Atherstone Football

Where: Atherstone, Warwickshire outside the Conservative Club on Long Street (formerly from Barclays Bank)
When: Shrove Tuesday
Time: 3pm

 

Atherstone Football takes place every Shrove Tuesday in Long Street – there are no goals and no teams and the winner is the player holding the ball at the end. It’s one of the rare survivors of Shrovetide sports which were once common countrywide- and the game at Atherstone is believed to have been contested annually for well over 800 years. It literally kicks off at 3pm when the large beribboned ball is thrown from the first floor window of the Conservative Club and finishes at 5  at the sounding of a horn; with literally thousands of people present the street can be tightly packed, especially in the last half-hour when competition is fierce and possession of the ball is hotly contested. Many properties along the length of the street sensibly board up their windows before the fun begins!

Helpful Hints

Until the pace hots up towards the 5 o’clock deadline, play is mostly very friendly and children can often have a free kick at the ball for luck. It’s all on the street so hard clean surfaces throughout; if you don’t like crowds in confined spaces hang well back. Around 2.30 there is a scramble for a golden penny and sweets, also from the Conservative Club (formerly from the upstairs window of Barclays Bank, which has now closed). If you manage to snatch one of the ribbons from the ball you can claim a cash prize – they soon get torn off. Expect occasional flurries of flour and eggs – it is Pancake Day after all!

In 2027 it should take place on Tuesday 9th February.

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