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Famous Footballers 1895-96 – Stunning Portraits of Victorian Players
Originally issued in 1895, Famous Footballers (“and Athletes”) is a collection of 224 photographs presented on 112 double-sided sheets by the News of the World newspaper with publisher Hudson & Kearns. Each large (15″ tall) sheet has the portrait of an association footballer (or occasionally a team group) on one side, and a rugby footballer on the other, along with a facsimile autograph and a short biography.
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Inside out: Britain’s first indoor football league
In the early 1900s, an eccentric scheme to create Britain’s first indoor football league was opposed by the FA and ended in disaster for its protagonists.
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Where footballs are made – inside an Edwardian football factory
This superb photograph was taken for the Book of Football in 1905 in William Shillcock’s Birmingham football factory. Sporting goods retailer Shillcock was the “inventor and sole manufacturer” of the McGregor ball, named after his friend the Football League instigator William McGregor and used in cup finals and internationals. The McGregor was one of more than 30 models produced by the factory. Shillcock claimed to sell between 40,000 and 50,000 balls each year, and once took a single order for 6,000 balls…
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The OTHER best football book ever published
In a previous article, The best football book ever published, we looked at the lavish and comprehensive four-volume Edwardian tome Association Football & The Men Who Made It by Alfred Gibson and W...
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A dog in the football field
"An unpleasant incident occurred" during a match between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion, according to this newspaper report from 1888. "A tiny white terrier suddenly appeared on the field, and j...
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The longest match – Wednesday versus Villa over 15 weeks
In 1898-99, a league match between the Wednesday (now Sheffield Wednesday) and Aston Villa took more than 15 weeks to complete. The first 79 and a half minutes were played on 26 November
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A history of the football crossbar
The original incarnation of association football didn't involve a crossbar. The FA’s Laws of the Game, introduced in 1863, initially stated that a goal should be ‘two upright posts, eight yards ap...
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The Curse of Football: Victorian Football Widows
“THE WIFE: Don’t go this afternoon, John, it’s the only time you have to talk to me. I wouldn’t mind if you were playing; but you’re away all the week… you must know a woman wants more than that!”…
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The Way To Sell Papers – Football Results
Another football sketch by Edwardian cartoonist Ralph Cleaver, "The Way To Sell Papers - Football Results" depicts the increasing reliance of newspapers on the popular game. Part of a series entit...
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The Youth of England’s Only Game – Foot Bawl!
Football fans are depicted in full-voice in this wonderful Edwardian cartoon. Ralph Cleaver was born in 1893, and was the brother of artist Reginald Cleaver. Ralph specialised in political and spo...
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