Some Famous Footballers of 1897

Title : Some Famous Footballers of 1897  
Author : CB Fry
Source : Windsor Magazine
Year Published : 1898
Page Count : 8
Image Count : 9
Word Count : 3.930
File Size in MB : 4.4
File Type : PDF

"...it gives no scope for aesthetic appreciation. It is the barbarian in us that loves football. The game is exceedingly civilised and scientific nowadays ; but clothe it as you will in law and order, it none the less fascinates and appeals to us by reason of that in us, which desires the stress and excitement of fighting. In olden times the game was nothing more or less than a free fight - now it is, as it were, a very refined form of the same. Indeed, the game has become almost too refined. It was at its best when just entering upon its civilised stage, before there were quite so many rules and regulations, and before leagues were invented. However, it; is a grand game still, especially as played at the schools and universities and by amateurs in general. In professional districts it has lost as a pastime what it has gained as an exact science. Even the most enjoyable of all football, on Casual and Corinthian tours, seems to have been better fun a few years ago. These tours are..."