Ashbourne Shrovetide Football

This helps protect property from a surging 'hug' and protects the players from the possibility of broken glass.

The main rules of the game are:

• Keep the ball out of churchyards, the cemetary and the Memorial Gardens
• Do not trespass on other people's property
• You must not intentionally cause harm to others
• The ball must not be hidden in bags or rucksacks
• The ball must not be transported in, or on, motorised vehicles

One of the earliest rules, from ancient times, states that players must not murder their opponents!

The players are divided into two teams, the Up'ards (those born north of the River Henmore) and the Down'ards, but in reality anyone can join in the fun.

There are two 'goal posts' - one at Sturston Mill, the other at Clifton Mill, a distance of three miles apart.

The ball is hardly ever kicked, but mostly hugged by a scrum which tries to move forward as each team pushes towards its own goal post.

A ball is goaled by tapping it three times against a marker board attached to the stone goal plinth.

If the ball is goaled before 5pm, a new ball is turned up at Shaw Croft, as the scorer is allowed to keep the ball.

There are two games, one on Shrove Tuesday and one on Ash Wednesday. The game has to finish by 10pm each day.