Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain: A Social and Cultural History

by Tony Collins

Overview

Called ‘the greatest game of all’ by its supporters but often overlooked by the cultural mainstream, no sport is more identified with England’s northern working class than rugby league.

This book traces the story of the sport from the Northern Union of the 1900s to the formation of the Super League in the 1990s, through war, depression, boom and deindustrialisation, into a new economic and social age.

Using a range of previously unexplored archival sources, this extremely readable and deeply researched book considers the impact of two world wars, the significance of the game’s expansion to Australasia and the momentous decision to take rugby league to Wembley. It investigates the history of rugby union’s long-running war against league, and the sport’s troubled relationship with the national media.

Most importantly, this book sheds new light on issues of social class and working-class masculinity, regional identity and the profound impact of the decline of Britain’s traditional industries. For all those interested in the history of sport and working-class culture, this is essential reading.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134221448
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/27/2006
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	982 KB

About the Author

Tony Collins is Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University,Leicester,UK and editor of the jour□nal Sport in History. His publications include the award-winning Rugby’s Great Split

Table of Contents

Introduction: the origins of rugby league 1 Rugby league and the First World War 2 League on the dole? The game in the depression years 3 Masters and servants: the professional player 1919–39 4 Wembley and the road from Wigan Pier 5 Rugby league in the ‘People’s War’ 6 From boom to bust 1945–70 7 ‘Chess with muscles’: the rules of the game 8 The Kangaroo connection: Anglo-Australian rugby league 9 ‘Sporting apartheid’: rugby union’s war against rugby league 10 The working-man’s game: class, gender and race 11 The other amateurs: beyond the heartlands 12 From slump to Super League 1975–95 13 A proletariat at play

Editorial Reviews

'It is only a slight exaggeration to say that this is the book rugby league has needed for the past 111 years.' - The Independent, September 2006

'There is no doubt that Tony Collins's Rugby League in 20th Century Britain is the major [sports] publishing event of the year. Treasures lurk on every page to make it worth every penny.' - Independent

'A landmark in the historiography of British sport', Matthew Taylor, Sport in History

'The 250 packed pages provide a veritable treasure trove for rugby League fans. But it's not just a narrative, with the major developments in Rugby League since 1922 put into their social and cultural context...you'll get hours and hours of thought-provoking reading from it, which is unusual for such an academic book.' - Rugby Leaguer and League Express, July 2006

'It is only a slight exaggeration to say that this is the book rugby league has needed for the past 111 years.' - The Independant, September 2006

'A wonderful read highlighting in amazing detail the growth of the sport since 1985 and its relationships with its rival code, rugby union...sheds new light on issues of social class and masculinity, regional identity and the profound impact on the game of the decline of Britain's traditional industries.' - League Weekly, June 2006

'This is an important book from beginning to end...one of the best autobiographies I have ever come accross.' - Our Game, Autumn 2006

'Forget Dan Brown and Zadie Smith and get yourself a copy of RFL Archivist and League historian Tony Collins' new book...superbly researched...you will be absorbed.' - Rugby League World, July 2006

'There is no doubt that Tony Collins's Rugby League in 20th Century Britain is the major publishing event of the year. Treasures lurk on every page to make it worth every penny.' - Independent

'A wonderful book that you want to brandish under the nose of every union fan you ever meet.' - The Guardian, Review

Lord Aberdare Literary prize for 2006 is awarded to Professor Tony Collins of Leeds Metropolitan University for Rugby League in the Twentieth Century: A Social and Cultural History.

From the Publisher