Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide live updates as the action unfolds on day one of 2024 football match

Play finally got underway at 2pm after excitement and tension in equal measures had been mounting in Ashbourne over the past few days, as preparations have been made for the two-day annual Royal Shrovetide Football match. Shop frontages were boarded up and people were planning their vantage points as the Up'ards and the Down'ards prepared to do battle once more on a very non-traditional football pitch.

Throughout the day, our reporters and photographers are in Ashbourne to bring you all the action from the first day's play of 2024, including reports from the University of Derby's journalism, specialist sports journalism and football journalism students.

The play is spread across the length and breadth of the town with the two goals three miles apart at Sturston and Clifton and everyone gets involved in what is considered one of the only remaining mass street football games in the UK.

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The teams are mainly decided today, by family tradition but at one point, it depended on which side of the River Henmore you were born. Born north, you play for the Up'ards and born south you play for the Down'ards.

As per tradition, following a pre-match lunch for around 500 people, the ball was turned up at Shaw Croft, which was built and used for the first time in 2023. The man behind the plinth building is Shrovetide Committee member David Calladine, who will be turning-up the ball - hurling it into the crowd - for the start of Wednesday's play.

Today's turn-up was carried out by another committee member John Tomlinson, whose family is steeped in Shrovetide traditions. Meanwhile, the players assembled outside two pubs in Ashbourne - the Up'ards outside The Vaults, in Market Place, and the Down'ards in front of The Wheel, in Compton - for rousing speeches beforehand at 1.30pm.

From the pre-game luncheon and the build-up, to the first hug, to any goals we're lucky enough to see, we will be reporting live every step of the way, with a huge team of reporters who will be on the ball until the bitter end.

You can follow our live updates throughout the day below: