Cambridge’s early football sub-culture

The history of football in Cambridge has understandably been dominated by the achievements of University students creating the modern-day laws of the game in the middle of the 19th century, and contributing towards it becoming the ‘global game’. What is also significant and yet largely unknown is the football sub-culture that existed in the 18th century across East Anglia, making it the ‘major stronghold for football in Britain’. Nigel Fenner (Cambridge University Football Blue) will talk about the large number of football pitches that were lost as a result of land enclosure, many close to Cambridge, and focus on the game’s Anglo-Saxon origins, gentry and church support, the impact of European enlightenment and University involvement.