Edinburgh Research Explorer
"Social physical exercise?"
Citation for published version: McDowell, M 2014, '"Social physical exercise?": Football, industrial paternalism, and professionalism in west Dunbartonshire, Scotland, c. 1870-1900', Labor History, vol. 55, no. 5, pp. 547-562. https://doi.org/10.1080/0023656X.2014.961748
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1080/0023656X.2014.961748
Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer
Document Version: Early version, also known as pre-print
Published In: Labor History
Publisher Rights Statement: © McDowell, M. (2014). "Social physical exercise?" : Football, industrial paternalism, and professionalism in west Dunbartonshire, Scotland, c. 1870-1900. Labor History, 55(5), 547-562. 10.1080/0023656X.2014.961748
General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights.
Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
Download date: 02. Oct. 2021 “o ial ph si al e er ise? Foot all, i dustrial pater alis , a d professio alis i west Dunbartonshire, Scotland, c. 1870-1900
Matthew L. McDowell University of Edinburgh
Pre-pu li atio pri t of Matthew L. M Dowell, ‘ “o ial ph si al e er ise? Foot all, industrial paternalism, and professionalism in west Dunbartonshire, Scotland, c. 1870-1900, Labor History 55 (5): 547-62. There may be small textual differences between this version and the published version. Any reference made to this paper should refer to the published version.
Abstract This article examines the interrelationship of sport, community, and industry in west Dunbartonshire during the period 1870-1900. During the early years of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) – the 1870s and 1880s – the cou t s ai foot all lu s e e a o gst the “FA s ost do i a t, egula l halle gi g Glasgo s ajo lu s fo sup e a i the “ ottish Cup. These clubs were part of an industrial landscape, based as they were in shipbuilding and textile communities significantly comprised of Irish and Highland Scottish migrant populations. Local industrialists acted as patrons out of a paternalistic desire to mould the message of football. Their attempts were nevertheless undermined by the existence of professionalism in the game, which in turn encouraged an alternative method of social mobility.
Introduction
It is largely believed that association football is the favourite sport of the Scottish industrial working class.1 This is especially the case for the west of Scotland; where, from the 1870s onwards, the game was largely acknowledged to be one of the major cultural activities of working-class urban males.2 Most previous research has examined the Old Firm