ABSTRACT
Commercialized sport was one of the economic success stories of late Victorian Britain. In response to rising incomes and Saturday half-days, entrepreneurs and club executives enclosed grounds, invested heavily in facilities, and charged gatemoney. Events were organized on a regular basis to offset overhead costs and crowddrawing tours by overseas teams were encouraged. The development, however, was not uniform. Some areas, notably Yorkshire and Lancashire, were in the vanguard of sports commercialization, but, in contrast, the eastern counties remained relatively untouched. The home counties took to county cricket with great success but spurned the league version; they also pioneered enclosed race-courses but lagged in the adoption of professional soccer. Such football was also slow to intrude into South Wales and never caught hold in the Scottish borders, both areas remaining strongly committed to rugby union.
