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Football flashback
Nobody alive today in England can remember a professional football
game during the 19th century and little first-hand knowledege is available
about the level of skill or attitudes towards the Association game
during the Victorian period.
West Midlands member Philip Gibbons, who is passionate about the game,
decided to take a look at the myths grown out of distant memories
and research the history of a game that would be unrecognisable to
today’s fans.
His book, self-published with Lightning Source, Association Football
in Victorian England, A History of the Game from 1863 to 1900
(£12.50 including postage) shows that the life of a professional
footballer then was hard and short-lived, with few opportunities of
earning more than a living wage.
‘Gentlemen players of the south,’ says Philip, ‘tended
to play the game as a form of exercise, as their careers were pursued
outside of the Association game.’
His research turned up names such as Charles Alcock, Francis Marindin
and Arthur Kinnaird with whose administrative skills the game grew
to such an extent that it had become an important part of both players
and spectators as the century reached its end.
The book is available from: Philip Gibbons, 3 Falstaff Court,
Springfield Road, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. |
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