Years ago players played football and cricket

[Andy S]

Do players no longer have the talent to play both sports or is there another reason why it no longer happens?

[Somerset Fulham]

Insurance purposes and injury potential I would guess.

[Lighthouse]

It wasn't unusual to have double Internationals turning out for Football and Cricket. Now I think the seasons just over lap so much and the money required to pay insurance in case of injury wouldn't be worth it. Botham turned out for Scunthorpe didn't he but by then his career in cricket was not at its peek.

Seasons just are not so separate which is a shame.

[Deeping_white]

A) both sports at elite level are much more technical so you'd need to spend more time practicing and refining your skills to play them both, which isn't feasible with professional sports and the time spent training etc. B) insurance - I'm fairly sure pro footballers aren't allowed to play other sports for insurance purposes. C) time - both sports overlap in schedules nowadays so other than a window in late May & June, when would they be able to play without having one sport getting in the way

[Ara's bacon crisps]

I think it's also to do with the endless creep of the football season. For example last season, because of the winter World Cup, players were still playing internationals well into June when the County Championship had been under way for at least a month.

Back in my youth there used to be a fair few genuine footballing cricketers - or cricketing footballers - around. Chris Balderstone and Phil Neale spring to mind. Plus, as a Fulham fan exiled to Sheffield in my formative years, I used to watch Sheffield United, who had the excellent Ted Hemsley at left back and who, come the summer, slipped on his whites and was a decent top order batsman for Worcestershire if memory serves.

Was quite accepted back in those days when the main one day competition seemed to be the John Player league on Sundays. Now, with the growing football calendar, the proliferation of one day competitions in cricket, plus the value of footballers to their clubs and the resultant insurance issues mentioned above, I doubt we'll ever see professional footballers/cricketers again sadly.

[Woodlawn]

Johnny (the maestro ) Haynes played for Middlesex in his youth

[deadcowboys]

Jimmy Cumbes played in goal for, amongst others WBA & Villa & Lancashire, Surrey & Worcestershire at cricket.was CEO of Lancashire for a long period after retiring from both sports 

[cmg]

County Championship, August 1936
Sussex v Hampshire at Hastings

J Arnold  c Cox  b Hammond   4

All 3 were Fulham players.

[filham]

Two really big sports stars of my youth were Leslie and Dennis Compton of Arsenal and Middlesex. Guess we will never see brothers like that again.

[General]

Do players no longer have the talent to play both sports or is there another reason why it no longer happens?

Why are you discounting golf which many players do? Pretty sure bale was told he was at a pretty high standard by some of the pros in addition to his footballing ability.

[Dodgin]

Two really big sports stars of my youth were Leslie and Dennis Compton of Arsenal and Middlesex. Guess we will never see brothers like that again.

When Denis retired to journalism, he would sometimes cover the Fulham games for Sunday Express, John Arlott I recall in the press box as well he was a Reading supporter.

[Andy S]

I don't know if players still head to the golf course after training but they almost always used to. In fact Spurs player white was killed after being struck by lightning playing golf

[Craven_Chris]

Andy Goram played first class cricket for Scotland but I think that the only example modern era I can think of

Also Paulo Maldini played tennis professionally after football I think.

I recall a couple of Americans who played NFL and then baseball (Bo Jackson and Deon Sanders), I guess that was the 80s or early 90s. Michael Jordon played baseball for a bit too.

[Penfold]

Andy Ducat played football and cricket for England. Played for Fulham and became manager. Unfortunately, the first Fulham manager to get the sack. After that, he continued playing for Surrey and became a cricket journo. Died whilst batting for the army in a game at Lord's in 1942 aged only 56.

[HV71]

Didn't Steve Ogrizovic play cricket for Shropshire whilst playing for Coventry?

[Penfold]

Didn't Steve Ogrizovic play cricket for Shropshire whilst playing for Coventry?

Yep. Kept wicket. A guy his height, must have hurt his knees!

[Fernhurst]

I don't know if players still head to the golf course after training but they almost always used to. In fact Spurs player white was killed after being struck by lightning playing golf

Johnny White, slim inside forward who often was compared with our Maestro.
Really good player RIP

[RaySmith]

I don't know if players still head to the golf course after training but they almost always used to. In fact Spurs player white was killed after being struck by lightning playing golf

Johnny White, slim inside forward who often was compared with our Maestro.
Really good player RIP

His nickname was The White Ghost, because he would ghost past opponents, suddenly popping up in their area. Very classy inside forward - attacking midfielder, like the Maestro.

He was a Scottish international, like legendary hardman teammate, Dave McKay - who, legend has it, having previously broken his leg, once stamped hard on his leg to see if it was broken, after a heavy tackle - satisfied his leg wasn't broken, he carried on playing. - but different to today!

[King_Crud]

It wasn't unusual to have double Internationals turning out for Football and Cricket. Now I think the seasons just over lap so much and the money required to pay insurance in case of injury wouldn't be worth it. Botham turned out for Scunthorpe didn't he but by then his career in cricket was not at its peek.

Seasons just are not so separate which is a shame.

yes not just professional. My 6yo loves all sports, he started football last season, it runs for 9-10 months and his coaches are trying to organise freindlies all through summer. This really pisses me off, as my son also wants to play cricket and tennis so it's hard to find a balance. Football thinks it can just take over people's lives, I'm pusing back

[toshes mate]

Once upon a time we had amateurs and professionals in sports and for some those good at two or more sports could indulge or make a decent living. It is often the competitive personality that shines through when positively applied in any sport or competition.  Modern day dramatics can now work their way through to the media which, of course, was not the same option it is now. 

The past and the present are like chalk and cheese. I wouldn't care to openly judge which is/was better for that reason alone.