Last Sunday morning I went with my son and grandsons to the MCG on community day at the football and I noticed the first written rules of the Melbourne Football Club painted on the walls. You can see them as you go up the escalator on the way to the Tridents section. The kids were fascinated by Rule VII. 

For those who have never seen them before, here they are:-

The Rules of the Melbourne Football Club May 1859

Committee T.W.Wills Esq. T.Butterworth Esq. W.Hammersley Esq. - Smith Esq. Alex Bruce Esq.

Hon Treasurer J.Sewell Esq.

Hon Secretary J.B.Thompson Esq.

I. The distance between the Goals and the Goal Posts shall be decided upon by the Captains of the sides playing.

II. The Captains on each side shall toss for choice of Goal; the side losing the toss has the Kick Off from the centre point between the Goals.

III. A Goal must be kicked fairly between the posts, without touching either of them, or a portion of the person of any player of either side.

IV. The game shall be played in a space of not more than 200 yards wide, the same to be measured equally on each side of a line drawn through the centres of the two Goals; and two posts to be called the 'Kick Off' posts shall be erected at a distance of 20 yards on each side of the Goal posts at both ends, and in a straight line between them.

V. In case the Ball is kicked behind goal, any one of the side behind whose goal it is kicked may bring it 20 yards in front of any portion of the space between the 'Kick Off' posts, and shall kick it as nearly as possible in a line with the opposite Goal.

VI. Any player catching the Ball directly from the foot may call 'mark'. He then has a free kick; no player from the opposite side being allowed to come inside the spot marked.

VII. Tripping and pushing are both allowed (but no hacking) when any player is in rapid motion or in possession of the Ball, except in the case provided for in Rule VI.

VIII. The Ball shall be taken in hand only when caught from the foot, or on the hop. In no case shall it be lifted from the ground.

IX. When the Ball goes out of bounds (the same being indicated by a row of posts) it shall be brought back to the point where it crossed the boundary line, and thrown in at right angles with that line.

X. The Ball, while in play, may under no circumstances be thrown.

"Tripping and pushing are both allowed" ... good rule. Still applies with the Eagles when you play West Coast in Perth.

Fascinating. In essence, Rules III, VI and X are still basically the same today with Rule IX only modified by the addition of the out on the full rule which I guess was introduced some time in the 1970s.

Plus hundreds of additional rules added essentially to stop coaches from exploiting the rules.

" In no case shall it be lifted from the ground."

This is an interesting one