The Battle of Britain

Football during the First World War

Football on the Western Front, 1916; Troops on the Western Front would spend considerable periods of time behind the lines. To keep men fit and active and to maintain morale, sport was encouraged and in many cases officially sanctioned. This photograph, taken September 1916, shows a football match in progress involving the 1st Battalion, the Wiltshire Regiment at Bouzincourt on the Somme.

Football on the Western Front, 1916

photographs

Troops on the Western Front would spend considerable periods of time behind the lines. To keep men fit and active and to maintain morale, sport was encouraged and in many cases officially sanctioned. This photograph, taken September 1916, shows a football match in progress involving the 1st Battalion, the Wiltshire Regiment at Bouzincourt on the Somme.

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When war was declared on 4 August 1914, it was expected that the Football Association (FA) would follow the example soon set by cricket and cancel all matches. But, despite opposition, matches were played in the Football League throughout the 1914-...

When war was declared on 4 August 1914, it was expected that the Football Association (FA) would follow the example soon set by cricket and cancel all matches. But, despite opposition, matches were played in the Football League throughout the 1914-1915 season and the FA Cup held as normal. For the remainder of the war, the Football League suspended its programme but allowed clubs to organise regional competitions.

Much of the opposition to the continuance of professional football stemmed from the concern that many men preferred to play and watch football rather than join up. However, football was also seen as a useful recruiting tool.

Football was a popular form of recreation for troops on both sides. Various accounts record British and German troops playing football during the 1914 Christmas Truce.

On 1 July 1916, men of the East Surrey Regiment, encouraged by Captain 'Billie' Nevill, went over the top kicking footballs. This was probably intended as a distraction for nervous young soldiers but was widely reported as a demonstration of British pluck.

Many professional footballers served in the forces. Those killed in action included former Tottenham Hotspur player Walter Tull and Bradford Park Avenue's Donald Bell – the only professional footballer to be awarded the Victoria Cross.

In Britain, many munitions factories developed their own ladies football teams. The most famous of these were Dick, Kerr's Ladies FC in Preston. Founded in 1917, their matches drew large crowds. They continued to enjoy success until women were banned from playing in Football League grounds in 1921.

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  • Spectators at a sports gala, 1916-1917

    photographs

    Spectators at a sports gala, 1916-1917; Crowds of onlookers in a stand at Coventry City FC's football ground, Highfield Road, watching a sports gala in the summer of 1916 or 1917. Workers of White and Poppe Ltd, the engine manufacturers, can be seen in the stand on the left.

  • An Appeal To Good Sportsmen, 1914

    posters

    An Appeal To Good Sportsmen, 1914; Football was widely used as a tool for recruiting men for the forces. The text on this poster is a direct appeal from the Secretary of the Football Association for 'GOOD SPORTSMEN' to 'ENLIST NOW and help the other GOOD SPORTSMEN who are so bravely Fighting Britain's Battle against the world's enemy'. Posters were also produced which appealed directly to supporters of specific clubs.

  • Leather football used at Holzminden camp

    souvenirs and ephemera

    Leather football used at Holzminden camp; Leather football used at Holzminden prisoner of war (POW) camp in Germany, 1918. This football was presented in November 1918 to Lieutenant Jack Shaw, who organised games between prisoners at Holzminden camp. It is signed by his fellow officer POWs. Football helped officers and orderlies to keep fit, although the Camp Commandant often stopped or prevented these games taking place. Only nine-a-side matches could be played in the camp due to lack of space. Many of the footballs were sent to POWs via Holland.

  • Trench Football game

    souvenirs and ephemera

    Trench Football game; This is a British-made toy football game dating from the First World War. Like many propagandist games of this period, it pokes fun at the Kaiser. The aim of the game is to get the ball bearing 'footballs' from kick-off, through the maze of trenches and into the Kaiser’s mouth.

  • HMS Dreadnought football trophy, 1916

    souvenirs and ephemera

    HMS Dreadnought football trophy, 1916; This cup was awarded to a football team formed from members of the ship's company of battleship HMS Dreadnought. Most service personnel had to endure long periods of boredom when they were not in action. Keen to prevent bored seamen becoming restless and unruly, Admiral Jellicoe encouraged the development of sports facilities at Scapa Flow naval base in the Orkney Islands. A football pitch was constructed, although there were complaints that the ground was too boggy.

  • Poster advertising a baseball match at Highbury, 1918

    posters

    Poster advertising a baseball match at Highbury, 1918; The arrival in Britain of American and Dominion troops brought new sports such as baseball and Australian rules football to the attention of the British public. This poster is advertising a match in the Anglo-American Baseball League to be held at Arsenal's football ground at Highbury in North London.

  • German Bierstein, 1914

    souvenirs and ephemera

    German Bierstein, 1914; This decorative German bierstein is associated with the Christmas Truce which occurred on the Western Front on 25-26 December 1914. It was presented to Private Bill Tucker of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps in his role as 'captain' of a winning British football team after an impromptu friendly match played against German troops. Many contemporary letters and diaries describing the truce mention opposing troops kicking around a football.