Переведите на язык. football’s past in the early 19th century, football was very popular in the top private schools in england. initially, each school had its own rules and whiles the pupils were still at school the fact that they played by these particular rules hardly mattered. when, however, they left for the universities or for business in the provinces, it became clear that if they were to continue playing football they were going to need a universal set of rules, acceptable to all teams. up until the 1850s, two teams at, say, oxford university, would only be playing a familiar game if every player had been to the same school. as things turned out, a major game was often preceded by a long correspondence with lengthy arguments about the rules.
вроде бы так