On March 6, 1457, King James II and the Scottish Parliament banned golf and football (soccer) because, according to authorities, the sports distracted men of fighting age from perfecting their military archery skills. Fighting age in 1457 Scotland started at 12 years old. The bow and arrow were the primary weapons of war then, and the King feared another invasion by England and demanded protection by his subjects.
According to a modern translation of the Act by the National Library of Scotland,
Item, it is ordained and the decreed that the lords and barons both spiritual and temporal should organize archery displays
