Professional soccer players condemned for failure to join war effort

London, 24 November 1914 - Professional soccer players in England have been repeatedly condemned for their failure to join the war effort. There has been criticism, too, about the fact that the crowds at soccer matches continue to grow.

Last Saturday afternoon soldiers and politicians staged recruitment meetings at football grounds. At Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea in London, Colonel Burn, MP, said: ‘I don’t say come. I say ‘come for God’s sake. You are wanted.’ I have given my son, He enlisted at the start of the war. He is now dead. I have given my house up as a shelter for the care of wounded officers. I say to you young men that, if I had 12 sons, I would give them all, as well as my own life, for my country and my King.'

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]