Pre-Industrial, Industrial and Post-Industrial revolution

Life in Pre-industrial Britain (pre-1780)


Sport often reflects society/life - so was difficult in pre-industrial Britain.

Socio-cultural factors

Limited transport and communication making access hard - people also lived in rural areas of the country.

Lots of illiteracy - lower classes could not read or write

Violent and cruel situations

Limited free time  - which was dictated by the agricultural calendar/seasons

The feudal system was in action, with landowners paying peasants to work on their land


The long hours meant recreational activities were occasional

Natural resources had to be used as industrial construction techniques and technologies had not been invented yet.

Limited transport abilities which leads to local events having 'house rules', and these events becoming localised to the area

The events were often aggressive, violent and male-dominated, with injuries and property damage pretty much guaranteed and going unpunished.

Wagers (bets) were placed by upper classes - with race walking emerging from competition between lower class couriers trying to get to their destination faster


Characteristics of popular recreation - Mob Football and Real Tennis




Mob football and real tennis:

Real tennis has very confusing rules - making it hard for the illiterate population at the time to understand. The rules were written and organised, and the upper classes that played the sport had enough money and time to play often and afford the specialist equipment and technology that was required. There is a lack of violence in real tennis also. Often, the upper class had courts built in their homes and grounds so that they, and visitors, could play often. The game was also dominated by men. 

Mob football was a violent game with simple rules. Played by the lower classes, with the upper classes betting, the aim of the game was to get an inflated pigskin ball into one of two goal regions. No safety equipment and unlimited team members meant that injuries were commonplace. These injuries and the damage to properties that followed went unpunished in this time of limited law and order.


What was the Industrial Revolution?




Trains - locomotives - were one of the main inventions of the industrial revolution. 

However, the new technology was also danergous, and child labour was extremely common. 

The changes of the industrial revolution included: technological changes (materials, energy and machines), a factory system was introduced - which led to the generation of cities, new methods of transportation and communication, agricultural improvements and a wider distribution of wealth - which led to the formation of the middle class. This all took place in the 18th century.


Characteristics of rational recreation  


Rational recreation were the sporting pastimes of the 19th century for the lower classes, which were designed by the middle class to be well ordered, organised and controlled.

4RS (the key details of rational recreation):

  • Respectability - non-violent rules with an emphasis on fair play

  • Regional + regular - Competitions played regionally, nationally and internationally. Spectatorship on a Saturday afternoon became popular

  • Referees - were present to enforce the newly developed rules

  • Rules/codification - Strict and complex written rules set by NGBs

  • Skills - Players had positional roles and became specialists. People began to train to improve their techniques and fitness levels to increase the chance they had of winning


Industrial + post-industrial development of sport (1780-1900)


Development of rational recreation & Wenlock Olympian Games


Started in 1850 by Dr William Penny Brookes, who was inspired to create an event to develop the 'Olympian class'.

He was a surgeon from Much Wenlock and his idea behind the Games was to promote moral, physical and intellectual movements

It is a mixture of athletics, country sports (like Quoits), football and cricket

The rules were written, with athletes coming from across the country

Brookes and the Wenlock Olympian society campaigned for physical education to be on the school curriculum

Pierre de Coubertin was inspired by his visit to the Wenlock Olympic society to form the IOC and the modern Olympic games in Athens in 1896


Social & Cultural influences on development of rational recreation


Industrial Revolution & Factories


HITFOR is the accroynm for the negatives of the first half of the Industrial revolution:

H - poor Health and Hygiene

I - lack of Income

T - lack of Time

F - poor Facilities

O - Overcrowding and lack of space

R - loss of Rights


IAMBIP is the accronym for the positives of the second half of the industrial revolution

I - Improved health

A - Athleticism

M - Middle-class

B - Better transport and communication

I - Increased income

P - Patronage





Urbanisation


Urbanisation is the large scale movement of people to towns and cities, often from the countryside, which impacted on sport as we know it today.

This led to a change in working conditions, with long hours for the working class at the start of this period, but as factory owners recognised the value of sport for health and productivity, the hours lessened.

Purpose built facilities were created, which afforded more people the chance to play and watch sports, as less and less space was available.

Due to the large working class population, there was an increased need for entertainment, which then led to spectatorship beginning.

Traditional mob and blood sports were banned, as society became more civilised and created more new sports

Transport & Communication


The expansion of railways as a form of transport had a big impact on sport:

  • Movement of teams/spectators - as train travel became cheaper, participants were able to travel further afield, which led to more codified and organised sports with regular competitions across the country.

  • Improved education and better literacy - Rules could be understood, people could read about sporting event in newspapers, reporting of sporting role models helped to communicate the positive influence of sport.


The Church


The expansion of sport is also a result of the influence of the church ->

The church saw sport as an opportunift to promote Christian values to maintain social control

Muscular Christianity - belief in patriotic duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, masculinity and moral and physical beauty of athleticism.

Churches also formed their own teams, which promoted sport as the churches allowed players to use their grounds and facilities.

Promoting morale across the lower-class society was also the cause for creating the Wenlock Olympic Games. The Games offered prizes for those who took part; it also promoted an array of sports and games, including football, running and hurdles.



Emergence of middle classes in 3 tier society


The middle class emerged as self-made individuals with empathy for the working class who introduced: codification and competitions, public provision, increased leisure time, move to professionalism.

  • Codification - Strict rules were developed as National Governing Bodies (NGBs) were formed, the middle class became key administrative organisers using their buisness experience to form and develop leagues

  • Public provisions - Public facilities were developed

  • Increased leisure time - Middle class factory owners gradually gave workers more leisure time to play and watch sports

  • Move to professionalism - Middle class aided the development of early pro sport; acting as agents, promoters and setting up teams






Public Schools, Universities and the British Empire


  • Fee paying schools were attended by the middle and upper classes

  • Sport was seen as a way of instilling moral values and binding people together across the British empire

  • Young men educated to become leadesr of this Empire spread the playing of games;

    • Teachers

    • Industrialists

    • Clergy

    • Army officers

    • Diplomats

    • NGBs



England Hockey     RFU        FA

 founded 1876       founded 1871         founded 1863


Public Provision, the development and spread of rational recreation via NGBs


NGBs were formed due to the increasing popularity of sport, with more international and national teams being formed. This required codification. The maintainance of the amateur ideal to deal with early professionalism and commercialisation. The middle and upper classes wanted to maintain control over the lower classes so wrote rules which deliberately excluded lower classes (as they thought that the lower classes would beat them).