"An epoch in the annals of national sport": football in Sheffield and the creation of modern soccer and rugby

Int J Hist Sport. 2001;18(4):53-87. doi: 10.1080/714001668.

Abstract

By the 1860s the two most prominent football cultures in Britain were in London and Sheffield. In 1863 the football culture in London created the Football Association, but within weeks a coup by those members who opposed a game that incorporated elements from that played at Rugby School led to the latter's supporters leaving. The fragmented FA continued to loose both members and influence and by 1867 was on the point of dissolving. By contrast, in terms of both rules and organization, the football culture of Sheffield was remarkably uniform and was the dominant centre of the game. The example set by Sheffield, coupled with the immense support that it provided to the ailing FA, enabled the London-based organization to survive and prosper.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Competitive Behavior* / physiology
  • England / ethnology
  • Football* / economics
  • Football* / education
  • Football* / history
  • Football* / physiology
  • Football* / psychology
  • History, 19th Century
  • Leisure Activities / economics
  • Leisure Activities / psychology
  • Organizations* / economics
  • Organizations* / history
  • Physical Fitness* / physiology
  • Physical Fitness* / psychology
  • Public Health / economics
  • Public Health / education
  • Public Health / history
  • Public Health / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Soccer* / economics
  • Soccer* / education
  • Soccer* / history
  • Soccer* / physiology
  • Soccer* / psychology
  • Social Identification
  • Sports / economics
  • Sports / education
  • Sports / history
  • Sports / physiology
  • Sports / psychology