Early Public School Football Codes

Puddings, bullies and squashes were terms used at Radley, Uppingham and Charterhouse to describe the melee, a feature of every early public school football game: half the school in one team attempting to drive the ball through the goal of the other half of the school in defence. The scrum of modern rugby is a pale imitation and soccer’s defensive wall just a flimsy substitute by comparison. This is the story of those early public school codes before the nationalisation of football by the FA from 1863 and the RFU from 1871.

The 20 schools are Bradfield College, Charterhouse, Christ’s Hospital, Clongowes Wood College, Durham School, Edinburgh Academy, Eton College, Forest School, Harrow School, King’s School Canterbury, Marlborough College, Radley College, Repton School, Rugby School, Sherborne School, Shrewsbury School, Tonbridge School, Uppingham School, Westminster School and Winchester College. With a preface by sports historian Tony Collins tracing the sweep of these remarkable innovative versions of football.