The origins debate – how soccer triumphed over other forms of team sports in Manchester

Abstract

In recent years studies of footballing regions has added much to the origins of football debate and it is clear that understanding how each conurbation or region adopted the sport adds significantly to our knowledge. Research into Manchester’s footballing landscape has added new evidence on how the people of the conurbation adopted association football. However, the influences on Manchester’s sporting activities were multifaceted and varied and it was actually rugby football that was perceived as the conurbation’s leading team sport between 1870 and 1900, while lacrosse was promoted as a viable alternative by 1880. These sports were more popular than association football prior to the establishment of the Manchester Football Association in 1884, and it was not until the split in rugby in 1895 and the first successes of Manchester’s soccer clubs that soccer could be said to have become the leading Mancunian team sport. This paper explores how soccer came to displace other popular team activities, and it questions why Manchester’s soccer development followed a different course to that of the city’s neighbouring towns of east Lancashire.

Notes

1. Swain and Lewis, ‘Manchester’.

2. James and Day, ‘The Emergence’.

3. For example Manchester Times, July 1, 1876; ‘La Crosse’, Athletic News, July 1, 1876.

4. See Collins, ‘Rugby’s Great Split’; James and Day, ‘FA Cup Success’.

5. James, ‘Historical Frameworks’; Wallerstein, Unthinking Social Science, 136.

6. Curry and Dunning, ‘The Power Game’.

7. Terry Wyke in Kidd and Wyke, eds. Manchester, 83.

8. Kidd and Wyke, eds. Manchester, 11.

9. In 1884 the MFA decided to have authority for all football clubs within an eight-mile radius of St. Ann’s Square in Manchester, although this was extended in later decades. ‘Manchester and District Football Association’, Athletic News, September 17, 1884, 2.

10. Swain and Lewis, ‘Manchester’.

11. Kennedy, Portrait of Manchester, 19.

12. For example the Boxer Ricky Hatton was born in Stockport, Cheshire and has lived his entire life since boyhood in Hyde, Cheshire, but perceives himself to be a Mancunian. Similarly, the author of this article was born and raised in Hyde and has never lived within the city of Manchester boundaries, but is perceived to be a Mancunian.

13. James, Manchester A Football History, 15–24 and ‘Old Manchester’, Manchester Guardian, November 6, 1847, 2.

14. Mason, Association Football, 2 quoting Bienefeld, Working Hours, 79–94; Bailey, Leisure and Class, 27; Hewitt, The Emergence of Stability, 6 and Ashton Standard, A Manchester Cardroom Operative, May 1, 1858.

15. Bell's Life, January 6, 1856, 6.

16. Examples include Manchester Guardian, Local & provincial Intelligence, January 6, 1838, 3; Manchester Guardian, Easter Customs, April 7, 1849, 9; Manchester Guardian, Whitsuntide Festivities, May 25, 1850, 5. For further examples see James and Day, ‘The Emergence’; Goulstone, Football’s Secret History, 23–6.

17. See Athenaeum Gazette, November 10 1847 to November 17 1851 for reports of activity.

18. Athenaeum Gazette, November 10, 1847, 6.

19. Athenaeum Gazette, September 1848, 22, 2.

20. Bell’s Life, January 6, 1856, 6.

21. Oldfield, ‘Running Pedestrianism’.

22. Oldfield, ‘Narratives of Manchester Pedestrianism’, 79.

23. Ibid., 160–6; James. ‘The Sporting Broads’, in Day, Pedestrianism, 195–212.

24. Oldfield, ‘Narratives of Manchester Pedestrianism’, 161.

25. Ibid., 216.

26. Braudel, The Perspective of the World, 33.

27. Huggins, ‘Betting capital of the provinces: Manchester, 1800–1900’, in Russell, ed., Manchester Region History Review, 24–45.

28. Bearshaw, From the Stretford End, 1–3.

29. Manchester’s race meetings were held at Castle Irwell 1847 to 1867 and from 1902, and at New Barns 1876 to 1901. Neither course was within the city of Manchester boundaries but were perceived as the Manchester Racecourse during their period of operation. Similarly, Old Trafford cricket ground is outside of the city boundaries, adding to the view that by the mid-nineteenth Century Manchester was perceived as a conurbation stretching beyond its city boundaries. For an overview of the Manchester conurbation See Kidd and Wyke, eds. Manchester.

30. Swain, ‘Cultural Continuity’, 573.

31. Balaam, Centenary of the Manchester Football Club, 1–5; ‘Introduction of Rugby Football into Manchester’, Athletic News, December 24 1878, 2.

32. Hewitt, The Emergence of Stability in the Industrial City, 58; ‘Football in the North’, Athletic News, March 18, 1876; ‘Football in the North’, Athletic News, February 26, 1876.

33. Dunning and Sheard, Barbarians, Gentlemen and Players, 116–7; Collins, ‘Rugby’s Great Split’, 9.

34. ‘Football Notes’, Athletic News, March 4, 1876.

35. Although match reports in the late 1860s suggest Sale played a rugby-style version of the game, references to Sale as a soccer club continue into the 1870s. See ‘Sale Football Club: Resident v Non-Resident’, Manchester Courier, December 15, 1868, 8; Alcock, John Lillywhite’s Football Annual, 83.

36. Games between Hulme Athenaeum took place within two years of Hulme being established in 1863. See ‘Letter from J Warrington’, Manchester City News, February 14, 1914, 6; ‘Football’, Manchester Courier, 11 December 1866, 8; Barak, A Century of Rugby at Sale, 10.

37. Barak, A Century of Rugby at Sale, 10; Manchester Courier, December 11 1867; Sheffield Daily Telegraph, January 4, 1872.

38. Wood, Beeton’s Football.

39. Baptist (Macclesfield) v St Mark’s (West Gorton), Gorton Reporter, November 20, 1880.

40. Wood, Beeton’s Football, 6–8. This book suggested a series of rules for adoption nationwide and was available within Manchester during the 1860s.

41. For a review of football styles played during these years see Kitching, ‘Modern Sport’.

42. Thomas Windsor’s copy survives and research is ongoing into his sporting activities. He was living in central Manchester in 1861 and newspaper reports confirm his role as librarian to the Literature and Philosophical Society.

43. ‘Football’, Manchester Courier, November 20, 1866.

44. Articles for a working men’s institute in Hulme appeared in the same week as Hulme Athenaeum held a significant meeting. These were two separate organisations with the Athenaeum aiming for a membership comprising of young warehousemen as opposed to older working men of all types at the institute. See ‘Hulme Working Men’s Institution’, Manchester Guardian, October 23, 1863; ‘Hulme Athenaeum’, Manchester Courier, October 24, 1863, 9; and ‘Hulme Athenaeum’, Manchester Courier, February 1, 1863, 9.

45. James, ‘Manchester’s Footballing Pioneers’.

46. James and Day, ‘The Emergence’.

47. ‘Football in the North’, Athletic News, February 26, 1876.

48. ‘Introduction of Rugby Football into Manchester’, Athletic News, December 24, 1878, 2.

49. ‘Football in the North’, Athletic News, March 18 1876.

50. Ibid.

51. ‘Stoke v Birch (Manchester)’, Staffordshire Sentinel, April 29, 1878.

52. ‘Stoke-on-Trent v Birch Association (Manchester)’, Sheffield Daily Telegraph, April 29, 1878; ‘Football Notes’, Athletic News, February 2, 1878, 2.

53. ‘Football’, Manchester Guardian, December 17, 1877.

54. ‘Football in the North’, Athletic News, March 4, 1876.

55. ‘The Association Challenge Cup’, Athletic News, September 4, 1878; ‘Challenge Cup Tie Under Association Rules’, Athletic News, December 18, 1878, 3.

56. As an example of a soccer school see: ‘Stockport Wellington v Fairfield Academy’, Manchester Courier, October 19, 1874, 7.

57. Email correspondence with the University of Manchester archivist James Peters, 19 July 2013. The sports clubs at Owens College tended to be established by students, with some clubs founded at the college and some at the Dalton Hall student accommodation.

58. Athletic News, October 14, 1876, 5.

59. ‘Football’, Manchester Guardian, January 15, 1877, 3, ‘Football’, Athletic News, January 6, 1876, 1; ‘Manchester Association v Northwich Victoria’, Athletic News, January 27, 1877, 2; Athletic News, March 3, 1877, 2; ‘Sheffield v Manchester’, Athletic News, February 24, 1877, 2; Athletic News, February 10, 1877, 1; ‘Manchester Association v Derby Grammar School’, Athletic News, November 3, 1877, 3; ‘Nottinghamshire Club v Manchester’, Bells Life, December 22, 1877, 9.

60. James, ‘Manchester’s Footballing Pioneers’; Correspondence with Mick Chappell, Notts County historian, December 2015.

61. Census Returns, Stuart G. Smith 1871 (RG 10/3301); Athletic News, March 3, 1877, 1; Young, Football in Sheffield, 29.

62. ‘Football Notes’, Athletic News, September 22, 1877, 2.

63. ‘La Crosse’, Athletic News, July 1, 1876.

64. Russell, ‘Sporting Manchester, from c1800 to the Present: An Introduction’, in Russell, ed., Manchester Region History Review, 7; Athletic News, April 21, 1880, 6; Athletic News, April 28, 1880, 5.

65. Elba Markendale was a committee member at the launch of the Manchester Rangers Lacrosse club. ‘Manchester Rangers La Crosse Club’, Athletic News, July 15, 1876.

66. Athletic News, February 26, 1876; Ibid., June 24, 1876; Ibid., August, 12 1876; Ibid., 18 November 1876.

67. ‘The Association Challenge Cup’, Bells Life, November 17, 1877, 9.

68. Braudel, The Perspective of the World, 32.

69. For example ‘Football Notes’, Athletic News, September 22, 1877, 2.

70. ‘Football Notes’, Athletic News, September 22, 1877, 2; ‘The New Season’, Athletic News, October 6, 1877, 4; The Times, November 12, 1880.

71. James, Manchester A Football History.

72. Baptist (Macclesfield) v St Mark’s (West Gorton), Gorton Reporter, November 20, 1880; ‘Cavendish Rangers v St Mark’s (West Gorton), Athletic News, November 17, 1880, 3.

73. Furniss was ever-present during Manchester City’s development fulfilling roles such as player, secretary-manager, director, chairman and life president, until his death in 1941, while Chew focused his attention on the MFA, where he spent many years as treasurer, becoming the first recipient of their long service award and remaining active until his death in 1948. Both men worked with the development of football in Manchester alongside John Nall and Nall’s son, who was a MFA committeeman for most of his life, becoming the first man to receive a long service award from the organisation. Manchester County Football Association Souvenir Brochure, 14.

74. Football Field, October 11, 1884, 10.

75. See the regular newspaper series: ‘Familiar Faces’ Manchester Football Chronicle, 1922–3.

76. ‘Familiar Faces’ Manchester Football Chronicle, October 7, 1922.

77. Manchester Courier, October 10, 1891; Letter to the FA from Manchester and District Football Association, 6 August 1896; Minutes of the Lancashire Football Association, September 23, 1896.

78. For example ‘En Passant’, Athletic News March 21, 1883, 1.

79. ‘Our Football Letter’, Manchester Times, October 3, 1885.

80. John Nall was a prominent figure in Manchester’s association footballing community for over thirty years and was involved as a player, secretary, referee, linesman, MFA committeeman and president, and Lancashire FA committeeman; James, ‘Manchester’s Footballing Pioneers.

81. The Book of Football, 14.

82. ‘Manchester and District Association’, Bells Life, September 3, 1885, 4.

83. ‘England V Ireland’, Athletic News, March 3, 1885, 3.

84. ‘Football Notes’, Manchester Courier, March 2, 1885, 3; ‘International Match’, Belfast Newsletter, March 2, 1885, 3.

85. ‘Football Notes’, Manchester Courier, March 2, 1885, 3.

86. Ibid.

87. Bells Life, April 21, 1886, 4.

88. ‘Football Items’, Black and White, December 16, 1887; ‘Newton Heath v West Manchester’, Black and White, December 16, 1887, 485.

89. Several Newton Heath fixtures against prominent teams suggest crowds of this magnitude, such as Black and White, November 25, 1887; ‘Newton Heath V Burnley’, Black and White, November 4, 1887.

90. ‘Famous Football Players’, Black and White, December 13, 1887, 495.

91. For example, the Ardwick Charity Cup competition. ‘Ardwick v Hyde’, Gorton Reporter, February 18, 1888.

92. ‘Football’, Bell’s Life, April 21, 1886, 4.

93. Black and White, November 25, 1887.

94. Football Field, September 10, 1887, 4.

95. ‘Club Notices’, Black and White, November 25, 1887.

96. ‘Cancelling of Lacrosse Fixtures’, Black and White, November 25, 1887.

97. ‘English Association Challenge Cup’, Athletic News, March 22 1882, 3.

98. Ibid., 1–5.

99. Bell’s Life in London, March 17, 1883, 3.

100. Athletic News, March 21, 1883, 1–3.

101. Pastime, March 29, 1893, 193–4.

102. Ibid.

103. Ibid.

104. Marshall, Football: The Rugby Union Game, 387.

105. Clarion, April 2, 1892.

106. See Collins, ‘Rugby’s Great Split’.

107. James, ‘Manchester’s Footballing Pioneers’.

108. Minutes of the RFU, committee meeting held at the Craven Hotel, London, May 24, 1894.

109. Collins, ‘Rugby’s Great Split’, 189; Yorkshire Post, May 13, 1898.

110. It should be noted that the inaugural meeting of the new northern rugby union was held in Manchester on September 3 1895 at the Spread Eagle Hotel.

111. James and Day, ‘FA Cup Success’.

112. For background to all these events see Gary James, Manchester A Football History.

113. William H McNeill, ‘Fernand Braudel, Historian’, The Journal of Modern History, 73 no. 1 (2001), 133.

114. Alan Kidd in Kidd and Wyke, Manchester, 341.