The International Football Institute (IFI) is a historical research centre which explores the history of football in all its forms, and examines the impact and influence of the game on society.
Led by some of the world’s leading scholars of football history and heritage, the IFI’s focus is on Association football, but we also undertake research on other major football codes: American, Australian, Canadian, Gaelic, rugby league and rugby union football. The Institute also explores earlier forms of football, back to the ancient Chinese football game of Cuju.
Originally founded in 1995, the directors of IFI are Emeritus Professor Tony Collins and Dr Kevin Moore. Emeritus Professor John Hughson is an Associate Director.
The IFI recognises the historical and cultural importance of football in its varied forms around the world. By exploring how football was and is played and watched, we can understand wider global economic, social and political changes in the past, present and future.
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