The Royal Shrovetide Football Match ,Ashbourne ,Derbyshire,
The medieval football game played at Ashbourne, Derbyshire during Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday has been tradition for over 900 years. The rules are simple and the chaos forces shops to board up their windows. It's the morning of Shrove Tuesday 2014 and Ashbourne is unusually quiet. Most shops are devoid of staff, window displays have disappeared and heavy wooden boards are screwed tight against the window frames. Seemingly deserted, the atmosphere in town is eerie, but behind closed doors people are getting ready for the local event of the year. As the hands of the clock slowly work around, crowds begin to gather outside the public houses in the square and around the main roads. This is the warm up to 'turn-up' at 2 PM. In a few hours a guest dignitary will throw the large painted leather Shrovetide football in a frenzied crowd of hundreds of people. Teams are divided depending on which side of Henmore Brook they are from. Tens of well built players gather around the podium at 1:45 PM, eagerly waiting to start. The opposing 'Up'ards' and 'Down'ards' each waiting to see if they'll be the ones to take the victory for their side of the river! This strange game of football has been played in the small market town of Ashbourne, Derbyshire, for at least 900 years. Each side aims to grapple the ball to their team's end of the river and score a goal at the site of an old mill building. The rules are few, and the chaotic game pulls in tourists and enthusiasts in their thousands from miles around. Many dignitaries have been appointed to 'throw-in' the Shrovetide football, including the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) in 1928, who suffered a bloody nose during the game. It was the young Princes' visit that granted the game it's 'Royal' title. In 2003 the second royal to start the game was HRH Prince Charles. And it all happens again on the following day; Ash Wednesday! . Down'ards' gather outside the wheel Inn before start of game.
Size: 4287px × 2848px
Location: Ashbourne Derbyshire England UK
Photo credit: © Ian Francis stock / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 2014, alcohol, ancient, annual, ards, area, ashbourne, ball, crowds, drinking, east, england, english, fighting, football, game, games, gather, handmade, hard, historic, historical, house, inn, lame, leather, males, mass, match, men, midlands, painted, physical, players, playing, pub, public, pubs, royal, ruff, shrove, shrovetide, sport, sports, street, streets, tough, traditional, traditions, tuesday, uk, wednesday, wheel, youths
