RootsChat.Com
Some Special Interests => Occupation Interests => Topic started by: Siely on Sunday 07 September 25 21:02 BST (UK)
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/MHylrKB09Y3TD3NWZrb2Qw/the-first-professional-footballer
My own FH shows some links to the early development of the Football League in the UK which is the oldest Football Championship in the world starting in the 1880s.
Interested in the early professional footballers and their
teams.
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This gives you the original teams.
https://www.efl.com/about-the-efl/history/
Why not start by Googling each teams history?
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My amateur reading is revealing the importance of early football teams in the old industrial worker population which has changed dramatically, however the sport of football itself has never been so successful and wealthy. A part of my FH would have supported local team West Bromwich Albion, one of the earliest teams.
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In what way were your ancestors "linked to the development of the Football League"? What were their respective roles? What were their names?
What documented info do you have confirming their involvement in the development of the FL?
Your last reply is written as though they just supported WBA which is a completely different "role" to that suggested in your opening post.
Which particular "early professional footballers" are you referring to as there will be many & what research are you yourself doing into finding the answers you are looking for?
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Early football has no official records or statistics books that I know of (unlike cricket needless to say) . Cricket records / statistics are continually referred to in cricket commentary, but it is rare to hear in football. If it wasn't for the huge efforts of individual fans I doubt if rhere would be any colllections at all.
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Have you read the Wikipedia Article?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bromwich_Albion_F.C.
Including the "History" section.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_West_Bromwich_Albion_F.C.
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As for the history of the Football League, try these articles:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Football_League
https://www.efl.com/about-the-efl/history/
https://www.footballhistory.org/league/football-league.html
Which includes stats! ;)
And: https://www.footballhistory.org/league/football-league-statistics.html
P.S. It took me less than 5 minutes to find these links. :D
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Yes thank you, there are some very good online sites. I'm trying to make a slightly different point though. Unlike cricket which has Wisdens , football does not seem to have an official year book or a schoolboys version of the same.
"Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, or simply Wisden, colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually"
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So what exactly is the purpose of your post?
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Cricket has just 18 1st class counties.
Football has 92 professional clubs.
Internationally, cricket has 12 full members of the ICC and 98 associate members.
FIFA has 211 member nations, plus 24 "other" nations playing.
It's a difference of scale.
But I echo CaroleW's post - what was the purpose of your post?
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The purpose of my post is that the quality of information for FH purposes clearly varies according to.social class. We are often told these days that there is "no working class" today but that is absurd.
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This is part of an AI response to a prompt about cricket, football and class:
Several key academic books compare the **class origins** of cricket and football in the UK. These works critically explore how both sports developed with distinct class associations, emphasizing their importance within British social history.
## Essential Books
### Different Class: The Untold Story of English Cricket by Duncan Stone
- Focuses on how class structures and the maintenance of class order shaped cricket from its recreational roots up to the professional game, providing in-depth analysis of class distinctions within cricket and frequent references to football as a comparative sport.[1][2][3]
### Sport and the British: A Modern History by Richard Holt
- A foundational academic text covering the history of sport in Britain, with extensive analysis on how football and cricket emerged from unique social circumstances and became identified with different social classes.[4]
### Sports and Social Class in Great Britain. Football, Rugby, Cricket by Anja Schwanhäußer (Grin Verlag)
- This monograph and its related book examine the development and popularity of cricket, football, and rugby, focusing on their association with various social classes throughout British history.[5][6]
### Classes and Cultures: England 1918–1951 by Ross McKibbin (see chapter "The Sporting Life")
- Contains a highly-cited chapter on British national sports, including cricket and football, and their relationships with distinct social classes, as well as factors that promoted or constrained their mass following.[7]
## Further Academic Reference
- Mike Marqusee's Anyone But England (referenced in reviews) is a politically attuned analysis of cricket in relation to English identity, class, and exclusion, drawing direct comparisons to football in terms of popular culture and class issues.[3]
These books are regarded as leading academic sources for understanding the complex interplay between **sports, social class, and British identity**, providing comprehensive comparative insight into **cricket and football**.
Sources
[1] Different Class: The Untold Story of English Cricket https://repeaterbooks.com/product/different-class-the-untold-story-of-english-cricket/
[2] Cricket's Class Wars https://tribunemag.co.uk/2022/01/cricket-sport-class-history-duncan-stone-book-review
[3] The class and culture war at the heart of English cricket https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/book-review-different-class-the-class-and-culture-war-at-the-heart-of-english-cricket-1299597
[4] Sport and the British: A Modern History - Richard Holt https://books.google.com/books/about/Sport_and_the_British.html?id=vtChCoG6veMC
[5] Sports and social class in Great Britain. Football, Rugby, ... https://www.grin.com/document/304713
[6] Sports and social class in Great Britain. Football, Rugby, Cricket ... https://books.google.com/books/about/Sports_and_social_class_in_Great_Britain.html?id=PdmRCgAAQBAJ
[7] The Sporting Life | Classes and Cultures: England 1918-1951 https://academic.oup.com/book/26957/chapter/196126485