Norfolk's murderous Diss football game that left nine dead

But the Norfolk and Suffolk rivalry was once taken to a brutal extreme at a common in a Norfolk town.

According to historical reports, nine people were killed during a game of 'camping' between the two counties on Diss Common in the early 18th century.

The Norfolk and Suffolk rivalry can often lead to heated moments during Ipswich Town and Norwich City games (Image: Paul Chesterton)

Camping, or campball, was an early form of football and rugby, a popular sport in East Anglia that developed in the medieval period, according to local historian Basil Abbott.

He said: "The details of the incident come from local historical reports, particularly those found in Eric Pursehouse's book, Waveney Valley Studies, which documented local news reports from his period for his book on the history of the area.

READ MORE: A look back at the East Anglian derby

"The game was played on Diss Common, which is now the Victoria Road area, from medieval times through to the 19th century.

"A match between Norfolk and Suffolk in the 1740s was particularly brutal.  

"The game, which had 300 on each side, went on for 14 hours and left nine dead.

Early forms of football and rugby were often quite violent affairs, such as this game in Kingston upon Thames in 1846 (Image: Wikimedia Creative Commons)

"But matches were not always pitched battles, with smaller teams playing to strict rules."

With Ipswich's promotion to the Championship, the 2023/2024 season will again see players from the Norfolk and Suffolk sides compete in the East Anglian derby. 

Thankfully the brutality of yesteryear has since been confined to the history books but fans will still be hoping for a feisty and competitive game in the near future.