"The Leaguers offers the first ever examination of the politics of the early football world, from struggles over the finances of the game and the treatment of players to campaigns to popularise football on a national and international basis. The basic features of professional football as we knew it for most of the twentieth century were established in the period between the death of Queen Victoria and the beginning of the Second World War. This book looks at the individuals, groups and social forces which contributed to the making of modern football by focusing on the game's most important organisation - the Football League."--BOOK JACKET.