Culture insider: China, birthplace of football

5. 12 goalkeepers during the Han Dynasty

During the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) the popularity of cuju spread from the army to the royal courts and upper classes. It is said that the Han emperor Wu Di enjoyed the sport. The matches were often held inside the imperial palace.

The field had six goals at each end, which were holes in the ground other than today's football goal. A team would score when the ball was kicked into one of the holes. Correspondingly, there were six goalkeepers for each team who would cling to the holes. It is hard for modern football fans to imagine that a match in China had 12 goalkeepers during the Han Dynasty.

Upper: During ancient China's Han Dynasty (206BC - 220 AD), the Chinese played football in the Palace for fun. Lower: During the Han Dynasty the Chinese played football for military training purposes. [Picture/absolutechinatours.com]