Thames Ironworks F.C. had been suspended towards the end of the season. The Irons had not yet played London Welsh and as a result, and probably thanks also to Arnold Hills' presidency of the league and Francis Payne's drafting of the rules, Thames Ironworks F.C. were awarded two wins by default and finished the revised league as runners up. For their season in the London League, the club committee introduced players' insurance for the first time. This meant the players would be covered against loss of wages caused by injuries sustained from playing football. On 11 September 1897, in their first game of
The Skiff Club The Skiff Club The Skiff Club is the oldest skiff and punting club in existence, having been founded in 1895. It is based on the River Thames in London, on the Middlesex bank between Teddington Lock and Kingston upon Thames. The Club supports two traditional water sports - skiffing and punting. Skiffs are traditional, stable wooden boats which are sculled with a pair of blades. The Club uses skiffs for racing at regattas run under the rules of the Skiff Racing Association, and for leisure outings such as Thames meanders. Punting is also carried out competitively at the same regattas