The first British newspaper titled ''The Sportsman'' began publishing from 1865, some six years after the ''
Sporting Life''. Predominantly concerned with
horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
the paper did cover other sports and continued to be published until 1924 when it was absorbed into ''Sporting Life''. The last edition was published on Saturday 22 November 1924.
It was at the offices of ''The Sportsman'' on 20 July 1871 that
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...
committee meeting was held which adopted a proposal to establish a
knockout competition
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
for the FA's member clubs – the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
.
References
Gambling publications
Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom
Publications established in 1865
Publications disestablished in 1924
1865 establishments in the United Kingdom
Sports newspapers published in the United Kingdom
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