MOB FOOTBALL

The history of football being played in England dates back many centuries. Medieval or mob football was often played between neighbouring towns and villages, with a mass of players from opposing teams clashing to deliver an inflated pigs bladder from one end of town to the other. Kicking or punching the bladder, or ball, was permitted, as was doing the same to your opponents …these medieval matches were chaotic and had very few rules.

Mob football can still be seen throughout England today, generally played on Shrove Tuesday. Scoring the Hales takes place each year at Alnwick, Northumberland, as does Royal Shrovetide Football at Ashbourne, Derbyshire, with other Shrove Tuesday Football Games being played at Atherstone, Warwickshire and Corfe Castle in Dorset, to name but a few. Back in the 14th Century times were different.

King Edward II (of England) was not a fan of the "riot" like football game that was taking place in his cities, towns and rural areas. He considered the games to be dangerous and likely to cause injury (and worse) to his "men" at a time when he needed to look after his armies. In 1349, the King banned football on the reasoning that it was affecting the nations' archery skills. England was in the middle of the Hundred Years' Ear against the near neighbours, The French, so anyone found having a "kick around in the park" would have meant time in the slammer. Following the massive loss of life suffered as a consequence of the Black Death, England needed as many archers as possible in order to achieve Edward’s military ambitions in both France and Scotland. 

According to the 16th-century writer Thomas Elyot, football was a game of ‘beastly fury and extreme violence’, and attempts were made to ban it several times in medieval and Tudor England.

Known for his sporting prowess in his early years, Henry VIII is believed to have owned the first pair of soccer boots, when in 1526 the royal footwear collection is recorded as including “ …45 velvet pairs and 1 leather pair for football”. Perhaps due to his increased waistline and hence his inability to compete at the highest level, Henry later banned the game in 1548, claiming that it incited riots.

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