Soccer and Society: South Wales, 1900-1939

Soccer and Society surveys soccer's early history in south Wales. Through an exploration of the entire spectrum of the game, from international matches and professional clubs to schoolboy games, this book illustrates how soccer was shaped by wider social, cultural and economic forces. Drawing on a broad range of primary sources, Martin Johnes places football in its wider historical context. He shows how soccer was incorporated into a redefined national identity that emerged from the depression and political realignment in inter-war south Wales, and demonstrates the significance of the sport for twentieth-century Welsh history and culture.

Martin Johnes is a lecturer in Sports Studies at St Martin's College, Lancaster.