Association football and English society 1863-1915

This is the first comprehensive study of the formative period of Association Football in England, and is a valuable contribution to the history of popular culture and leisure. Tony mason examines the origins and mid-nineteenth century evolution of the national game, in a detailed study based on thorough research in a vast number of club and company records and contemporary editions of the sporting press. He covers a wide variety of aspects-the elite of paid players, the men who paid them, the impact of professionalism, the spectators and sporting journalists. His survey also considers the growth of the game in schools and emphasises its expanding popularity among young working men. The book includes a completely new look at drink, gambling and the sporting press. Football is placed in a broad social perspective, and its impact on class consciousness discussed. Dr. Mason explores such questions as: What is meant by calling football a working class game? Were similar attitudes towards it held by both working and middle classes?