A century plus of history makes the Association one of the oldest school sports organisations in the world
The North London Guardian, which reported Councillor Hammer's speech, had begun reporting school sporting events in 1908, when the association appointed a press secretary.
The Hackney and Kingsland Gazette had printed a notice of the formation of a schools' football association for Hackney in December 1891, this was titled 'The Hackney Elementary schools' football Association'. Twelve schools competed for a challenge trophy, the final being played, 'on a special ground granted by the London County Council near the fountain in Victoria Park.' Wilton Road School,Dalston, beat Mowlem Street, Bethnal Green, in the first final.
Organisation of school sports was still a problem in those days, indeed, the purchase of the Hackney Marshes was initiated after the boys of the Eton Mission, Hackney Wick were stopped playing football on the marshes and had their goal-posts carried off.
Another local newspaper to carry reports of Association activities was 'The Football Sun'. This newspaper was part of the 'Sun' newspaper, which in 1898 was bought by Horatio Bottomley, a 'colourful' character in the manner of more recent newspaper proprietors, later to become MP for South Hackney and embroiled in many frauds, scandals and bankruptcies. In 1901 Bottomley put up a trophy for the junior division of the Hackney Schools' league. The same trophy is still contested today surely making it one of the oldest football trophies still contested. Despite his various 'shady' dealings, Bottomly was still a popular Liberal MP, indeed in 1908 just a few months after he had been in court on charges of 'conspiring by false pretences to cheat and defraud' he was unanimously elected a vice-president of the Association.
Cricket was provided as a sport by the Association from the earliest days. The cricket trophy still exists, dating from 1892, when the winners were Daubeney Road School. By 1914 43 schools were competing for the cricket trophy.
The Hackney Cricket trophy C1892 and detail of centre boss.
One of the oldest cricket trophies in the world.
From the earliest years, the Association sports day was held at Orient's Millfields ground, featuring championship races for girls as well as boys. In 1913 there were 2,494 entries for the events, and it had been necessary to have qualifying rounds throughout the preceeding week at Victoria Park. A feature of the days proceedings noted by the Hackney Gazette was the arrival of the manager and assistant manager of the Hackney Empire, 'whose presence aroused considerable interest amongst the children as the supervised the taking of cinamatograph pictures of the races, the winning teams, etc., which are to be produced at the empire this week.'
The boxing section has disappeared since the mid 1970's but for most of the century was of a strength which befits the character of the area. The boxing trophies were presented to the Association by Baroness Burdett-Coutts a victorian philanthropist who also gave Victoria Park to the people of the impoverished east end of London. The Boxing champions of 1947 were the Kray twins and the strength of the 'art' continued through to the likes of Maurice Hope, Chris Eubank and more recently Jason Matthews. Other sports were added over the years to the portfolio of the Association and in recent years Sportshall athletics and short tennis competitions have attracted many schools to the Britannia Leisure Centre. The District Sportshall Athletics team has taken part in the National Championships and has twice won the event.
