History of "touch"

[Not Kurt Weaver]

Why do we call touch' Touch"?

I need a web link to prove to a soccer ref that its usage is from the first to actually touch the ball that left the rugby playing area

 

[Ian_Cook]

Yes, that is my understanding. Whichever player managed to touch the ball down on the ground first after it crossed the line would get to "throw the ball out from touch", which actually meant throw the ball in, as in like a line-out.

The concept of "touch" is not even defined in the first ever Laws of 1845. The first mention of it is in Rule 5

v. TRY AT GOAL.
A ball touched between the goalposts may be brought up to either of them, but not between. The ball when punted must be
within, when caught without the line of goal: the ball must be place-kicked and not dropped, even though it touch[ed] two hands, and it must go over the bar and between the posts without having touched the dress or person of any player. No goal may be kicked from touch.

I can only assume that the concept of when a ball was out of play was thought to be so obvious that no explanation was considered necessary!

 

[Dickie E]

So nothing to do with Chrissy Amphlett, then?

 

[Camquin]

You could point out that the long lines in association football are still officially called touch lines

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/footb...eing/laws-of-the-game/law/newsid=1285960.html

 

[Dickie E]

You could point out that the long lines in association football are still officially called touch lines

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/footb...eing/laws-of-the-game/law/newsid=1285960.html

why is it called 'touch'?

because it is the area outside the touchlines.

why are they called 'touchlines'?

because the area outside of them is 'touch'.

QED

 

[OB..]

I can only assume that the concept of when a ball was out of play was thought to be so obvious that no explanation was considered necessary!

The preamble to the 1846 Laws includes[LAWS]The following book of Rules is to be regarded rather as a set of Decisions on certain disputed points in Football, than as containing all the Laws of the Game, which are too well known to render any explanation necessary to Rugbeians.[/LAWS](The title page refers to both Laws and Rules.)

The 1862 law book has this in the preamble[LAWS]When the ball goes outside the line of touch, the first player who touches it down, takes it and walks with it to the touch line, and throws it out at right angles to the line of touch, or bounds it outside the line of touch, (i.e. in the field) and catches it again, and runs with it, or drop-kicks it himself.[/LAWS]
and this in the laws[LAWS]32. TOUCH. A ball in touch is dead; consequently the first player on his side must in any case touch it down, bring it to the edge of touch, and throw it straight out, but may take it himself if he can.
[/LAWS] That supports the claim that it is called "touch" because a player had to touch it down.

Note also the phrase "on his side". A player "off his side" could not touch the ball down because he was out of play.