What do people do if you give them a ball to play with? They either kick it, throw it or hit it. Fives is one of the many games which has developed from the desire to hit a ball. Instead of with a bat or a racquet, the ball is hit with the hands; so it is a kind of handball, similar to Irish Handball.

In its earliest form the game was probably played against a wall, then perhaps against adjoining walls. Eventually the game was formalised at Rugby School (hence the name 'Rugby Fives') and courts began to be built. Official records go back to the 1920s but there is plenty of evidence in schools of Fives being played in some shape or form in the 19th century, and even earlier.

Courts have come and gone throughout the 20th century and the popularity of the game has fluctuated with them. Fives has nevertheless flourished for nearly a century in a small number of schools, mostly independent, at universities and in a few clubs. The courts at Derby Moor Community Sports College are two of only a handful of courts in state schools in the whole of Britain. They were built in 1968 and refurbished in 2003. We have plans to enclose them.