A WORTHY TRIBUTE

THE Football Battalions is the heartbreaking story of how professional footballers went to war.

- lan Aspinall

Christopher Evans explains: “In 1914 Britain is slowly becoming football obsessed: players are turning into household names, attendance is increasing and George V attends the FA Cup final in May and then the war breaks out.”

Once the war began, footballers were put under immense pressure to sign up by the newspapers of the day and many public figures. Many individuals and institutions denounced players and supporters as cowards and shirkers.

There are strong similarities with certain sections of the media of today and how it can quickly shape public opinion. The resulting formation of the Football Battalions was therefore partly a result of the footballers' desire to help the war effort but also due to the fever whipped up by newspapers and others.