Sir Stanley Rous and the Growth of World Football

Book excerpt: At Wembley in 1966, England’s football captain Bobby Moore received the World Cup from Queen Elizabeth and FIFA president Stanley Rous. This book takes the life of Rous (1895-1986) as a lens through which to understand the escalating profile of football both nationally and globally. It illuminates how it was possible for Rous to emerge from a Suffolk village and ascend to the top of FIFA’s hierarchy and the company of elites. Educational opportunities, service in the Great War and an international referee’s profile prepared Rous for the position of Secretary at The Football Association, alongside charity work in World War II and organisational responsibilities for the London 1948 Olympics. His FIFA role combined diplomacy with development, in post-colonial times of volatile international relations. The book informs scholars and fans alike, showing too that Rous’s crowning achievement as FIFA President at the 1966 World Cup marked a peak for England’s power and influence in world football.