésil, the first two teams qualifying itself for the world tournament.

With a match of the end of the competition, England and Scotland were ensured to finish in the first two places. At this time there, the Scottish federation of football declared that it will send a team to the World cup in the single condition only it is the champion of British Isles. The match enters Scotland and England take place to Hampden Park the April 15th 1950. It showed the English victory over the score of 1-0, goal marked by the player of the Chelsea FC Roy Bentley, called since this " day; the man who diverted Scotland de Rio". Consequently, Scotland withdrew World cup. This withdrawal prevented the nation from taking part for the first time in the major test of world football.

1981: The stopped championship

The disorders in Northern Ireland had already affected the championship before, obliging from time to time the team of Northern Ireland to play its matches “in residence” with Liverpool or Glasgow.

The championship 1980 - 1981 was to be held entirely during ego May 1981. That coincided with the great mobilization in Northern Ireland which accompanied the hunger strike by the prison of Maze to Belfast. Both matches of Northern Ireland in residence against England and Wales were not moved. In reaction the two teams, considering the conditions too much hostile, refused to go to Belfast to play. As all the matches of the competition could not thus take place, the competition due being cancelled.

It was the only championship of the history (with share for the periods of war of the first and second world war) to be cancelled.

Prize list

Assessment of the victories

54 victories England (including 20 divided titles)
41 victories Scotland (including 17 divided titles)
12 victories Wales (including 5 divided titles)
8 victories/Ireland/Northern Ireland (including 6 divided titles)

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