As a spectator or participant,
purely for fun or competitively, sport plays an important role in many lives.
The family albums in the DPA depicts a wide variety of sports favoured by people
in the region from the 19th and 20th Centuries at amateur
and professional level and here a small selection can be viewed.
Sport, as a leisure activity, has been enjoyed by members of the public due to
the availability of pubic facilities, such as swimming pools and recreation
centres for years. These facilities are growing in number all the time and
undergoing vast modernisation.
With such facilities available people of all ages and backgrounds realised they shared common interests. As a result sports clubs have been formed extensively, as people come together to participate in their chosen sport, such as cycling or bowling.
Sport clubs formed by church groups, work colleagues and youth groups have provided an opportunity for people to mix socially. Amateur clubs would compete against each other for local and sometimes nationally recognised trophies and titles. Many photographs depict the winning teams evidencing their achievement and to providing motivation for future successes.
However, sports do not always involve a team. Some are played on an individual basis against an opponent such as boxing. Action shots were a rare occurrence due to the difficulties imposed on the photographer, as technology was limited. As a result many sporting champions would make visits to the studio, dressing in their full kit and presenting their winning trophies.
With most of these activities it is not only the participant that shows a keen interest. Many draw crowds of spectators and fans, especially for professional competitions, with gambling being a huge incentive for many.
Sport also forms a career for some people.
Football teams, both amateur and professional are well represented in the family albums. Many of them still hold strong today, with many catalogues focusing on Manchester United and City.
