This book examines the largely unexplored social and cultural history of Middlesbrough and the leisure habits and opportunities of its people. It adds to existing studies of urban Britain and provides a specific study on the relationship between leisure and urbanization and industrialization. The book furthers understanding of urban sport and urban history by demonstrating how sport can be shaped by urban growth, whether directly or indirectly, and equally, how sport can also affect the way in which a town develops. This book shows how the study of sport in a particular setting provides another means of examining relationships between different social groups and within a large urban landscape. This book views the town’s sporting history alongside the development of Middlesbrough itself and within the context of the growth of sport in Britain more widely. Furthermore, as a study in urban history, this book addresses existing gaps in our knowledge of the development of towns and cities by examining the town’s sport. Through a detailed examination of local newspapers and archival sources, this book reveals the depth and diversity of the town’s sporting culture. In particular, it illustrates the role of the middle classes in the development of clubs, and the importance of class and social relations in determining an individual’s access to sport. As a consequence, the study also relates how the town’s working class populace was often excluded from the sporting culture, and shows the lack of sporting opportunities available to women. Amateurism is explored through the initial rejection of professional football, but the book also demonstrates the increased popularity of the professional game during this period. In addition, in view of Middlesbrough’s migrant population, the extent of football’s role in forming and reinforcing local and regional identities will be examined.

This lively and deeply researched history - the first of its kind - goes beyond the great names and moments to explain how British sport has changed since 1800, and what it has meant to ordinary people. It shows how the way we play reflects not just our lives as citizens of a predominantlyurban and industrial world, but what is especially distinctive about British sport. Innovators in abandoning traditional, often brutal sports, and in establishing a code of `fair play', the British were also pioneers in popular sports and in the promotion of organized spectator events.Modern media coverage of sport, gambling, violence and attitudes towards it, nationalism, and the role of sport in sustaining male identity are also explored, and the book is rich in illuminating and entertaining anecdotes, which it combines with a serious historical understanding of a fascinatingsubject.

The London Olympics of 2012 acted as a focal point for an examination of UK sport policy. Individual chapters from leading specialists in their fields focus upon the central components of the UK‘smodel of sport - for example elite, school and community sport and talent ID policies - and discuss what kind oflegacy 2012 is likely to leave on the sports landscape in years to come. The conceptlegacy is a common theme running through all contributions which themselves stem from a wide variety of academic disciplines and sub-disciplines, including sport psychology, political science, sports studies, cultural studies and sociology. A wide range of topics and organisations are covered throughout the volume, including coaching, talent ID, school sports partnerships, PE and youth sport, participation in sport, the IOC and the Olympic Charter, the Olympic Movement and Islamic Culture and, finally, issues of regeneration through sports mega-events. This book was published as a special issue of the International Journal of Sport Policy.

Striking transformations are taking place in the urban landscape. The regeneration of urban areas in the UK and around the world has become an increasingly important issue amongst governments and populations since the global economic downturn. This textbook provides an accessible and critical synthesis of urban regeneration in the UK, analyzing key policies, approaches, issues and debates. It places the historical and contemporary regeneration agenda in context. The second edition has been extensively revised and updated to incorporate advances in literature, policy and case study examples, as well as giving greater discussion to the New Labour period of urban policy, and the urban agenda and regeneration policies of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition government elected in 2010. The book is divided into five sections, with Section I establishing the conceptual and political framework for urban regeneration in the UK. Section II traces policies that have been adopted by central government to influence the social, economic and physical development of cities, including early town and country and housing initiatives, community-focused urban policies of the late 1960s, entrepreneurial property-led regeneration of the 1980s, competition for urban funds in the 1990s, urban renaissance and neighborhood renewal policies of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and new approaches since 2010 which have sought to stimulate enterprise and embrace localism in an age of austerity resulting from the global economic downturn. Section III illustrates the key thematic policies and strategies that have been pursued by cities themselves, focusing particularly on improving economic competitiveness, tackling social disadvantage and promoting sustainable urban regeneration. Section IV summarizes key issues and debates facing urban regeneration in the early 2010s, and speculates upon future directions in an era of economic and political uncertainty. Urban Regeneration in the UK combines the approaches taken by central government and cities themselves to regenerate urban areas, providing a comprehensive and up-to-date synthesis of the field. Each chapter also contains case studies, study questions, suggested further reading and websites, making this an essential resource for undergraduate students interested in Urban Studies, Geography, Planning and the Built Environment.

An inter-disciplinary social history, this book examines the major pressures and influences that brought about the growth of opposition to hunting in twentieth century England. Based on a range of cultural, social, literary and political sources drawn from history, sociology, geography, psychology and anthropology, Opposition to Blood Sports in Twentieth Century England accounts for the change in our relationship with non-human animals. Shedding light on the manner in which this resulted in the growth in opposition to hunting and other blood sports, it will appeal to those in social sciences and historians with interests in human-animal relations.

Presents comprehensive guidance to the international field of sports history as it has developed as an academic area of study. This book guides readers through the development of the field across a range of thematic and geographical contexts. It is suitable for researchers and students in, and entering, the sports history field.

This is a comprehensive introduction for HE students to the provision, organisation, and governance of sport in the UK. Supported by case study material, it introduces the reader to key government policies, and to the ways in which public, private and voluntary sectors provide sporting opportunities. The book focuses on issues of participation, employment, media coverage and commercialisation, and critically examines them in light of the key themes of equality and diversity. Pedagogical features – learning outcomes and learning activities – help students develop an active approach to the study of sport in the UK.