Post 1850 Industrial Britain (1850-1900)

• background

  • industrial revolution changed the way people lived & worked
  • clear distinction between work & leisure
  • little time or energy for sports activities
  • sunday was seen as a day of rest
• affect of industrial revolution of working class

  • urbanisation reduced space to play sport
  • poor hygiene & diseases limited participation
  • low wages meant lack of disposable income to participate
  • saturday half day increased opportunity for participation
  • sea side excursions increased participation in swimming
  • factory owners set up teams to increase participation
  • working hours reduced from 72-56 hours which allowed more time for participation
• social class: middle class

  • introduction of the middle class
  • they were factory owners & store owners
  • had more free time, more money, became educated & some went to public schools
  • helped develop sports as many went to public schools
• social class

  • lower class professionals tended to to better than amateurs as they trained to win & winning was important to maintain a livelihood
  • upper class amateurs believed winning was unimportant
• gender

  • status of women began to change as they were encouraged to get involved
  • lawn tennis was popular for women
  • they were still restricted by their place in society
  • were expected to marry & have children, & be financially dependent on their husbands
  • most professions refused entry to women, they could teach but was badly paid & low status
  • in late 19th century, there was a shortage of men so female education emerged & equal rights were given for study & work
• law & order

  • changes in law led to decline of blood sports, like cock fighting
  • upper class held onto their sports for longer as they were the rule makers so made the decisions
  • society became more civilised so sport became less violent
  • Metropolitan Police Force was established in 1826 so mob games were replaced by rationalised sports
  • RCPSA was formed so sport rules became concerned with safety
  • NGBs were formed for sports, such as FA formed in 1863 & British Gymnastics formed in 1888
• transport

  • development of railways
  • teams were able to travel further for internationals fixtures/games
  • standards of play improved
  • allowed spectators to travel to support their team
  • league & cup competitions were instituted
• time

  • length of working week was reduced from 72-56 hours
  • saturday became a half day
  • even with extra time, lower class didn't participate fully due to working & living conditions
• money

  • middle class business & factory owners improved the provisions for recreation & sport through an increased injection of money
  • in larger factories, owners would pay for an annual excursion to the seaside
  • owners of businesses set up teams & paid for new purpose built facilities
• education & literacy

  • lower class children were still involved in child labour
  • upper class had little interest in wanting to help cultural development of working class
  • understanding of rules improved for lower class
  • upper class still played more sophisticated sports that required more cognitive processing
• amateurism

  • someone who doesn't get payed to play & plays for the love of it
• professionalism

  • someone who gets a payed salary for playing as playing is their work
• how social class of amateurs & professionals has changed

  • in pre-industrial times amateurs were upper class & professionals were lower class
  • in the 21st century, amateurs & professionals can come from any class as sport is now classless
• association football

  • formed in 1863
  • it was organised & codified as violence was controlled
  • encouraged by middle class
  • it was a regular spectator attraction rather than an annual festival
  • played regularly, regionally & nationally
• athletics

  • emergence of track & field as a new form of 'urban festival'
  • running became a source of income for the lower class
  • upper & middle class wanted to separate themselves from lower class
• factory teams

  • several professional clubs in the UK were also formed as work teams
  • Arsenal was formed by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwhich
• influence of the church

  • changing views of church meant they believed that rational recreation & sport could promote christian principles
  • values of the church was seen as a way to counter crime
  • some professional football clubs originated from church teams, like Aston Villa
• influence of factories

  • factory owners realised that sport could keep workers happy & healthy
  • better working conditions improved the hygiene of employees & working hours were made manageable
  • workers were entitled to days off & saturday half day to play sport
• formation of NGBs

  • made sport more civilised so rules are needed
  • improved transport means performers can travel to play meaning common rules are needed
  • reduced working hours means people have more time to participation so organisation is needed
  • improved education systems mean that all classes can understand more literate & sophisticated rules of games, written rules were appropriate & accessible
• athleticism

  • physical endeavour + moral integrity
  • based on the Christian principle of cult of athleticism & muscular Christianity
  • provided a sense of discipline & moral responsibility amongst the working class
• public schools

  • upper & middle classes went to elite public boarding schools
  • Eton, Rugby & Harrow
• development of sports

  • also known an the melting pot

  
  

  1. village mob football
  2. boys attended private school to learn new ways to play
  3. boys then attended universities & all rules were developed & written
• STAGE ONE: boy culture, bullying & brutality

  • a reflection of society
  • absence of police force meant any unrest had to be controlled by army
  • activities arranged for pure enjoyment & to relieve boredom of academic work
  • melting pot
  • activities ranged from marbles & spinning tops to bare-knuckle fighting & mob football
  • actions needed to be taken before parents would take their children elsewhere
• STAGE TWO: Dr Thomas Arnold & social change

  • time of reform & social change
  • Thomas Arnold wanted his pupils to grow up as moral christian gentlemen (strong soul within a strong body)
  • used games as a vehicle for establishing social control
  • healthy competition
  • house system developed
  • 6th formers became link between masters & boys
• STAGE THREE: cult of athleticism

  • 1845- Rugby school wrote down rules of football to ensure fair play in their school
  • 1848- Eton created their own rules, restricting the use of hands, pupils took games to university
  • 1863- FA formed based on Cambridge university rules
  • encouraged physical endeavour
  • fair play/ sportsmanship
  • development of competitions & leagues
  • large amount of time devoted to team games
• how old boys/former pupils spread sport around the world

  • old boys joined the army & became army officers which spread sport through the empire
  • old boys became industrialists who set up teams to spread sport through the empire
  • old boys joined church who spread sport through the empire
  • old boys became politicians who were posted overseas & took their games with them
• how ex public school boys contributed to the development of sport

  • formed NGBs such as the FA
  • spread sports through ways like becoming industrialists & army officers
  • codified the rules of games
  • developed leagues & competitions such as the FA cup
• fagging system

  • parents were concerned about the treatment of their boys
  • exploited the younger boys as slaves for the older boys
  • they endured bullying & brutality
  • schools had to take action or children would be taken elsewhere
• Dr Thomas Arnold

  • headmaster at Rugby school
  • wanted his pupils to grow up as moral christian gentlemen
  • influential & well respected
  • revised the fagging system
  • promoted more regulated sports
  • developed the house system which was influential in the development of competitive teams
  • established link between sport & health to promote participation
• how public schools influenced sport

  • creating interhouse competitions
  • contributing to the development of rules
  • promoted sports & games as important
  • also developed 'cult of athleticism' for fair play
  • promotion of ethics through sport
  • public school headmasters were well-respected & influential
• how 'cult of athleticism' impacted development of sport

  • promoting physical endeavour & moral integrity
  • increased participation & fair play in sport
  • spread sport around the empire leading to national fixtures
  • large amount of time devoted to team games
  • interhouse competitions were created
  • development of leagues & competitions