Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. football, a football; also attrib.

1863		Boy’s Own Vol. July 36: A peculiar fashion of their own [at Harrow] which prompts them to call football ‘footer’ [OED].
1899		E.W. Hornung Amateur Cracksman (1992) 59: Bunny, you’ve had your wind bagged at footer, I daresay.
1901		Boy’s Own Paper 4 May 495: At school he gave up ‘footer,’ / Which he looked upon as rough.
1911		Gem 16 Sept. 10: ‘Footer!’ said the gypsy. ‘Ah, I have often wanted to play that game, sir!’.
1914		E. Packe diary 21 Aug. 🌐 Left Harrow footer ground for the front.
1915		L.D. Richards diary 14 Mar. 🌐 Three Canadians were playing footer 100 yards away from Headquarters, and were killed by a shell.
1926		Boys’ Realm 16 Jan. 264: There’s only one thing I can do at all decently, and that is play footer.
1936		Hotspur 11 Jan. 43: Great Snakes! Look who’s coming down to footer!
1946		(con. 1912) B. Marshall George Brown’s Schooldays 6: As a matter of fact, I think that’s the dirty cad hacking that footer pill over there.
1958		Willans & Searle Complete Molesworth (1985) 319: Kicking off the mud from my footer boots.
1971		Wodehouse Much Obliged, Jeeves 84: A band of supporters in footer shorts.
1989		A. Higgins ‘The Bird I Fancied’ in Helsingør Station and Other Departures 138: For Moose the footer season opened with fractured ribs.
1998		Guardian Sport 25 Sept. 16: Not a big footer man myself.

2. (Aus.) Australian Rules football.

1916

C.J. Dennis ‘The Call of Stoush’ in Moods of Ginger Mick 31: A-callin’ like the shout uv ‘On the Ball!’ / Wot time the footer brings the clicks great joy, / An’ Saints or Carlton roughs it up wiv ’Roy.

3. (US) a footstep.

1920

F. Packard White Moll iii: She was still screeching at the top of her voice to cover the absence of flying footers on the stairs.