Football Stories
As July comes to an end and schools all across Europe close for their well deserved summer break, we continue our #onthisday campaign. In June and July our focus was on the history of the European Championships. So what can you expect from us in August?
In this article:
COVER Image
Gil Scott Heron, October 3, 2009 in San Francisco (Photo: Adam Turner).
Recounting some foundations
In August, a month which is usually almost without football, we will see the Champions League and the Europa League coming to an end. The clubs that are still playing in these tournaments have a rich history or even relatively new. We take a brief look at some of the foundations of some of these clubs.
Some of our highlights
As before, we pay close attention to stories that connect football to social and cultural developments on the continent. Some highlight you can except:
- On the 9th of August we will explore the so-called ‘’Deathmatch’’, A football match in the center of conflicting ideologies; between the facts and myths.
- On the 18th of August we look back at the first black professional footballer for Celtic scoring on his debut. Gil Heron is the father of the legendary black civil rights poet and jazz musician Gil Scott Heron.
On the 25th of August in 2007 Valerenga, a team from Norway played with a shirt with Valerenga against racism– pioneering in football’s anti-racist efforts in their context.
Pass the ball around
Our campaign’s content is almost entirely produced by educators. Each day we aim to deliver interesting mini-stories from football’s rich history. These will be posted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The content is aimed to support the educational objectives of the Football Makes History project. If you are reading this and have suggestions or ideas for the months ahead, we are most happy to receive those! Help our team tell the stories that matter.
Photo Gallery
LATEST POST You may also be interested in
Book review: 50 Most Important Moments
Two history teachers in Wales work as “The Football History Boys” wrote a book about the “50 most important moments”. We reviewed it.
When the ball can be heard
On this day in 1946 Hans Laurenzen and Sett Randlem pioneered Goalball. But football for the visually impaired has older historical roots.
Football in Primo Levi’s Work
On this day, 31 July, in 1919, Primo Levi was born in Turin, Italy. In his works about his experiences in the Shoah and afterwards, Levi recalls football on two occasions.
A World in Motion
Today in 1966, England won the World Cup. This represented a key moment of change, both in post-war Britain and for the post-colonial politics unfolding across the globe.
A tournament for not competing
On this day in 1997, the first Mondiali Antirazzisti, or Antiracist World Championship, was held. In 2020, due to corona, it is – just like the Euro2020 – postponed.
The football signpost to WWII
Football certainly has produced numerous incredible matches. Matches remembered forever because of mighty performances by the greatest players of all time or because of a heroic performance by an underdog.
