The Weekend

How the invention of the weekend popularised football

It is a strange concept to think of the weekend being invented by someone. It has just always been there, hasn’t it? No, it had to be invented by someone. In any case, the invention of the weekend had a massive impact on the popularity of football amongst the working classes. Football had always been the domain of the wealthy as they had more leisure time to watch, play and travel to matches. The working classes did not have this luxury and were beholden to their employers. Yes, football was a Toffs game. History tends to throw these uncomfortable facts at us, and we need to deal with them in a mature manner. Have you ever met a Manchester United fan who has just found out that their club was formed by a Scouser? 

Football was formalised in public schools and mainly played by the upper classes.

During the industrial revolution (roughly from 1750 to 1900) most working class people worked a six day week with long hours and little to no statutory rights. Sundays were reserved for “Sunday observance”. Some might say this was to tighten social control and suppress free thought amongst the "masses". This left little time for leisure, unlike the upper classes. However, labour reforms in the mid 19th century gradually introduced the idea of a half day on Saturdays.

Life was hard for working class people with very little liberty to enjoy life, but changes were afoot.

Many people understood the struggle of the poor and working classes in the Victorian era and campaigned for better living and working conditions, Charles Booth, Florence Nightingale, Thomas John Barnardo, Charles Dickens, to name a few. However, there is one fellow who has the accolade of being “The father of the weekend”, introducing Robert Lowes! The weekend was invented in Greater Manchester in 1843 when Robert Lowes, a workers’ rights activist and director of the Salford Lyceum (a theatre), campaigned for workers to have Saturday afternoons off work. Mill and factory owners were not as enthusiastic, idle machinery meant less profit. However, Robert and his pals won and legislation was passed in the form of  the 1867 Factory Act which made Saturday afternoon a half day off (amongst other things such as children aged 8 to 13 were limited to half-time work. Very kind of them). This half day off on Saturdays meant that people could watch football of course and the 3 o’clock kick off was born, which we still have today. Who ever said England is stuck in the past? I hope there is a massive statue of Robert Lowes, we all owe him a great debt of gratitude. Why was he not a Sir?

Thanks to the dedication of people like Robert Lowes, working class people were afforted more leisure time.

Salford Lyceum still exists today, albeit as something other than a theatre.

The Saturday half day provided workers with a block of free time, in which many used to engage in recreational activities, including playing in or watching football matches. Undoubtedly, those who weren’t playing spent a few lovely hours in the pub after watching their local football team play, represented by local lads. A ritual that endures to this day (the drinking in the pub, not the local lads bit). This all contributed to the rise in popularity of football and as more matches were being played and watched, there was a pressing need for the game to be standardised. Founded in 1863, the Football Association developed their own rules, making it easier for teams to organise matches. It is strange to think of football as a new phenomenon. However, in this form it was and its popularity grew exponentially at this time. For the working classes, entertainment was in very short supply and football captured their imagination. Mr James Walsh, Mill owner in the Netflix series “The English game”, when trying to encourage footballer Fergus Suter to stay in Darwin and play football, put it perfectly:

Some lads off to watch their local football team on a Saturday afternoon.

Weekend leisure time allowed clubs to form and organise matches that workers could participate in or watch, helping to institutionalise football as a key social activity in working class communities. Before this, Football had mainly been a sport that people participated in rather than watched. The free time afforded to working people contributed to the rise in football as a spectator sport and there was a greater demand for access to local venues by spectators. This demand led to purpose built stands and football grounds that local communities would take great pride in. This popularity sparked the interest of local business men, especially brewers. Many leased land to football clubs in return for their wares to be exclusively sold to spectators at football matches. If you have ever been to a football match and spent the same amount for one warm can of beer that would buy you 20 in a supermarket, don't feel too bad, football fans have been ripped off for generations. The link between football and consumer culture was around at its beginning. However, affordable admittance prices and the sense of community pride attached to local clubs contributed to the development of a passionate fan base (nothing to do with the amount of alcohol imbibed i'm sure).

It feels great when your team wins. When they lose it has been known to spoil people's weekends.

The introduction of structured competitions, such as the Football Association cup (first played in 1871) and the Football League (founded in 1888) aligned perfectly with the weekend. This meant that spectators and players could commit to regularly attending football matches. To further enhance the attendance at matches, a national rail schedule was also published by Mr George Bradshaw (known for Bradshaw’s guides and timetables), making it easier to play matches further afield. This may have been the birth of the infamous football away day. This helped transform football from a casual pastime into a structured sport with a national following.

Improved rail transport and publiched schedules allowed people to travel to away matches.

The Victorian elite were very big on promoting physical fitness as a way to improve social cohesion and to dissuade the "masses" from more immoral pursuits. Football became part of a broader emphasis on physical fitness, moral improvement and in turn a more “wholesome” working class. Therefore, factory owners, churches and schools often encouraged football as a beneficial activity for the working class during their free time. In this era there was a phenomenon called “muscular christianity” which promoted sport as a positive influence and was designed to encourage “proper” behaviour amongst the people.

Urbanisation in the Victorian era meant that large populations were concentrated in cities and towns, making it easier for football clubs to organise themselves and for spectators to attend matches due to improved transport infrastructure. The half day on a Saturday helped to facilitate travel and the participation needed for football to flourish in these urban environments. Essentially, it meant that people’s homes, work and football grounds were local and easily accessed. 

The growth of football meant that it caught the attention of newspapers and the media coverage and promotion exploded at this time. The increase in literacy amongst the "hoi polloi" and the affordability of newspapers meant they became widely read and football matches were increasingly reported on. Match reports were stuck in the windows of pubs so people who couldn’t attend the matches could find out how their team got on. The Saturday match results became a staple of local and national news, further boosting the sport’s visibility and popularity.

In summary, the introduction of the weekend during the Victorian era gave people the leisure time needed to engage with football as players and spectators. This, combined with the industrialisation of towns and cities, improved transport, the rise of organised competitions and the growing media coverage transformed football into the national sport of England and laid the foundation for its global appeal.