Nostalgia is a powerful emotion and many people will tell you modern football is rubbish, particularly when compared to the period when they first became invested in the sport.
On that basis, it’s worth a summary of the last century in English football.
Between 1921 and 1970, women were effectively banned from playing football because the Football Association instituted a ruling that meant they could not play on the grounds owned by its member clubs — which, in practical terms, was almost every football ground in the country. This was despite women’s matches proving hugely popular in the period shortly after the First World War, with one match drawing an attendance of more than 40,000.
In the 1970s, shortly after winning the World Cup on home soil, England’s men’s national side failed to qualify for Euro 1972, failed to qualify for World Cup 1974, failed to qualify for Euro 1976 and failed to qualify for World Cup 1978.
In the 1980s, football stadiums were in such poor condition and problems with hooliganism were so rife that the average attendance in the top flight dropped below 20,000 for the first time since the 1910s. For context, the average attendance in the Championship — England’s second tier — is currently higher than that.
In the aftermath of the Heysel…
