Ungentlemanly Conduct: The Control of Soccer-crowd Behaviour in England, 1888–1914

Abstract

Soccer, in its modern form, stems from the formation of the Football Association (FA) in 1863.² The gradual but general acceptance of the rules issued by that body enabled teams to play each other without a debate as to which side’s rules should apply. For about two decades soccer was dominated by Old Boys’ teams, who emphasised the way in which the game was played rather than the result of the match, and whose matches did not draw large crowds. Even the FA Cup Final, the premier event of the soccer season, attracted an average of fewer than 3500 spectators in the 1870s.³ In the North and Midlands, however, soccer became adopted by the working classes and winning became all-important. This desire to win led to professionalism, at first veiled, but eventually legalised by the FA in 1885. At this time most matches were ‘friendlies’ and teams frequently turned up late or not at all. On other occasions, ‘through Cup-tie interference, clubs [were] compelled to take on teams who [did] not attract the public’.⁴ When clubs were paying their players such a situation could not be countenanced. The demand for certain, regular and meaningful fixtures resulted in the formation of the Football League in 1888. Initially with twelve clubs, the League was expanded to fourteen in 1891, and to sixteen in 1892, the year in which a second division of twelve clubs was begun.⁵

I am grateful to the Football Association and the Football League for permission to consult their minute books, held at, respectively, Lancaster Gate, London, and Lytham St Annes. Where generalisations are made based on these records no specific references will be given: otherwise the abbreviations FA and FL will be us d to indicate the source. Thanks also go to the Flinders University of South Australia for assistance towards the research costs of this paper, which is part of an on-going project on the economic and social history of sport in Britain.