The first German version of the rules of football by Konrad Koch
Koch was a pioneer in introducing ball games as part of physical education in German schools. He was influenced by the ideas of Thomas Arnold respectively Thomas Hughes' novel Tom Brown's School Days.[5] In 1874 Koch and his colleague August Hermann organized what is believed to be the first-ever football match in Germany, between pupils from their school Martino-Katharineum.[6][7] However, according to other sources, earlier games of football might have taken place in other German cities, possibly between members of the Dresden English Football Club.[8]
In 1875, Koch published the first German version of the rules of football, although Koch's version of the game still closely resembled rugby football.[9] The new game was quickly adopted by other schools in Braunschweig and spread to other cities during the late 1870s, including Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg, and Göttingen.[10]
In 1876, a newspaper in Hamburg wrote that Koch had learned about football during a trip to England. This is likely false, as there are no sources that indicate that he had visited England before 1895.[11] Koch did speak English, however, as he had been taught from a young age by his father, an English teacher.[12]
^Hoffmeister, Kurt (2011). Der Wegbereiter des Fußballspiels in Deutschland. Prof. Dr. Konrad Koch 1846–1911. Eine Biografie (in German). Norderstedt. p. 11.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Hoffmeister, Kurt (2004). Fußball. Der Siegeszug begann in Braunschweig (in German). Braunschweig. p. 21.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
