By this period in history, football was surging in popularity. Popular players were used to sell products such as health tonics, cigarettes, clothing and lotions. Transport became easier as the railways allowed to people to get about. The sport began to spread throughout Europe at the end of the 19th century, and by the time this era began, there were numerous regional leagues flourishing on the continent, particularly in Italy, France, Germany and Spain. British ex-pats also took the game to South America, where it gained a strong foothold. As the sport grew, so did the need for a governing body, and FIFA came about in 1904. WWI stifled footballs development somewhat, but with countries losing millions of people, football became a platform to unite everyone regardless of their class or color, and it became more and more popular, with attendances at games going through the roof. More and more working class players took up the game, and it was said that if a manager needed a player, he could shout the fact down the shaft of the nearest coal mine, and out would emerge a player of Football league quality.