'How Leicester Made Rugby a World Game' is the subject of the Leicester Mercury Media Lecture hosted by the Literary and Philosophical Society next week.
Presented by Professor Tony Collins of De Montfort University, the lecture will examine the pivotal role the city played in the development of rugby in the early 20th Century and argues that if it wasn’t for the Leicester Tigers, rugby would not have become the world game it is today.
It will also explore the rich traditions of the game in the East Midlands stretching back to the early 19th Century and highlight the links between the popularity of the sport and the growth of Leicester as a city.
Tony Collins is Professor of History in the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University. He also acts as an historical consultant to the Rugby Football League.
He has been awarded the Lord Aberdare Literary Prize for Sports History Book of the Year three times for his books, Rugby's Great Split; Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain; and A Social History of English Rugby Union. His most recent publication is The Oval World, Mud, Sweat and Beers.
The lecture is staged at New Walk Museum, Leicester at 7.30pm on Monday, February 20. Visitors are welcome, admission is £3.
Presented by Professor Tony Collins of De Montfort University, the lecture will examine the pivotal role the city played in the development of rugby in the early 20th Century and argues that if it wasn’t for the Leicester Tigers, rugby would not have become the world game it is today.
It will also explore the rich traditions of the game in the East Midlands stretching back to the early 19th Century and highlight the links between the popularity of the sport and the growth of Leicester as a city.
Tony Collins is Professor of History in the International Centre for Sports History and Culture at De Montfort University. He also acts as an historical consultant to the Rugby Football League.
He has been awarded the Lord Aberdare Literary Prize for Sports History Book of the Year three times for his books, Rugby's Great Split; Rugby League in Twentieth Century Britain; and A Social History of English Rugby Union. His most recent publication is The Oval World, Mud, Sweat and Beers.
The lecture is staged at New Walk Museum, Leicester at 7.30pm on Monday, February 20. Visitors are welcome, admission is £3.
