Putting football on the academic map: Eric Dunning and the study of association football

Abstract

Not only was Eric Dunning a leading light in the sociology of sport, he was also one of the first academics to take the study of association football seriously. This article will focus on two areas of his work, though it will not attempt to analyse his very substantial contribution to research into football hooliganism. First, it will examine his ‘status rivalry’ hypothesis, which suggested the significance of competition in the mid-nineteenth century between the public schools of Eton and Rugby as expressed through their football games. Second, it will look closely at his work on the development of early football, with special reference to soccer. The latter has been the subject of robust debate over the past two decades and, despite the criticism of some historians, Dunning’s original view – that former English public schoolboys were largely responsible for the creation of the modern game – still stands the test of time.