Being played by low-class people and high-class nobles, "Valencian pilota" was very popular: On June 14, 1391 the Valencia City "Council" fruitlessly forbade it to be played on the streets, but this caused the expansion of trinquets (courtfields); there were as many as 13 in that city alone in the 16th century. Later on, nobles abandoned the handball game in favour of '"'cleaner"" sports and so "pilota" became the property of the middle and lower classes, which led to the appearance of the first professional players and the rise of gambling and challenge matches.