The Giant Killers

11 Jul 2024 - 13 Jul 2024

Royal Court Theatre

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The inspiring true story of football’s greatest ever underdogs. Set in the early years of Association Football, The Giant Killers follows a ragtag bunch of Lancashire mill workers who defied all odds to become the first working-class team in the country to play in the FA Cup. Unwelcomed by their upper-class opponents, the town of Darwen is fighting for more than just their place in the cup, and the eyes of the nation rest hope on their shoulders.

Taking place in Lancashire in the 1870s, amidst the poverty and social unrest in The North resulting from the recent cotton famine, Darwen FC rose up against the prevailing social prejudice; a shining beacon of hope for the millions of people left feeling utterly disenfranchised in a society with a chasm of social divides. Set in the early years of Association Football, The Giant Killers follows a ragtag bunch of Lancashire mill workers who defied all odds to become the first working-class team in the country to play in the FA Cup. They take on “the poshest team of all” – the Old Etonians, and with this unexpected pivotal match, they earned their place in history as the first real ‘giant-killers’ in English football.