Rugby's Great Split
Since it’s first publication, Rugby’s Great Split has established itself as a classic in the field of sport history. Drawing on an unprecedented range of sources, this deeply researched and highly readable book traces the social, cultural and economic divisions that led, in 1895, to schism in the game of rugby and the creation of rugby league, the sport of England’s northern working class.\ Tony Collins’ analysis challenges many of the conventional assumptions about this key event in rugby...
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This volume looks at rugby in late Victorian and Edwardian England and examines how class conflict tore rugby apart and led to the creation of rugby league. At its heart is an explanation of how a game for public schoolboys was transformed into a sport which became entirely identified with the working classes of northern England.This text deals with the development of amateurism and professionalism, England's north-south divide, the relationship between rugby and masculinity, and the rise of commercializd sport. It focuses on how working-class men and women became involved in rugby and the hostile reaction to them from rugby's middle-class leaders.The author describes how the war for rugby's soul led to the 1895 split and the creation of a new sport. The new Northern Union immediately allowed, "broken-time" payments to players, developed a distinct ideology of its own and gradually introduced rule changes which created the game of rugby league. Booknews Examines how, in Victorian and Edwardian England, class conflict tore rugby apart and led to the creation of Rugby League. Addresses the development of amateurism and professionalism, England's north-south divide, the relationship between rugby and masculinity, and the rise of commercialized sport. The focus is upon how working-class men and women became involved in rugby and the hostile reaction to them from middle-class leaders. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
List of IllustrationsSeries Editor's ForewordIntroduction1From Folk Football to Civic Pride: Origins to 187912The Coming of the Working Class: 1879-1886293'King Football': 1886-1893674Schism: 1893-18951125The Rise and Decline of the Northern Union: 1895-19051546A Revolution in Rugby: 1905-1910196Conclusion: The Northern Union and Working Class Culture231Appendix238Bibliography249Index264
\ BooknewsExamines how, in Victorian and Edwardian England, class conflict tore rugby apart and led to the creation of Rugby League. Addresses the development of amateurism and professionalism, England's north-south divide, the relationship between rugby and masculinity, and the rise of commercialized sport. The focus is upon how working-class men and women became involved in rugby and the hostile reaction to them from middle-class leaders. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.\ \
