While Jeu de paume has been played in France for hundreds of years and was associated with the French and English medieval and renaissance courts, the modern game of tennis dates from 1874, when the rules were defined by Major Walter Clopton Wingfiel...

The first known rules of golf were drawn up in 1744 in Edinburgh for the world's first open golf competition at Leith by the Gentlemen Golfers of Edinburgh, who became The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. In the nineteenth century, the rules...

Of all the rules governing sport, the laws of cricket are among the oldest. The first written rules of 1744 survive uniquely on the border of a piece of linen at the MCC Museum of Cricket. They were drawn up by certain "Noblemen and Gentlemen" at a t...

The origins of the game of rugby and the codification of the rules which defined the game have been glorified in numerous legends, some of which are little more than sporting hagiography.Following on from the success of "The Rules of Association Foot...

"The Rule Book of The FA from 1863" is one of the most important books ever published – according to the writer and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg. Drawing on his recently published work, he explains in the Introduction why this book is one of the Twelve B...