ABSTRACT
While Tyne Association and Newcastle Rangers were the pioneering football clubs of the North East of England, spurring on the development of the ‘Big 2’ of Newcastle United and Sunderland, there were plenty of other sides in the wider area of Northumberland and County Durham. Many other teams emerged, both from the urban riverside of Tyneside and the outlying areas of gentile countryside around places such as Rothbury and Corbridge. The 1880s began and through the decade, new clubs were formed all over the region. From working-class roots in the Durham and South Northumberland coalfields, to more educational origins with Bishop Auckland, the latter becoming the dominant force in amateur football. Along the way, there was conflict between those amateur ideals and the new ‘evil’ of professionalism. By the time the Northern League was created in 1889, it remains the country’s second-oldest league competition, football had taken a firm hold and appeared to be here to stay.
