First On A Sunday

There’s hardly a weekend goes by now during the season that there are no senior matches played on a Sunday but it was only 24 years ago today that the first-ever Sunday match was played in the Football League in, what could be termed, normal circumstances.There’s hardly a weekend goes by now during the season that there are no senior matches played on a Sunday but it was only 24 years ago today that the first-ever Sunday match was played in the Football League in, what could be termed, normal circumstances.

Some Sunday games had been allowed between January and March in 1974 due to the power crisis and three-day week, but it wasn’t until 15 February 1981 that the League allowed a first-class match to be staged on a Sunday.

The FA had firmly rejected Port Vale’s request to stage their FA Cup First Round tie with Bradford City on the Sunday but, despite continuing opposition due to moral and social reasons, the League chairman were keen to follow the trend of several European countries and see if the public had a desire from Sunday football.

The opening game took place in the unlikely surroundings of Darlington’s Feethams, complete with its neighbouring cricket ground.

The aptly nicknamed Quakers played Mansfield Town in the Fourth Division. A 2-2 draw was watched by a crowd of 5,932. Darlington’s previous home game against Bury had attracted only 1,914.