British Ambassadors in Soccer Kit or Transnational Actors?

This book explores the fascinating evolution of close-season foreign tours conducted by Football League clubs between 1900 and 1939, a period when these tours became a cornerstone of the British footballing calendar transforming the nature and role of the close season.

During the close season, clubs ventured beyond British fields to play abroad, serving as footballing missionaries spreading the game, tourists engaging with foreign football cultures, and participants in cross-cultural exchanges. Acting as "ambassadors in soccer kit," as Arsenal manager George Allison described, clubs complemented England’s role in showcasing the dominance of British football while contributing to the soft power of British governments through soccer diplomacy.

Through a transnational lens, this book examines how these tours became vehicles for cultural encounters, profoundly shaping the identities and experiences of players as transnational actors. It highlights the transformative impact of these interactions on both British and foreign footballing landscapes.

Co-authored by two leading sports historians, this archival study combines cultural diplomatic and transnational perspectives to provide a comprehensive analysis of Football League club tours. It situates these tours alongside foreign fixtures played by England and Scotland as pivotal moments of elite-level footballing exchange.

Covering themes of sports history, propaganda history, cultural diplomacy, and transnational studies, this book is ideal for scholars, students, and enthusiasts of football history, international relations, and cultural studies.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Soccer & Society.