1888 in association football

The following are the association football events of the year 1888 throughout the world.

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, marking the 1st season in the Football League.

Clubs founded in 1888

 * Barnet
 * Celtic
 * Dartford
 * Sparta Rotterdam
 * Walsall

Winners club national leagues

 * 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 (February 4 – April 7, 1888)


 * 1888 Football World Championship (May 19, 1888)

Births

 * 11 March – Hermann Garrn (d. 1966), German international footballer.
 * 23 July – Jimmy Gordon (d. 1954), Scotland international half-back in ten matches (1912–1920).
 * 24 August – Leo Bosschart (d. 1951), Dutch international footballer.
 * 6 December – Wilhelm Trautmann (d. 1969), German international footballer.