The oldest pushball game is pushball (on foot) (USA, 1891) with a large amount of people on a big square playing a 6 feet large ball above their head.
See the blog of Thorn Pricks with "Who Rembers Pushball?" with the whole history of pushball in general.
http://thornpricks.blogspot.com/2006/11/who-remembers-pushball.html
Pushball Rush Rules (since 1914)
http://www.lib.rpi.edu/Archives/traditions/rushes/push_ball.html
Still in the USA Army the soldiers are training with (strategic) pushball (on foot). And also an University competition of pushball (on foot) still exists in the USA at this moment.
I found pictures in Life magazine (1941) of the US Army playing this game in the Second World War(see the pictures in a next article on this blog).
This added movie is made in 1933 in Chicago, it gives a good impression in playing pushball (on foot).
Chicago, IL: Exclusive pictures of a hectic pushball game in which the Freshmen of Loyola University defeat the Sophomores in a wild battle for a prize beer keg, after many players suffer bumps and bruises.
This item is part of the collection: Universal Newsreels
Production Company: Universal Studios
Audio/Visual: silent, b&w
Creative Commons license: Public Domain
See the movie on this site:
http://www.archive.org/details/1933-11-15_Loyola_Students_Compete_For_Keg