Netflix's The English Game is a miniseries set in England and Scotland during the late 1800s and tells the (mostly) true story of English football evolving from an amateur game to a profitable, professional sport. While much of what the series depicts is based on real life events, several details and plot points are either completely fictional, or are multiple historic events that have been combined into one.

The English Game was made by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes and the show's main characters are Fergus Suter (Kevin Guthrue) and Arthur Kinnaird (Edward Holcroft). Suter was regarded as one of the finest footballers of his time and is known to be the first footballer to be paid a wage to play the sport. He first played in the Partick football club in Glasgow, where he grew up, and then moved south to Lancashire to play for Darwen F.C. with his friend Jimmy Love (James Harkness) and later played in Blackburn. Arthur Kinnaird was an aristocrat who played for his school team, Old Etonians F.C. and would later become president of the Football Association after a long and successful playing career.

Despite a few embellishments and fictional elements, The English Game rates highly in terms of historical accuracy and is definitely an interesting watch for fans of sports and period dramas alike. Here's what actually happened in real life, and what was added for the purposes of the story.

What The English Game Gets Right


Fergus Suter's move from Partick to Darwen to Blackburn is historically accurate, as well as him being paid to play for the latter two Lancashire teams. It is also true that Fergus Suter played with Jimmy Love in Darwen. Fergus did in fact win the FA Cup, multiple times, and became a legendary player who helped elevate football to a professional competition. Fergus Suter was also indeed the subject of investigation from the FA for being a paid player, due to the Association's strict "amateur only" rules. Fergus's romance with Martha, the daughter of a cotton mill manager, is accurate and the two went on to be married in 1883.

Lord Arthur Kinnaird was known to be one of the first football stars in England and was considered to be the best player of his day by far. He played in 9 FA Cup Finals and indeed won several for Old Etonians. He was known for his pure love for the game, and though he was a physical force on the pitch, he was known for his fair play and sportsmanship as depicted in The English Game. It is historically accurate that he assumed the role of president of the FA in 1890, taking over after fellow Old Etonian Sir Francis Marindin (played by Daniel Ings) retired. Arthur Kinnaird would hold the post of FA president for 33 years until his death in 1923.

What The English Game Changes


The English Game depicts Glaswegian friends Jimmy Love and Fergus Suter joining Darwen F.C. together at the same time. In fact, Love played for the English team first and Suter followed after seeing Jimmy Love's success. There is also far more evidence that Suter applied to join the club, rather than being recruited by Darwen. Fergus is later shown to leave Darwen for the fictional club Blackburn, which is in fact a combination of Blackburn's two teams: Blackburn Olympic and Blackburn Rovers. Fergus Suter played for Blackburn Rovers, transferring from Darwen not because of his mother and sister being abused by their alcoholic father, but to simply make more money (although there is a rumor he fled Darwen after fathering an illegitimate child). Jimmy Love also did not transfer to Blackburn Rovers, nor did he suffer a catastrophic leg injury. In fact, he joined the Royal Marines and later died of fever after enlisting.

Suter's Blackburn Rovers did play Arthur Kinnaird's Old Etonians in the 1882 FA Cup Final but lost 1-0. The next year Blackburn Olympic beat Old Etonians in the final 2-1. The following year, 1884, saw Fergus Suter finally lift the FA Cup trophy for Blackburn Rovers, beating Queen's Park 2-1 in the final. Suter's Blackburn Rovers went on to win the FA Cup in two more times consecutively in 1885 and 1886. The English Game's love triangle of Fergus Suter, Martha and Mr. Cartwright is fictional as well. There is in fact very little known about Martha besides the fact that her father managed a cotton mill and she married Fergus Suter in 1883, and there is no historical evidence she had an affair with Mr. Cartwright or mothered an illegitimate child.

The English Game is a historical drama based around real life events and figures, but uses fictional elements to tie the story together in a more compelling narrative with several different personal conflicts. These embellishments do not take away from the achievements of both Fergus Suter and Arthur Kinnaird, and The English Game does well to highlight the importance of these men to the development of association football in England. The miniseries is filled with drama and interesting characters, and is a great watch regardless of your level of interest in the sport of football.