The Beautiful Game: A History of Football in Gordonopia
By Dr. Frank Donaugh, Imperial University
Chapter VI - Bottom-Up
By Dr. Frank Donaugh, Imperial University
Chapter VI - Bottom-Up
Without a major demographic behind it, football never would have moved past being an eccentric or exotic fad in Gordonopia. The majority of early players were in the upper or upper-middle class, often cosmopolitan aristocrats or worldly businessmen. That small group, though it had long held an interest in sport, was one of the bases for running. In a complete reversal, it would be the working classes of the inner cities throughout Gordonopia that would turn football from a fancy to a fundamental fact of life.
In one sense, it all came down to the cities themselves. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Gordonopia was in the midst of its 'Second Industrial Revolution'. The factory towns and river mills the had brought the first industry to Gordonopian shores were being replaced by urban jungles of manufactories and works. Tolten, North Deska and Reinheim, the Danbar Basin, Teva's Docktown, all were becoming transformed into titans of industry. With that development, though, came urban slums and crime.
One notable aspect of the transformation of the urban landscape was the elimination of much of the open green space that had characterized previous city plans. Without the large parks, many cities lost prime space for running. To further add to the hardship around maintaining the traditional sport within the new urban cities, rampant crime made road running a hazardous ordeal.
Many of these factors made football a particularly attractive alternative. While there were no more large parks, most cities were still dotted with open lots, perfect for use as a small football pitch. The few supplies needed, a cheap ball and something to mark goals, helped keep costs low for strained working-class budgets. And best of all, the safety-in-numbers offered by playing a team sport, something Gordonopia traditionally did not have, was a respite from crime.
Around the time football was growing, many factory owners were also trying to encourage their employees to have some sort of recreation outside of work. They had found that when they had an outlet to take their time off of the hardships of labor, they tended to be more productive during the day. A perfect outlet turned out to be football, and around the time the GFF was being organized, countless factories around Gordonopia were beginning to organize football teams. Matches would be played against squads within the same firm, or even against neighboring factories, and employees who weren't playing were typically encouraged to attend. Players who performed well were often given incentives such as a bonus or extra time-off, making them the forerunners to professional athletes. Many company teams, particularly in Tolten, still exist today, while clubs descended from them, such as West Tolten and Iron Harbor SC, even play in the highest reaches of the sport.
Within a decade and a half of football's introduction to Gordonopia, one would have been hard pressed to visit one of the many slums around the country and not find a few men or boys playing a pickup or street game. In a class that had never had the time nor the space to devote to running, a foreign sport had taken hold.
Equestrian States 7 5 2 0 19 8 +11 17
Bears Armed 7 5 1 1 19 9 +10 16
The Inevitable Syndicate 7 4 1 2 12 7 +5 13
Brenecia 7 4 1 2 9 9 0 13
Sudagiu 7 3 2 2 15 12 +3 11
The Islands of Qutar 7 3 2 2 14 11 +3 11
Carmadin 7 3 1 3 14 10 +4 10
Free Republics 7 2 0 5 10 14 -4 6
Tantamir 7 0 2 4 5 11 −6 2
Omarios 7 0 0 7 5 26 −21 0
