Summary: One game, two days, 3000 players: An entire town named Ashbourne becomes the field of play with its cemeteries, churchyards and memorial gardens considered strictly out of bounds, yet strangely enough this sport with traditions reaching back to pagan rituals of antiquity is the direct descendant to all of our ball playing games such as football, rugby and even its distant American and Australian cousins. Toward the end of winter on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday the people of Ashbourne gather in the center of their town to renew the longest running sports rivalry on earth. The game is called Shrovetide Football and originates from two medieval communities living opposite the river Henmore. Today, they are known as the Up`ards and Down`ards. Each team consists of hundreds if not thousands of people. There is no referee and few rules. Each game begins at 2pm and ends at 10pm. The ball cannot be carried in motorized transport. Under no circumstances is manslaughter to be tolerated. The object of the game is simple: Get a 4-pound ball to one of 2 goals that lay 3 miles apart. For the past 1000 years, Kings, Revolutions and Wars have tried to stop this ancient tradition. Against all odds, a passionate community has kept alive a meaning of life, not valued in pounds or dollars but in sportsmanship and friendship of the game. Joining to discuss the film, its release in US and Canada and what this sport means to its people and its tight knit community are Peter Baxter, the director of this film, and a player from each side of the annual battle - Plonk Millward and Dave Calladine, who are also two of the main characters in the documentary itself. There are some in Ashbourne who believe Shrovetide Football is over 2,000 years old. When and where exactly Shrovetide Football began is unknown. Pagan festivities celebrated the sun, their supreme god, and featured the custom of sacrificing a virgin and using her head as a ball. The head was turned up into a group of farmers who fought to steal the prize back to their farm for the promise of a healthy crop. As the custom grew in popularity, a Virgin head was replaced with a leather ball and the game was played throughout the British Isles. With the arrival of Christianity around 200 AD, the pastime was adopted into Shrovetide, the winter festival before lent. Known elsewhere as Mardi Gras, Shrovetide is a period of excess, frolic, and confession, followed by 40 days of penance. The sport came to be known as Mass or Mob Football and during the Middle Ages played it year round. The film tells the story of Shrovetide through the eyes of participants and their families. To many of them, the game is far more important than physical possessions and this film shows us about tradition, history and ritual. Shrovetide is not only a present day concern but also the birthplace of all our other ball games.
