More Than a Game: Seasonal Handball in Scotland

Traditional football and handball are found in various locations across the UK. Particularly associated with the period around Shrove Tuesday and Christmas, they have their origins in centuries-old, rough-and-ready street games. The article reflects on the degree of disorder and violence which are commonly assumed to characterise the games and reflects on the prospects for their survival in an increasingly litigious society. The focus is on the handball tradition in the Scottish Borders and Orkney, with additional comparative material from two examples of English street football. These games do not take place in a designated play-space, but rather the town centre and surrounding streets, where shops are boarded up in advance, but yet are still open for business. The events are only lightly regulated, police presence is minimal and there are no barriers to protect onlookers. The game has few rules and is highly physical. It can appear to the outsider not as a form of sport, but rather as something which resembles violent disorder. Indeed, it is frequently presented in this way in the form of video packages on YouTube. But what is violence in the context of this tradition? Can a traditional form maintain its unregulated character while presenting a risk to players, onlookers and property?