Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-29
FOOTBALL IN ENGLAND.
Some Interesting Pointers About the Kick
ing Teams of Britishers.

Some Interesting Pointers About the Kick
ing Teams of Britishers.
A very few Americans can form an adequate
conception of the immense and widespread
popularity which football has attained in the
north of England, and particularly in York
shire There the game is played almost en-
tirely under the Rugby rules. Only here and
there can be found an association team.
About y years ago the game was only played
in Yorkshire by few gentlemen, who had
picked it up at the colleges or universities
where they had been educated. To-day whole
armies enter the field every Saturday, while the
spectators muster in thousands upon thou
sands. Naturally one will ask: What are the
causes that have raised football in Yorkshire
from the obscurity of being as near as possible
an unknown game to the front rank among
outdoor sports and pastmes7 To answer this
II will he necessary to go back to the formation
OF the Yorkshire Football Challenge Cup CON-
petition.
Some 10 or IL years ago. when there were
only about FIVE clubs in the country, the COM
mittees of these existing clubs subscribed for
and established an annual challenge cup
competition, (which very quickly proved a
success. Clubs began to spring up like mush-
rooms, and when, year or two later. there
we're dozen good entries for the event. the
donors and promoters of the competition felt
highly satisfied, Year by year the list of COM
petlnG clubs increased in size, and for the next
struggle some 10 or 20 more teams nave
entered. so mat with say, l0O teams. each made
up Of 10 men. there will be no fewer than l. $50
players actively engaged in play for the coveted
trophy.
The tournament for this cup is not played on
the American principle. The competition Is
divided into rounds. The whole of the COM
pefing clubs take part in the first round, and
the winning teams are afterward paired in
subsequent rounds till only two are left to
decide the championship for the ensuing year.
Now add to the number of players $50 umpires
and - referees, and take 5000 as the average
number of spectators at each of the 60 matches
and 1t will be found that in the opening round
OF the Yorkshire Football Cup Competition for
the ensuing season fully 325, 600 people are
interested in a single Saturday afternoons
sport in this one shire of England.
There are also host of smaller clubs that
have not reached the standard of excellence
necessary to enable them to enter the cup con-
test. Every village, even the smallest has its
Ons. two three football clubs. A town of
$4,000 inhabitants Will have from 10 to % CLUBS
while the big boroughs like Leeds Bradford
Hudderstield and Hull have so many clubs
within their limits that 1t would be a difficult
matter to count them.
The Introduction of the cup competition has
led to very keen rivalry and has brought York
shire football into the foremost rank in En-
gland. The "Iykes" carry everything before
them, beating every other county organization
in the kingdom, and only being defeated in a
match Yorkshire versus The Rest of England
tendency. Thousands of people who used to
spend their Saturday, afternoons in doubtful
sports, where betting was the leading feature
are now lrresislbly attracted. out of pure love
for the game, to the football grounds.-N. Y
Sun.