ABSTRACT

It is generally agreed that football’s early development is best explained by the continued study of local examples of sporting diffusion. In previous investigations, academics have discovered that the individuals or groups responsible for the spread of the game have varied widely. This chapter will, therefore, hope to add to the thriving debate by making a detailed examination of events in Lincolnshire.

Whilst the county might not be described as a ‘hotbed’ of football, clubs from the area have made noteworthy excursions into the national debate in several ways. The Lincoln club was mentioned several times in the early minutes of the Football Association and Donington School, near Spalding entered the first edition of the FA Cup. Previous work on Lincolnshire highlights the influence of local grammar schools in the relatively isolated market towns of the region such as Louth, Brigg, Stamford, Spalding, Boston and Spilsby. This information may lead us to believe that the influence of local sporting elites was strong in the county and, hopefully, rigorous analysis will test how much impact former public schooldays had on the diffusion of the game. Additionally, and perhaps surprisingly, there is also the faintest hint of emergent professionalism.