FOOTBALL CRAZY – What the Romans did for us is a newly released 27-minute film.

 

 

FOOTBALL CRAZY – What the Romans did for us is a newly released 27-minute film. It kicks off by highlighting how the Romans first brought football to east Lancashire and how over the next thousand years plus mob football became such a part of common life such that when it was banned by the Monarchy no one took any notice.

Even when the industrial revolution forced agricultural labourers into the cotton mills the game continued within the reduced spaces available with Darwen and Tottingham particularly important.  Team numbers became smaller and when money was waged on the results of games and cheating took place then it was necessary to draw up some rules. Mill owners then began to allow key players to take time off work to represent their teams and association football was now winning out over rugby. Foot was king. The beautiful game was here to stay.

Produced by the late local football historian Andy Boocock (1960 – 2025) with help from Mark Metcalf and Dave Hackney the film is professionally narrated by Dan Lee and there is to be accompanying book in due course that takes a look at 12 specific East Lancs clubs such as Bacup Borough, Preston North End and Darwen.

Take a look at:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y200g3zHbZM