There have been several attempts to trace the story of the spread of football from its pre-industrial origins to its codification in the association game in 1863, from whence it swept the British Isles before going on to conquer the world, but this is the first book to place the growth of the game firmly in its social and cultural background. It explains how soccer spread from the United Kingdom to become the sporting passion of Europe and South America, failed to take root in the former English speaking colonies, but became the most popular game in Asia and Africa. Murray is a skilled historian, as well as a football enthusiast; in this comprehensive history he covers old ground with a refreshing originality, presents new information with a revealing clarity, and combines illustrative anecdotes with incisive analysis. He presents the reader with a highly readable account of a complicated story that places the growth of the world's most popular game firmly in its cultural context. This book will remain for years to come the standard work on the subject.