This book delves into the complex, yet fascinating evolution of football - from being a relatively unruly mob game played on festival days, to getiing adopted, codified and 'civilised' by the major English Public Schools, then diffused into the wider society to become a codified, modern sports-form.

Graham Curry trained at the University of Leicester, UK, gaining his MA and PhD there. He has written extensively on the historical sociology of Association Football, publishing, in 2016 with Eric Dunning, the thought-provoking Association Football: A Study in Figurational Sociology (Routledge). Still playing, he represents England in the over-60s age group.

Foreword - Speaking of football: some thoughts on the early development of the game 1. Early football, governance and cup competitions: the formative years of the Staffordshire Football Association, c. 1877-1887 2. Footballing backwater? A study of early Norfolk football 3. A brief study of football in London from 1800 to the founding of the Football Association in 1863 4. The Youdan and Cromwell Cups: Sheffield football's knockout trophies 5. Velvet caps and tassles: East Lancashire, class and the FA cup 6. Beyond The Close: Rugby School's football network, 1840-1880 7. John Charles Thring: footballer, codifier, advocate, schoolmaster and priest 8. Historical firsts and superlatives: public engagement versus historical accuracy in association football