SPORTS HISTORY BLOG
Over 250 articles on all aspects of Scottish sport
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At this year's Football History Conference in Belfast, I gave a talk on the Netflix Series The English Game, which came out five years ago. I was interested in exploring whether and how the series has influenced the study of football history.
You can read my full illustrated talk by clicking on this link (which will open a pdf).
Much of my involvement in the programme went back to my previous research on Fergie Suter and Jimmy Love, the Scottish protagonists of the story, and my biography of Arthur Kinnaird. You can read about them in my blog, or just look for 'Suter' or 'Kinnaird' in the search box top right.
You can read my full illustrated talk by clicking on this link (which will open a pdf).
Much of my involvement in the programme went back to my previous research on Fergie Suter and Jimmy Love, the Scottish protagonists of the story, and my biography of Arthur Kinnaird. You can read about them in my blog, or just look for 'Suter' or 'Kinnaird' in the search box top right.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts. Do you think The English Game has been a force for good, and brought more people into football history, or has it simply muddied the waters, provoking needless arguments?
More widely, is drama the best way to cover football history, or do you think it would be better to focus on factual, and accurate, documentary?
And finally, what topics or stories are crying out to be covered by the big screen?
Please leave any comments below.
More widely, is drama the best way to cover football history, or do you think it would be better to focus on factual, and accurate, documentary?
And finally, what topics or stories are crying out to be covered by the big screen?
Please leave any comments below.
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Detail from a silver medal presented in 1851, the world's oldest known football prize
Today I gave a talk on The Birth of Football in Edinburgh, describing the early development of the sport in Scotland's capital up to the formation of the city's first association football clubs in the 1870s.
It is a fascinating story which ranges from medieval times to developments in the Victorian era, covering not just those pioneers who played football in the 19th century but the social changes that brought the game to a wider audience. The 1850s were crucial, as the Meadows were opened up to the public for sport, while the Saturday half-holiday gave working men the time to play.
The event at Edinburgh's City Art Centre, part of the Edinburgh 900 celebration, attracted a large audience - all tickets were allocated several months ago.
For anyone unable to attend, I have now put the full illustrated talk into a single pdf document, which can be opened by clicking on this link.
I will be giving another talk next week, on the birth of rugby in Edinburgh, and will also put it online afterwards.
It is a fascinating story which ranges from medieval times to developments in the Victorian era, covering not just those pioneers who played football in the 19th century but the social changes that brought the game to a wider audience. The 1850s were crucial, as the Meadows were opened up to the public for sport, while the Saturday half-holiday gave working men the time to play.
The event at Edinburgh's City Art Centre, part of the Edinburgh 900 celebration, attracted a large audience - all tickets were allocated several months ago.
For anyone unable to attend, I have now put the full illustrated talk into a single pdf document, which can be opened by clicking on this link.
I will be giving another talk next week, on the birth of rugby in Edinburgh, and will also put it online afterwards.
The Third Edinburgh Rifle Volunteers, Edinburgh's first association football club, founded in 1874.
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The Scotland women's team in 1977
This month sees a significant milestone for the Scotland women's football team, which plays its 400th international since the journey began in 1972.
Match 400, the Nations League tie against Austria on 30 May, is also significant for several other reasons, not least it being the first Scotland game under new coach Melissa Andreatta, who has just been appointed by the Scottish FA. She joins at a time when the team has lost its last five matches, although it was unbeaten in its previous eleven.
That night at Hampden the Scottish FA will also be presenting retrospective caps to some of the pioneers of Scottish women's football, players from the 1970s and 1980s who did not receive recognition at the time. This is a continuation of a project which I have been working on: I have been part of a small team of historians, endeavouring to compile a full record of the early Scotland matches and identify the players who took part.
I wrote before about this project in 2022 and since then there have been a few updates and corrections, even in fairly recent times. For example, a fascinating story by Sarah Crilly led to the discovery of missing appearances which are not recorded in the Scottish FA archive. In fact, the SFA archive leaves a lot to be desired, only going back to 2008 and with a number of errors since then.
For the first time I am publishing match-by-match records of the Scotland team from 1972 to 1997, together with illustrations and programme covers. During those years, the team was administered by the Scottish Women's FA. The information is still incomplete and it has been a challenging task to get this far, as many records have been lost and most matches had little or no media coverage. In several instances there is a squad list but no known teamline, and even some goalscorers remain unidentified, so this is very much a work in progress. I remain hopeful that further records can be uncovered so that the history can be improved.
If you think you can contribute to or correct these statistics in any way, please don't hesitate to get in touch through my Contact Form.
Essential records
Click on each of these headings:
An overview of all Scotland women's international matches, 1972-2025. [Excel spreadsheet]
The complete record of Scotland under the Scottish Women's FA, 1972-1997. [pdf]
The complete record of Scotland under the Scottish FA, 1998-2025. [pdf]
Match 400, the Nations League tie against Austria on 30 May, is also significant for several other reasons, not least it being the first Scotland game under new coach Melissa Andreatta, who has just been appointed by the Scottish FA. She joins at a time when the team has lost its last five matches, although it was unbeaten in its previous eleven.
That night at Hampden the Scottish FA will also be presenting retrospective caps to some of the pioneers of Scottish women's football, players from the 1970s and 1980s who did not receive recognition at the time. This is a continuation of a project which I have been working on: I have been part of a small team of historians, endeavouring to compile a full record of the early Scotland matches and identify the players who took part.
I wrote before about this project in 2022 and since then there have been a few updates and corrections, even in fairly recent times. For example, a fascinating story by Sarah Crilly led to the discovery of missing appearances which are not recorded in the Scottish FA archive. In fact, the SFA archive leaves a lot to be desired, only going back to 2008 and with a number of errors since then.
For the first time I am publishing match-by-match records of the Scotland team from 1972 to 1997, together with illustrations and programme covers. During those years, the team was administered by the Scottish Women's FA. The information is still incomplete and it has been a challenging task to get this far, as many records have been lost and most matches had little or no media coverage. In several instances there is a squad list but no known teamline, and even some goalscorers remain unidentified, so this is very much a work in progress. I remain hopeful that further records can be uncovered so that the history can be improved.
If you think you can contribute to or correct these statistics in any way, please don't hesitate to get in touch through my Contact Form.
Essential records
Click on each of these headings:
An overview of all Scotland women's international matches, 1972-2025. [Excel spreadsheet]
The complete record of Scotland under the Scottish Women's FA, 1972-1997. [pdf]
The complete record of Scotland under the Scottish FA, 1998-2025. [pdf]
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Dewar's Temperance Hotel in Glasgow holds a special place in Scottish football history. It was there on 13 March 1873 that eight clubs resolved to 'form themselves into an association for the promotion of football according to the rules of the Football Association'.
Queen's Park FC issued an invitation to 'Scotch clubs' to the founding meeting of the Scottish FA. [North British Daily Mail, 3 March 1873, via British Newspaper Archive]
That founding meeting of the Scottish FA took place in the hotel at 11 Bridge Street, just south of the river Clyde. It followed two Scotland v England encounters which were organised by Queen's Park FC, who realised that they could not continue on their own and it was time for a national body. Their appeal for clubs to join them attracted representatives from Clydesdale, Vale of Leven, Dumbreck, Third Lanark, Eastern and Granville, while Kilmarnock sent a letter of support.
Between them, they chose Archibald Campbell of Clydesdale as President with William Ker of Queen's Park as treasurer and Archibald Rae of Queen's Park as secretary. The eight committee members were James Turnbull (Dumbreck), Donald Macfarlane (Vale of Leven), Ebenezer Hendry (Clydesdale), William Dick (Third Lanark), John Mackay (Granville), James McIntyre (Eastern), Robert Gardner (Queen's Park) and William Gibb (Clydesdale). Apart from 49-year-old Campbell, all of them were active players and three of them (Ker, Gardner and Gibb) were internationalists.
Between them, they chose Archibald Campbell of Clydesdale as President with William Ker of Queen's Park as treasurer and Archibald Rae of Queen's Park as secretary. The eight committee members were James Turnbull (Dumbreck), Donald Macfarlane (Vale of Leven), Ebenezer Hendry (Clydesdale), William Dick (Third Lanark), John Mackay (Granville), James McIntyre (Eastern), Robert Gardner (Queen's Park) and William Gibb (Clydesdale). Apart from 49-year-old Campbell, all of them were active players and three of them (Ker, Gardner and Gibb) were internationalists.
A detailed report of the founding meeting in the North British Daily Mail, 17 March 1873 [BNA]
Archibald Campbell, elected first President of the Scottish Football Association
The committee laid down a set of rules and while the Scottish FA took on the role of organising future internationals, its primary focus was the inauguration of a national competition, the Scottish Cup, which was played for the first time the following season.
So, who was Dewar, where exactly was this hotel and why was it chosen as the venue?
There is nothing there now to mark the spot: Dewar's Hotel is long gone, having been demolished in the 1930s, and a later building stands on the site. The Scottish FA did commission a plaque to commemorate their founding meeting, but they outsourced the work and rather ineptly it was put on the wrong side of the street.
The story goes back to 1840, when Alexander Dewar married Jane Wylie, not long after he arrived in Glasgow from his native Perthshire. Shortly after their marriage they opened the Railway Arms Tavern in Clyde Place, the first of four businesses, all with the same name and all in close proximity to the newly-built Bridge Street Station which was then the southern terminus for Glasgow.
After five years the Dewars moved their business briefly to Jamaica Street, then in 1847 they opened the third Railway Arms at 16 Bridge Street. This was in a prime position, right next to the station entrance and it proved to be a popular venue, expanding in 1852 and with further improvements in 1857. By this time the Dewars had six daughters who helped run the hotel, but in 1863 Alexander Dewar was declared bankrupt. He told the bankruptcy court that business had recently fallen off, and although he was discharged six months later the hotel closed in 1864. It was later taken over as railway offices.
Undeterred by this setback, the family moved across the road to more modest premises at 11 Bridge Street, on the upper floors of a building which had shops and a restaurant at street level. This time it was on a no-alcohol basis, hence the name Dewar's Temperance Hotel, although it was formally still known as the Railway Arms.
So, who was Dewar, where exactly was this hotel and why was it chosen as the venue?
There is nothing there now to mark the spot: Dewar's Hotel is long gone, having been demolished in the 1930s, and a later building stands on the site. The Scottish FA did commission a plaque to commemorate their founding meeting, but they outsourced the work and rather ineptly it was put on the wrong side of the street.
The story goes back to 1840, when Alexander Dewar married Jane Wylie, not long after he arrived in Glasgow from his native Perthshire. Shortly after their marriage they opened the Railway Arms Tavern in Clyde Place, the first of four businesses, all with the same name and all in close proximity to the newly-built Bridge Street Station which was then the southern terminus for Glasgow.
After five years the Dewars moved their business briefly to Jamaica Street, then in 1847 they opened the third Railway Arms at 16 Bridge Street. This was in a prime position, right next to the station entrance and it proved to be a popular venue, expanding in 1852 and with further improvements in 1857. By this time the Dewars had six daughters who helped run the hotel, but in 1863 Alexander Dewar was declared bankrupt. He told the bankruptcy court that business had recently fallen off, and although he was discharged six months later the hotel closed in 1864. It was later taken over as railway offices.
Undeterred by this setback, the family moved across the road to more modest premises at 11 Bridge Street, on the upper floors of a building which had shops and a restaurant at street level. This time it was on a no-alcohol basis, hence the name Dewar's Temperance Hotel, although it was formally still known as the Railway Arms.
The buildings in Bridge Street which contained Dewar's Hotel are highlighted in this 1930s photo, taken shortly before the buildings were demolished. [canmore.org.uk/collection/1257774]
As well as providing rooms for visitors, its function room hosted a wide range of meetings and proved particularly popular for sporting associations and clubs. The Scottish FA certainly liked the environment as it held committee meetings at Dewar's Hotel regularly through the 1870s until it acquired its own premises, and others who met there included Rangers, Third Lanark and numerous smaller football clubs, as well as cricketers, bowlers and shinty players.
Dewar's Hotel was used by numerous football clubs and other sporting bodies. Rangers held their AGM there in 1879. [Evening Times, 7 June 1879, via BNA]
When the Scottish FA first met in 1873, however, Alexander Dewar was no longer there. He had died in October 1868 aged 57, and his widow Jane was left to carry on the business with the support of her daughters, so they were the hosts for the inaugural meeting.
Even after Jane's death in 1875 the hotel remained in the family, with the daughters in charge until they gave it up in 1880. That was shortly after the opening of the much larger Glasgow Central Station on the other side of the river, which diminished the status of Bridge Street Station as trains could now cross the Clyde directly to the city centre. Although a reconfigured station was created a few yards to the south, it had much less traffic and that meant the hotel lost much of its viability.
It carried on under new management as Fleming's Temperance Hotel until the turn of the century, then appears to have become rented apartments. With the slow decline of the Gorbals, the whole block where Dewar's Hotel stood, from 5 to 15 Bridge Street, was demolished in the mid-1930s.
Even after Jane's death in 1875 the hotel remained in the family, with the daughters in charge until they gave it up in 1880. That was shortly after the opening of the much larger Glasgow Central Station on the other side of the river, which diminished the status of Bridge Street Station as trains could now cross the Clyde directly to the city centre. Although a reconfigured station was created a few yards to the south, it had much less traffic and that meant the hotel lost much of its viability.
It carried on under new management as Fleming's Temperance Hotel until the turn of the century, then appears to have become rented apartments. With the slow decline of the Gorbals, the whole block where Dewar's Hotel stood, from 5 to 15 Bridge Street, was demolished in the mid-1930s.
A aerial view of Cumbrae House in Bridge Street, which stands on the site of Dewar's Hotel and the Old Hampden Bar.
On the site today is Cumbrae House, an attractive deco building with contrasting black and cream tiles, built in 1937 as a furniture showroom. Now used as offices, it faces onto Carlton Court, with a prominent façade on Bridge Street, although the building is need of attention and has been shrouded in scaffolding for the past couple of years. This is the place where that Scottish FA plaque should be.
This 1893 map shows the Old Hampden Bar (marked P.H. in the circle) at 9 Bridge Street, next to the hatched area which is the entrance to Dewar's Hotel. [National Library of Scotland]
John Crichton and the Old Hampden Bar
Curiously, directly beneath Dewar's Hotel there was a football-related pub at street level. The Old Hampden Bar at 9 Bridge Street was for many years run by John Gray Crichton, who had played for Third Lanark against Queen's Park in the 1876 Scottish Cup final and appeared in a Scotland trial match.
Curiously, directly beneath Dewar's Hotel there was a football-related pub at street level. The Old Hampden Bar at 9 Bridge Street was for many years run by John Gray Crichton, who had played for Third Lanark against Queen's Park in the 1876 Scottish Cup final and appeared in a Scotland trial match.
John Crichton's entry in the 1875 Scottish Football Annual. That season he played for Third Lanark in the Scottish Cup final.
He sounds like a great sportsman and a character. After leaving Thirds he was a player for Alexandra Athletic and Queen's Park, but had particular prominence as an athlete with a speciality for sack racing. While this may sound like a novelty event, the sack race was a staple of athletics meetings in the late Victorian era, and Crichton was virtually unbeatable until he gave it up in 1881.
The Athletic News paid tribute to his abilities, describing him as 'the cleverest sackist I ever saw … and, above all, he is every inch of him a gentleman.' After he retired, Crichton's natural successor as Scotland's leading sack racer was another footballer, Tuck McIntyre of Rangers.
There had been a pub or restaurant at 9 Bridge Street since the 1870s, and when Crichton took it over in 1887 he named it the Old Hampden Café as he provided food as well as drink. He decorated the walls with portraits of theatrical, political and sporting celebrities, and among the photos was an original image of the 1873 Scotland team that faced England a week before the Scottish FA was formed. Sadly, many of the photos were destroyed in a fire in 1916 but it is a measure of his popularity that he received over a hundred letters of support from his customers.
Crichton's influence extended far beyond these shores as he was made an honorary patron of Thistle Football Club in Fremantle, Western Australia, and supplied them with a set of strips and then a gold medal for their top scorer. The reason for this unlikely link is that his daughter had emigrated there with her husband, who played for the team.
The Athletic News paid tribute to his abilities, describing him as 'the cleverest sackist I ever saw … and, above all, he is every inch of him a gentleman.' After he retired, Crichton's natural successor as Scotland's leading sack racer was another footballer, Tuck McIntyre of Rangers.
There had been a pub or restaurant at 9 Bridge Street since the 1870s, and when Crichton took it over in 1887 he named it the Old Hampden Café as he provided food as well as drink. He decorated the walls with portraits of theatrical, political and sporting celebrities, and among the photos was an original image of the 1873 Scotland team that faced England a week before the Scottish FA was formed. Sadly, many of the photos were destroyed in a fire in 1916 but it is a measure of his popularity that he received over a hundred letters of support from his customers.
Crichton's influence extended far beyond these shores as he was made an honorary patron of Thistle Football Club in Fremantle, Western Australia, and supplied them with a set of strips and then a gold medal for their top scorer. The reason for this unlikely link is that his daughter had emigrated there with her husband, who played for the team.
The Scotland v England match programme in 1927 had this advert for the Old Hampden Bar, 9 Bridge Street.
John Crichton continued as landlord until 1920 when he sold up and retired to Surrey, where he died eight years later. However, the Old Hampden Bar remained open for at least another decade and had a prominent advert in the Scotland v England match programme in 1927, still boasting a photo gallery of footballers past and present.
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It's a word which was invented in the Victorian era as the short form of association football and has spread around the world, but the origins of 'soccer' remain shrouded in obscurity.
For a long time, the earliest printed example that the Oxford English Dictionary could find was in 1891. With digitisation of many Victorian publications that date has now been pushed back to 1885, when 'soccer' surfaced at the same time as its counterpart 'rugger'.
But this discovery has only served to muddy the waters as there are no fewer than three examples of 'soccer' or 'socker' in late 1885, all printed a few days apart in school magazines from different parts of the country. There is no obvious connection between them, so the mystery remains – where exactly did the word spring from?
For a long time, the earliest printed example that the Oxford English Dictionary could find was in 1891. With digitisation of many Victorian publications that date has now been pushed back to 1885, when 'soccer' surfaced at the same time as its counterpart 'rugger'.
But this discovery has only served to muddy the waters as there are no fewer than three examples of 'soccer' or 'socker' in late 1885, all printed a few days apart in school magazines from different parts of the country. There is no obvious connection between them, so the mystery remains – where exactly did the word spring from?
Charles Wreford Brown is often credited with inventing the word 'soccer' but this can now be dismissed as a myth.
The accepted wisdom is that 'soccer' was coined by students at Oxford University who had developed a slang which involved adding the suffix -er to common words: hence 'fresher' for freshman and 'brekker' for breakfast, among many others. Football was shortened to 'footer' but this could mean either code so they came up with a convoluted diminution of 'association' in response to the more easily-understood 'rugger' for rugby.
More specifically, soccer's invention has often been attributed to Charles Wreford Brown, an Old Carthusian, captain of the University football eleven and an England internationalist (pictured above). However, he can be ruled out as he was still at school when 'soccer' first appeared in print. In any case, the story was not published until 1952, a year after his death, when Geoffrey Green, the legendary football correspondent of The Times, told the anecdote but added the caveat 'Or so the story goes'.
The theory that soccer owes its origin to Oxford University takes a further dent as The Oxford Magazine offers the first printed use of 'Socker' in February 1887, three months after it first used 'Rugger'. Nothing earlier at the University has yet been found.
Nor is there anything to confirm that 'soccer' began life as 'assoccer' before being shortened, which may appear logical but there is no known contemporary usage of 'assoccer'. I believe this speculative explanation surfaced only recently, in the current century.
Let's have a look at the hard evidence, which points to 'soccer' and 'rugger' being created at the same time.
More specifically, soccer's invention has often been attributed to Charles Wreford Brown, an Old Carthusian, captain of the University football eleven and an England internationalist (pictured above). However, he can be ruled out as he was still at school when 'soccer' first appeared in print. In any case, the story was not published until 1952, a year after his death, when Geoffrey Green, the legendary football correspondent of The Times, told the anecdote but added the caveat 'Or so the story goes'.
The theory that soccer owes its origin to Oxford University takes a further dent as The Oxford Magazine offers the first printed use of 'Socker' in February 1887, three months after it first used 'Rugger'. Nothing earlier at the University has yet been found.
Nor is there anything to confirm that 'soccer' began life as 'assoccer' before being shortened, which may appear logical but there is no known contemporary usage of 'assoccer'. I believe this speculative explanation surfaced only recently, in the current century.
Let's have a look at the hard evidence, which points to 'soccer' and 'rugger' being created at the same time.
The earliest known printed use of 'soccer' in The Marlburian, dated 25 November 1885
By a whisker, the earliest known publication of 'soccer' was in The Marlburian, the fortnightly magazine of Marlborough College in Wiltshire, in its edition dated 25 November 1885. An anonymous pupil wrote: 'I can't help thinking it a great pity that there has been no 'Association' on the Common this term. It must improve the forward play and is certainly a pleasant change occasionally from everlasting Rugby.' He signed his letter 'Soccer', and clearly expected readers to understand what he meant by his pseudonym.
Intriguingly, Marlborough was a rugby-playing school, and although there were other letters in its magazine around that time promoting the merits of association football, only this one used the word 'soccer'.
Amazingly, within days, the word appeared in two other school publications, with a different spelling as 'socker'.
Intriguingly, Marlborough was a rugby-playing school, and although there were other letters in its magazine around that time promoting the merits of association football, only this one used the word 'soccer'.
Amazingly, within days, the word appeared in two other school publications, with a different spelling as 'socker'.
'Socker' and 'Rugger' make their first appearance in The Radleian magazine, December 1885 [Radley Archives]
'Our Oxford Letter' writes of 'Socker' in the December 1885 issue of The Oldhallian
At Radley College, five miles south of Oxford, a jocular article in the December 1885 issue of The Radleian used the word twice, comparing 'Socker' to 'Rugger' – which is the first known printed use of the latter – then stating: 'The patriotism of Old Radleians and their enthusiasm for 'Socker' reached such a pitch on All Saints' Day that they floated an Old Radleian Football Club.'
Also that month in Shropshire, at Old Hall School in Wellington, The Oldhallian contained an 'Oxford Letter' from a former pupil who wrote: 'The Varsity played Aston Villa and were beaten after a very exciting game; this was pre-eminently the most important 'Socker' game played in Oxford this term.'
So, in late 1885, correspondents to three geographically diverse schools all felt comfortable in using a new word for association football, and one of them used its equivalent for rugby. Yet there is nothing to link them and it is implausible that they all came up with the same idea simultaneously.
Also that month in Shropshire, at Old Hall School in Wellington, The Oldhallian contained an 'Oxford Letter' from a former pupil who wrote: 'The Varsity played Aston Villa and were beaten after a very exciting game; this was pre-eminently the most important 'Socker' game played in Oxford this term.'
So, in late 1885, correspondents to three geographically diverse schools all felt comfortable in using a new word for association football, and one of them used its equivalent for rugby. Yet there is nothing to link them and it is implausible that they all came up with the same idea simultaneously.
The geographically diverse locations of the schools which first used 'soccer' or 'socker' in print in late 1885: Old Hall (Shropshire), Radley (Oxfordshire), Marlborough (Wiltshire)
My hunch is that that 'soccer' and 'rugger' were already in verbal use and had been committed to print earlier that year in another journal – which has not yet been identified – and that this was picked up by these three contributors. Whatever their origin, the new slang took a surprisingly long time to gain traction as 'soccer' and 'rugger' were used only a few times in print in the second half of the decade.
After detailed searches, I have managed to find just a dozen or so instances of 'soccer' by 1890, mainly in school magazines. The Carthusian (Charterhouse) talks of the school’s soccer internationalists in October 1886 and the word appears again in December that year. There are further sightings in The City of London School Magazine in November 1886, The Lancing College Magazine of June 1887, and once more in The Radleian in February 1889.
On a national level, the terminology was picked up by the Boy's Own Paper in April 1889, with an article about 'Football at Oxford' which explained: 'In Varsity patois, Rugby is yclept Rugger while Association has for its synonym Socker.'
After detailed searches, I have managed to find just a dozen or so instances of 'soccer' by 1890, mainly in school magazines. The Carthusian (Charterhouse) talks of the school’s soccer internationalists in October 1886 and the word appears again in December that year. There are further sightings in The City of London School Magazine in November 1886, The Lancing College Magazine of June 1887, and once more in The Radleian in February 1889.
On a national level, the terminology was picked up by the Boy's Own Paper in April 1889, with an article about 'Football at Oxford' which explained: 'In Varsity patois, Rugby is yclept Rugger while Association has for its synonym Socker.'
The Tyro, the school magazine of Harrow, talked of school slang including 'Footer' in April 1864 [Harrow School Archives]
Interestingly, the principle of adding a suffix to common words can be traced with some certainty to Harrow, where The Tyro published an article about school slang in 1864: 'Our great predilection is for shortening words connected with the school into their roots, with the addition of er. For example, we speak of ducker, fouler, speecher etc where our fathers would have used the more decorous phrases of 'duck puddle', 'foul copy', 'speech room' as the case may be. But by far the most striking instance of this termination is in the short 'footer'.'
However, Harrow boys appear to have had no need of an alternative to 'footer' as 'soccer' did not make its first appearance in The Harrovian until March 1889.
However, Harrow boys appear to have had no need of an alternative to 'footer' as 'soccer' did not make its first appearance in The Harrovian until March 1889.
A writer ponders the origin of 'Soccer' and 'Rugger' in The Daily Telegraph, 14 August 1899 [British Newspaper Archive]
As the new words gained popularity during the 1890s, the divergence in spelling settled as 'soccer' rather than 'socker', and by the end of the decade soccer and rugger were so much part of the mainstream that in 1899 the Daily Telegraph reflected: 'Who now speaks of Association or Rugby football, and who does not welcome the abbreviated forms of 'Soccer' or 'Rugger'?'
The writer went on to ponder the origin of soccer as a word but was unable to come up with an answer: 'On whose lips Association first changed into Soccer, history is silent.'
That mystery remains the case today, and whether soccer started out as 'Varsity patois' or public school slang, there is no proof as yet.
For now, the credit for its first use goes to an unknown boy at Marlborough College, but I am confident that more about soccer's origin will, one day, be uncovered.
The writer went on to ponder the origin of soccer as a word but was unable to come up with an answer: 'On whose lips Association first changed into Soccer, history is silent.'
That mystery remains the case today, and whether soccer started out as 'Varsity patois' or public school slang, there is no proof as yet.
For now, the credit for its first use goes to an unknown boy at Marlborough College, but I am confident that more about soccer's origin will, one day, be uncovered.
Marlborough College rugby football team, pictured in 1870
For another perspective on the origins of soccer, see Steve Hendrick's lengthy analysis in Sporting Intelligence, published in 2015.
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John McPherson is at the far right of the middle row of the Hearts team that won the Scottish Cup in 1891. Seven years later he won the FA Cup with Nottingham Forest.
A mistake in the allocation of a Scotland cap has come to light, with John McPherson of Hearts finally being credited for his international debut in 1890, rather than his namesake of Cowlairs.
Thanks to the detective work of David Speed and Davy Allan at Hearts Heritage, the confusion over the two players with the same name has been resolved.
The issue relates to two consecutive Scotland matches in 1890, just a week apart. The games against Ireland on 29 March and against England on 5 April both featured a John McPherson in the forward line, and in recent years both caps have been credited to the man from Cowlairs.
However, a close look at the evidence in the newspapers and annuals of the time has revealed that the player in the first of these was actually John McPherson of Hearts. He was previously recorded as winning a single cap, against England in 1891, but his tally can now be doubled. As for the Cowlairs player, who later starred for Rangers and was known as 'Kitey', he made his debut in 1888 and his caps total over the following decade can now be confirmed as eight rather than nine.
Thanks to the detective work of David Speed and Davy Allan at Hearts Heritage, the confusion over the two players with the same name has been resolved.
The issue relates to two consecutive Scotland matches in 1890, just a week apart. The games against Ireland on 29 March and against England on 5 April both featured a John McPherson in the forward line, and in recent years both caps have been credited to the man from Cowlairs.
However, a close look at the evidence in the newspapers and annuals of the time has revealed that the player in the first of these was actually John McPherson of Hearts. He was previously recorded as winning a single cap, against England in 1891, but his tally can now be doubled. As for the Cowlairs player, who later starred for Rangers and was known as 'Kitey', he made his debut in 1888 and his caps total over the following decade can now be confirmed as eight rather than nine.
John 'Kitey' McPherson, wearing a Scotland cap while with Rangers, where he won four league titles and three Scottish Cups. His younger brother Davie was also an internationalist.
In some respects it is an unusual mistake because the publications of the time, including the Scottish FA annual, were all correct. In fact, I have been looking at later annuals and the correct attribution appears to be in place until about fifty years ago. However, recent publications and online guides contain the mistake.
Unfortunately I failed to pick upon the error when compiling my Scotland Who's Who and although it has now been corrected, it does mean that copies already printed have the wrong total. I apologise for this. Seen above are the corrected entries in the Who's Who for both players.
Amazingly enough, there were four Scotland players in the Victorian era who were called John McPherson. The first, of Clydesdale, was capped against England in 1875; the next was a Vale of Leven half back who was capped eight times from 1879 onwards; and then the two contemporaries came to the fore in the 1890s and that is what caused this confusion.
Amazingly enough, there were four Scotland players in the Victorian era who were called John McPherson. The first, of Clydesdale, was capped against England in 1875; the next was a Vale of Leven half back who was capped eight times from 1879 onwards; and then the two contemporaries came to the fore in the 1890s and that is what caused this confusion.
This report in the Dundee Courier makes it clear that Scotland's centre forward on 29 March 1890 was John McPherson of Hearts, not his Cowlairs namesake.
John McPherson (Heart of Midlothian)
Scotland v Ireland 1890, v England 1891.
John McPherson (Kilmarnock, Cowlairs and Rangers)
Scotland v Wales 1888, 1892; v England 1889, 1890, 1894, 1895; v Ireland 1895, 1897.
Scotland v Ireland 1890, v England 1891.
John McPherson (Kilmarnock, Cowlairs and Rangers)
Scotland v Wales 1888, 1892; v England 1889, 1890, 1894, 1895; v Ireland 1895, 1897.
- Published on
This month marks the bicentenary of the world's first football club, founded in Edinburgh in December 1824.
To celebrate Scotland's role in helping to create the modern game of football, I gave talks in Edinburgh and Glasgow to reveal how members of The Foot-Ball Club played the game and wrote the first known rules of the game (pictured above).
While football has been played for centuries, the Foot-Ball Club was the first known organisation devoted to the sport. Precisely two hundred years ago, on a winter's day in 1824, the founders bought a football – a leather casing with an inflated pig's bladder inside – and set up goalposts in a field just outside the city boundaries.
They met once or twice a week for almost two decades, and the city's young men flocked to the Foot-Ball Club to play the game they loved. Some of them went on to influence the early development of our most popular sport, long before it split into the different codes like rugby and association football.
The club's founder, John Hope, managed the Foot-Ball Club throughout its existence until it was wound up in 1841. Because he was a pedantic hoarder, the club records survived within his unique and extensive archive, now held at the National Records of Scotland where the first of the talks took place. The second talk was at the Scottish Football Museum in Glasgow.
Please join me in celebrating the birthday of The Foot-Ball Club!
To read the text of the talk, click here for a pdf of my presentation.
To view my talk in its entirety, click here for the National Records of Scotland's YouTube channel.
And to buy the book '1824: The World's First Foot-Ball Club' by John Hutchinson and Andy Mitchell, click here.
To celebrate Scotland's role in helping to create the modern game of football, I gave talks in Edinburgh and Glasgow to reveal how members of The Foot-Ball Club played the game and wrote the first known rules of the game (pictured above).
While football has been played for centuries, the Foot-Ball Club was the first known organisation devoted to the sport. Precisely two hundred years ago, on a winter's day in 1824, the founders bought a football – a leather casing with an inflated pig's bladder inside – and set up goalposts in a field just outside the city boundaries.
They met once or twice a week for almost two decades, and the city's young men flocked to the Foot-Ball Club to play the game they loved. Some of them went on to influence the early development of our most popular sport, long before it split into the different codes like rugby and association football.
The club's founder, John Hope, managed the Foot-Ball Club throughout its existence until it was wound up in 1841. Because he was a pedantic hoarder, the club records survived within his unique and extensive archive, now held at the National Records of Scotland where the first of the talks took place. The second talk was at the Scottish Football Museum in Glasgow.
Please join me in celebrating the birthday of The Foot-Ball Club!
To read the text of the talk, click here for a pdf of my presentation.
To view my talk in its entirety, click here for the National Records of Scotland's YouTube channel.
And to buy the book '1824: The World's First Foot-Ball Club' by John Hutchinson and Andy Mitchell, click here.
- Published on
The Naples team of 1906/07. Although the players are not named, it is possible that Peter Jackson, the captain, is standing at the right of the back row. [Stampa Sportiva, June 1907]
The arrival of Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour at SSC Napoli has added to the list of distinguished Scottish footballers in Italy. But they are not the first Scots stars in Naples, as my new research has found that the very first football captain in the city was born in Glasgow.
His name was Peter Jackson, and he was elected captain of Naples Foot Ball Club at their inaugural meeting in the spring of 1906. He was a key player as organised football made its first steps in Naples but only remained with the club for a couple of years. His identity has remained hidden until now.
Naples FBC is a direct ancestor of SSC Napoli, which came into being in 1926 but its exact date of founding is uncertain. Around 1904/05 a group of Italian, British and Swiss residents with links to cricket and rowing came together to play football, and in February 1906 they established a standalone club.
Peter Jackson was a popular choice as captain at that meeting. An influential player who led by example, when he left Naples at the end of 1907 for work reasons, his departure was perceived as a 'heartfelt loss' according to Stampa Sportiva, which said he had 'trained his team with such diligence since the formation of the NFBC'.
Somewhat misleadingly, the same article called him a champion player of 'the First Union of Newcastle', which has baffled historians as there is no such club. So, who was Peter Jackson?
His name was Peter Jackson, and he was elected captain of Naples Foot Ball Club at their inaugural meeting in the spring of 1906. He was a key player as organised football made its first steps in Naples but only remained with the club for a couple of years. His identity has remained hidden until now.
Naples FBC is a direct ancestor of SSC Napoli, which came into being in 1926 but its exact date of founding is uncertain. Around 1904/05 a group of Italian, British and Swiss residents with links to cricket and rowing came together to play football, and in February 1906 they established a standalone club.
Peter Jackson was a popular choice as captain at that meeting. An influential player who led by example, when he left Naples at the end of 1907 for work reasons, his departure was perceived as a 'heartfelt loss' according to Stampa Sportiva, which said he had 'trained his team with such diligence since the formation of the NFBC'.
Somewhat misleadingly, the same article called him a champion player of 'the First Union of Newcastle', which has baffled historians as there is no such club. So, who was Peter Jackson?
A match between Naples FBC and the crew of the White Star Line ship RMS Cedric, which spent a week in port in December 1906. Peter Jackson captained Naples, whose only other British player was William Potts. [Stampa Sportiva, June 1907]
It took a lot of research to track him down, as although there is a link to Newcastle it was not immediately obvious. I found that Jackson had come to Naples to work at the Stabilimento Armstrong armaments factory at Pozzuoli, a couple of miles west of the city. This was a subsidiary of WG Armstrong & Co, based at Elswick in Newcastle, where it had a massive plant for naval munitions and shipbuilding.
Jackson had actually learned his football at school in Harrogate, where he attended Western College along with his elder brother Thomas. They both played for the school, then progressed to the Harrogate Corinthians amateur team. Peter was good enough to be picked for the town select in 1903.
The reason he ended up in Naples is that he followed his father into the steel-making industry. His father James, from Glasgow, was a metals expert whose career had taken him as far as Russia. While there, he married his Scottish wife Janet in St Petersburg, and when they came back to the UK their second son Peter Ainslie Jackson was born in Govan, the shipbuilding heart of Glasgow, in the summer of 1883.
The family did not remain in Scotland for long as James Jackson then took up a post as foreman steel smelter in Newcastle, moved to Harrogate and came back to Newcastle in the mid 1900s. Peter appears to have been taken on by WG Armstrong but was sent to the Pozzuoli factory to serve his apprenticeship. He was clearly a useful employee, as his name appears in the Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute in 1907, for contributing to a research project.
He was not the only Pozzuoli apprentice to play for Naples, as the name of George Pratt appears in some early reports.
However, their time in Italy concluded at the end of 1907 when Jackson and Pratt were recalled to Newcastle, probably because there was an Italian management buyout of the Pozzuoli plant.
Jackson had actually learned his football at school in Harrogate, where he attended Western College along with his elder brother Thomas. They both played for the school, then progressed to the Harrogate Corinthians amateur team. Peter was good enough to be picked for the town select in 1903.
The reason he ended up in Naples is that he followed his father into the steel-making industry. His father James, from Glasgow, was a metals expert whose career had taken him as far as Russia. While there, he married his Scottish wife Janet in St Petersburg, and when they came back to the UK their second son Peter Ainslie Jackson was born in Govan, the shipbuilding heart of Glasgow, in the summer of 1883.
The family did not remain in Scotland for long as James Jackson then took up a post as foreman steel smelter in Newcastle, moved to Harrogate and came back to Newcastle in the mid 1900s. Peter appears to have been taken on by WG Armstrong but was sent to the Pozzuoli factory to serve his apprenticeship. He was clearly a useful employee, as his name appears in the Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute in 1907, for contributing to a research project.
He was not the only Pozzuoli apprentice to play for Naples, as the name of George Pratt appears in some early reports.
However, their time in Italy concluded at the end of 1907 when Jackson and Pratt were recalled to Newcastle, probably because there was an Italian management buyout of the Pozzuoli plant.
The Armstrong factory at Pozzuoli, where Peter Jackson worked during his time with Naples FBC. The factory was set up in the 1880s and specialised in naval armaments including heavy cannons and armour plating.
Peter Jackson is credited in the Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute, September 1907
I can find no evidence of Peter Jackson playing football once he returned to Newcastle, but he was perhaps focussed on his rising career as a steel engineer. He was clearly prosperous as in 1913 he was reported to have a motor car - a rare luxury in those days - and he remained in Newcastle for the next decade. After getting married in 1917 he took up a job in Manchester, first with Armstrong Whitworth at Openshaw, then at the Trafford Park steelworks, where he was manager of the melting shop.
He was still in post when he died in 1939, aged just 55. As he had no children, and his siblings did not marry, there were no descendants to carry on the family name.
He was still in post when he died in 1939, aged just 55. As he had no children, and his siblings did not marry, there were no descendants to carry on the family name.
Peter Jackson's signature on the 1921 census form
At a time when two modern-day Scots are making such an impact in Naples, it is worth remembering that the football-mad city opened its arms to another Scotsman over a hundred years ago.
Peter Ainslie Jackson
Born 28 June 1883 at 23 Burndyke Street, Govan, Glasgow.
Died 8 May 1939 at Mellor, Cheshire.
Peter Ainslie Jackson
Born 28 June 1883 at 23 Burndyke Street, Govan, Glasgow.
Died 8 May 1939 at Mellor, Cheshire.
A newspaper report of Peter Jackson's funeral.
Naples football pioneers
In the course of researching this article, I identified some other early Naples players:
William Henry Potts (1883-1959) was an important player for Naples through their first decade, one of the founders of the club and its captain after Peter Jackson left in 1907. After winning the Lipton Challenge Cup for the second time in 1911 he joined US Internazionale Napoli. Originally from South Shields, he came to Naples as a young man and remained there until the Second World War, apparently as a local agent for the White Star Line. He spent his final years on Merseyside, dying in Southport.
Harry Saltmarshe (1870-1929) was not only a player but also club treasurer in 1907. He moved to Naples around the turn of the century and worked for Dent Allcroft & Co, luxury glove makers. Originally from London, he married in Naples and spent the rest of his life there.
George Archibald Pratt (1888-1971) played alongside Jackson in the first games between Naples and Rome in 1907. An engineer, after returning to England he became a well-known tennis player in Cheshire, and even played once at Wimbledon against Bill Tilden.
Harold Frederick Greaves (1881-1962) appears in an early team line-up. Originally from Derbyshire, he was a shipping clerk in Liverpool before heading to Italy, and married in Naples in 1907.
George Edgar Little (1884-1961) played for Naples in 1906 and settled in the city for most of the rest of his life, although was forced to return to his home town of Liverpool during World War 2. He was a director of a pharmaceutical firm, Bell Sons & Co Ltd, and died in Naples.
I have more detailed information about these players which I will gladly share if you contact me using the form on the home page.
I would like to thank Felice Ba, football historian in Naples, for his assistance in researching this article.
Click on these links to the site Calcio Antico for further information on the early years of Naples Foot Ball Club:
La fondazione del Naples
Pionieri del Naples
In the course of researching this article, I identified some other early Naples players:
William Henry Potts (1883-1959) was an important player for Naples through their first decade, one of the founders of the club and its captain after Peter Jackson left in 1907. After winning the Lipton Challenge Cup for the second time in 1911 he joined US Internazionale Napoli. Originally from South Shields, he came to Naples as a young man and remained there until the Second World War, apparently as a local agent for the White Star Line. He spent his final years on Merseyside, dying in Southport.
Harry Saltmarshe (1870-1929) was not only a player but also club treasurer in 1907. He moved to Naples around the turn of the century and worked for Dent Allcroft & Co, luxury glove makers. Originally from London, he married in Naples and spent the rest of his life there.
George Archibald Pratt (1888-1971) played alongside Jackson in the first games between Naples and Rome in 1907. An engineer, after returning to England he became a well-known tennis player in Cheshire, and even played once at Wimbledon against Bill Tilden.
Harold Frederick Greaves (1881-1962) appears in an early team line-up. Originally from Derbyshire, he was a shipping clerk in Liverpool before heading to Italy, and married in Naples in 1907.
George Edgar Little (1884-1961) played for Naples in 1906 and settled in the city for most of the rest of his life, although was forced to return to his home town of Liverpool during World War 2. He was a director of a pharmaceutical firm, Bell Sons & Co Ltd, and died in Naples.
I have more detailed information about these players which I will gladly share if you contact me using the form on the home page.
I would like to thank Felice Ba, football historian in Naples, for his assistance in researching this article.
Click on these links to the site Calcio Antico for further information on the early years of Naples Foot Ball Club:
La fondazione del Naples
Pionieri del Naples
- Published on
The Chile team, in red and white shirts, pictured before their match against Argentina on 5 June 1910
There is only one family which can claim to have had three brothers playing for Scotland: Alick, James and Gladstone Hamilton all pulled on the national team shirt.
However, the recent discovery of a fourth brother who also played international football has added to the family's claim to fame, and the reason he has escaped notice until now is that John Hamilton represented Chile.
The Scottish veteran's three appearances for 'La Roja' in 1910, their first ever internationals, came at the end of a long career in the game that had seen him play on both sides of the border, most notably for Derby County in the English first division in 1894-95, in a forward line that featured greats such as Steve Bloomer and John Goodall.
However, the recent discovery of a fourth brother who also played international football has added to the family's claim to fame, and the reason he has escaped notice until now is that John Hamilton represented Chile.
The Scottish veteran's three appearances for 'La Roja' in 1910, their first ever internationals, came at the end of a long career in the game that had seen him play on both sides of the border, most notably for Derby County in the English first division in 1894-95, in a forward line that featured greats such as Steve Bloomer and John Goodall.
John Hamilton in a Valparaiso shirt, a year after his internationals for Chile (thanks to Sebastián Nuñez)
However, Hamilton rarely hit those heights again and he soon moved on to the relative obscurity of Ilkeston Town. From that point, his clubs were mainly in the lower reaches of Scottish football at Abercorn and Queen's Park Strollers (their reserve team), and his last senior games in Britain were in 1902 for Ayr.
A few years later, an engineering job on South America's Pacific coast gave him the opportunity to don his boots again and his solid appearances for Valparaiso earned him a selection to the Chile squad which travelled over the Andes to Buenos Aires in May 1910.
At the age of 36 he was the oldest player as Chile's national team played together for the first time. They warmed up with a friendly against the Argentinian hosts before facing Uruguay and Argentina in the Copa Centenario Revolucion de Maya. John 'Juan' Hamilton featured in all three games, and although they all ended in defeat, Chile had arrived on the international scene.
Although he did not play for the national team again, Hamilton was the referee in September that year when Argentina came to Chile for a return friendly.
A few years later, an engineering job on South America's Pacific coast gave him the opportunity to don his boots again and his solid appearances for Valparaiso earned him a selection to the Chile squad which travelled over the Andes to Buenos Aires in May 1910.
At the age of 36 he was the oldest player as Chile's national team played together for the first time. They warmed up with a friendly against the Argentinian hosts before facing Uruguay and Argentina in the Copa Centenario Revolucion de Maya. John 'Juan' Hamilton featured in all three games, and although they all ended in defeat, Chile had arrived on the international scene.
Although he did not play for the national team again, Hamilton was the referee in September that year when Argentina came to Chile for a return friendly.
This comment in the Buenos Aires Standard of 29 May 1910 set me on the trail of John Hamilton (with thanks to Cris Freddi)
During the tournament, a local newspaper in Buenos Aires mentioned that he was proud to join his three Scottish brothers as a football internationalist, and that little snippet set me on the trail of his story. Finding confirmation was not easy as Hamilton is a common surname, but the final proof came thanks to a Chilean football historian, Sebastián Nuñez.
Sebastián's book Duelos del Centenario is an extraordinary feat of research into Chile's ground-breaking team of 1910, with detailed biographies of all the players, and he was able to provide me with documentation and photos that proved beyond doubt the Hamilton story.
John Hamilton came from a remarkable football family. William Hamilton, a master builder in Glasgow, and his wife Isobel had nine sons, most of whom were footballers.
Sebastián's book Duelos del Centenario is an extraordinary feat of research into Chile's ground-breaking team of 1910, with detailed biographies of all the players, and he was able to provide me with documentation and photos that proved beyond doubt the Hamilton story.
John Hamilton came from a remarkable football family. William Hamilton, a master builder in Glasgow, and his wife Isobel had nine sons, most of whom were footballers.
The Scotland team which faced England in 1885, with Alick Hamilton in the front row.
The eldest was Alexander (Alick) Hamilton who played for Rangers and Queen's Park, where he won the Scottish Cup, and was capped four times by Scotland. Three of those were against England in 1885, 1886 and 1888, while the other was against Wales, all before he was forced to retire through injury aged just 24.
The Queen's Park team which won the Scottish Cup and Glasgow Cup in 1890, with James Hamilton front right.
Next came James, five years younger, who spent most of his career at centre forward with Queen's Park, winning the Scottish Cup twice, and was briefly with Rangers before retiring. He played three times for Scotland in 1892 and 1893.
Port Glasgow Athletic in 1908, with Scotland internationalist Gladstone Hamilton front left
Another ten years younger was Gladstone (known to his friends as Gladys), who failed to make an impression at Queen's Park but did well enough at Port Glasgow Athletic to be selected for a single Scotland cap against Ireland in 1906.
Two other Hamilton brothers also played football without making such an impact: David played a couple of times for Port Glasgow, while Ebenezer must have been at Queen's Park as he is mentioned on their war memorial, having been killed in action in 1915.
When John went to Chile and played for the national team, he was the fourth internationalist in the family, and remarkably they all won their caps in different decades from the 1880s to the 1910s. To my surprise, four brothers is not a record in international football.
With help from historian Cris Freddi, it appears that two sets of five brothers have been capped, both in South America. For Argentina the Brown brothers Jorge, Alfredo, Carlos, Eliseo and Ernesto played in the early years of the 20th century, while in Paraguay the five Jara Saguier brothers Angel, Alberto, Dario, Enrique and Carlos played from 1950 onwards. However, it must be said that these statistics are not easy to verify and I would welcome any clarification.
Countries which have had four brothers capped include Wales (Davies), Barbados (Foster), Greece (Adrianopoulos - it would be five brothers if Greece recognised their 1920 Olympic Games match), Honduras (Palacios), Latvia (Plade) and Malawi (Waya). Scotland can now be added to that list.
Two other Hamilton brothers also played football without making such an impact: David played a couple of times for Port Glasgow, while Ebenezer must have been at Queen's Park as he is mentioned on their war memorial, having been killed in action in 1915.
When John went to Chile and played for the national team, he was the fourth internationalist in the family, and remarkably they all won their caps in different decades from the 1880s to the 1910s. To my surprise, four brothers is not a record in international football.
With help from historian Cris Freddi, it appears that two sets of five brothers have been capped, both in South America. For Argentina the Brown brothers Jorge, Alfredo, Carlos, Eliseo and Ernesto played in the early years of the 20th century, while in Paraguay the five Jara Saguier brothers Angel, Alberto, Dario, Enrique and Carlos played from 1950 onwards. However, it must be said that these statistics are not easy to verify and I would welcome any clarification.
Countries which have had four brothers capped include Wales (Davies), Barbados (Foster), Greece (Adrianopoulos - it would be five brothers if Greece recognised their 1920 Olympic Games match), Honduras (Palacios), Latvia (Plade) and Malawi (Waya). Scotland can now be added to that list.
Valparaiso team in 1911, with John Hamilton in front, second from right (thanks to Sebastián Nuñez)
John Hamilton
Born 12 September 1873 Glasgow
Died 27 June 1932 Glasgow
Football career:
Queen's Park Strollers
Derby County Nov 1894-95 (12 games 5 goals)
Ilkeston Town 1895-96
Abercorn Aug-Dec 1896
Queen's Park Strollers Jan 1897-1901
Airdrieonians (guest, November 1897)
Ayr Parkhouse (guest, May 1901)
Ayr FC Oct 1901-02 (5 league games)
Valparaiso FC c1908-1912
Three appearances for Chile:
Argentina 3 Chile 1, 27 May 1910
Uruguay 3 Chile 0, 29 May 1910
Argentina 5 Chile 1, 5 June 1910
Born 12 September 1873 Glasgow
Died 27 June 1932 Glasgow
Football career:
Queen's Park Strollers
Derby County Nov 1894-95 (12 games 5 goals)
Ilkeston Town 1895-96
Abercorn Aug-Dec 1896
Queen's Park Strollers Jan 1897-1901
Airdrieonians (guest, November 1897)
Ayr Parkhouse (guest, May 1901)
Ayr FC Oct 1901-02 (5 league games)
Valparaiso FC c1908-1912
Three appearances for Chile:
Argentina 3 Chile 1, 27 May 1910
Uruguay 3 Chile 0, 29 May 1910
Argentina 5 Chile 1, 5 June 1910
John Hamilton's debut for Derby County in 1894, part of a star-studded forward line. (Athletic News, 26 November 1894, via British Newspaper Archive)
Further information and links:
Scots Football Worldwide: Scottish football influence in Chile
The Long Ball blog: the origins of the Copa America
The Men Who Made Scotland: the definitive Who's Who of Scottish internationalists
Scots Football Worldwide: Scottish football influence in Chile
The Long Ball blog: the origins of the Copa America
The Men Who Made Scotland: the definitive Who's Who of Scottish internationalists
- Published on
When Argentina lifted the World Cup in 2022 and retained the Copa America in 2024, the roots of their success were traced back to a Scottish pioneer, Alexander Watson Hutton.
He overcame tragedy and challenges in his early life to be celebrated as the 'father of Argentine football' thanks to his work in establishing the game as a national obsession. Having set up a football league in 1893, then created a dominant football club, Hutton's footballing story is fairly well known (more so in Argentina than his native land, it has to be said) but his life in Scotland remains something of an enigma.
That prompted me to research the formative years of a boy orphaned before he was five years old, his entire family wiped out by disease, who found his vocation in education and sport.
Hutton's life events detailed below shed light on his family, childhood, school, university and early teaching career.
Family origins
Alexander Watson Hutton was the second son of Robert Hutton, a grocer, and Helen (or Ellen) Watson. His parents were originally from the Dunfermline area in Fife but Robert moved to Glasgow in the 1840s to work as a grocer at the heart of the bustling Gorbals community of Laurieston, just south of the River Clyde in Glasgow. In time he opened his own shops, first in Bedford Street, then Norfolk Street and Nicholson Street.
Meanwhile Helen had been living with her family in Edinburgh, but after she married Robert on 12 November 1850 they set up home in the Gorbals in a tenement flat at 29 Eglinton Street. At first, everything went well: their first son, also Robert, was born in August 1851, while the grocery business prospered. Robert Hutton was able to employ shop staff and he opened a new outlet at 55 Eglinton Street, just along from the family home.
He overcame tragedy and challenges in his early life to be celebrated as the 'father of Argentine football' thanks to his work in establishing the game as a national obsession. Having set up a football league in 1893, then created a dominant football club, Hutton's footballing story is fairly well known (more so in Argentina than his native land, it has to be said) but his life in Scotland remains something of an enigma.
That prompted me to research the formative years of a boy orphaned before he was five years old, his entire family wiped out by disease, who found his vocation in education and sport.
Hutton's life events detailed below shed light on his family, childhood, school, university and early teaching career.
Family origins
Alexander Watson Hutton was the second son of Robert Hutton, a grocer, and Helen (or Ellen) Watson. His parents were originally from the Dunfermline area in Fife but Robert moved to Glasgow in the 1840s to work as a grocer at the heart of the bustling Gorbals community of Laurieston, just south of the River Clyde in Glasgow. In time he opened his own shops, first in Bedford Street, then Norfolk Street and Nicholson Street.
Meanwhile Helen had been living with her family in Edinburgh, but after she married Robert on 12 November 1850 they set up home in the Gorbals in a tenement flat at 29 Eglinton Street. At first, everything went well: their first son, also Robert, was born in August 1851, while the grocery business prospered. Robert Hutton was able to employ shop staff and he opened a new outlet at 55 Eglinton Street, just along from the family home.
The section of Eglinton Street where the Hutton family lived, photographed in 1973 shortly before demolition; his birthplace is just out of picture to the left but the old entrance to Bridge Street Station can be seen. [Photo: Duncan McCallum, streepadair.com/history]
Eglinton Street Church, where Alexander Watson Hutton was baptised. Photo taken in 1875 [The Glasgow Story]
Their second son Alexander was born on 10 June 1853 at number 29, although it is no longer standing as few original buildings in that area have survived. His birthplace was demolished in the 1970s as part of the great Gorbals slum clearance which transformed (some would say destroyed) the area; it is approximately where Bridge Street Underground station now stands.
He was baptised the following month at Eglinton Street United Secession Church, which has also gone: it was converted to a cinema in 1921 and then destroyed by fire in 1932; it is now the site of the O2 Academy.
Multiple tragedies
Fate dealt the first cruel blow to the family as Robert Hutton fell seriously ill with tuberculosis and had to give up his shops. In January 1855 he moved with his wife and sons to live near Helen's family in Edinburgh, but it was a lost cause and he died there on 25 February. In an extraordinary twist of fate, the following day Helen gave birth to their third son, George.
Alexander, then just 20 months old, would never return to Glasgow as his father's death marked the start of a series of tragedies to hit the family. Younger brother George died aged 2 in May 1857, then his mother succumbed in January 1858, both from tuberculosis. They were buried together with Robert at Warriston Cemetery, although there is no headstone.
This left Alexander and his brother Robert as orphans, and they were taken under the wing of their grandmother (Helen's mother), Helen Bowman Watson who lived in Logie Green in Edinburgh. Sadly, the arrangement did not last long as she too died of tuberculosis early in 1862.
He was baptised the following month at Eglinton Street United Secession Church, which has also gone: it was converted to a cinema in 1921 and then destroyed by fire in 1932; it is now the site of the O2 Academy.
Multiple tragedies
Fate dealt the first cruel blow to the family as Robert Hutton fell seriously ill with tuberculosis and had to give up his shops. In January 1855 he moved with his wife and sons to live near Helen's family in Edinburgh, but it was a lost cause and he died there on 25 February. In an extraordinary twist of fate, the following day Helen gave birth to their third son, George.
Alexander, then just 20 months old, would never return to Glasgow as his father's death marked the start of a series of tragedies to hit the family. Younger brother George died aged 2 in May 1857, then his mother succumbed in January 1858, both from tuberculosis. They were buried together with Robert at Warriston Cemetery, although there is no headstone.
This left Alexander and his brother Robert as orphans, and they were taken under the wing of their grandmother (Helen's mother), Helen Bowman Watson who lived in Logie Green in Edinburgh. Sadly, the arrangement did not last long as she too died of tuberculosis early in 1862.
The imposing setting of Daniel Stewart's Hospital (later College) was Alexander Watson Hutton's home for five influential years. [https://www.esms.org.uk/about-esms/our-heritage/our-history]
On his ninth birthday in 1862, Alexander followed Robert into Daniel Stewart's Hospital, which was then a charitable boarding school for about 60 destitute boys. When he was admitted school records show that he 'could read words of two syllables easily' while his 'cautioner' was his uncle, George Hutton of Cupar.
The Hutton brothers did well at the school, with Robert being a medallist in 1866, and Alexander was never to forget its positive influence; in the 1920s he endowed the Robert Hutton Prize for Modern Languages in memory of his brother, and also created a similar prize in his own name at George Watson's College.
Alexander left Daniel Stewart's in 1867 when he turned 14, with a solid grounding that would enable him to embark on adult life. He is recorded in the 1871 census as an apprentice grocer - the same trade as his father - but then switched his focus to education. That may have been prompted by the death of his brother Robert, who had been living with his uncle George in Cupar where he worked as a clerk but succumbed to tuberculosis and died in October 1871. Alexander was now the only survivor of the entire family.
The Hutton brothers did well at the school, with Robert being a medallist in 1866, and Alexander was never to forget its positive influence; in the 1920s he endowed the Robert Hutton Prize for Modern Languages in memory of his brother, and also created a similar prize in his own name at George Watson's College.
Alexander left Daniel Stewart's in 1867 when he turned 14, with a solid grounding that would enable him to embark on adult life. He is recorded in the 1871 census as an apprentice grocer - the same trade as his father - but then switched his focus to education. That may have been prompted by the death of his brother Robert, who had been living with his uncle George in Cupar where he worked as a clerk but succumbed to tuberculosis and died in October 1871. Alexander was now the only survivor of the entire family.
Hutton's entry in the George Watson's College teacher register. He was appointed in December 1874 and remained until January 1882. [George Watson's College Archive]
Alexander appears to have taken a teaching diploma as by 1874 he was advertising his services as a teacher of shorthand and in December was appointed to a full-time post at George Watson's College Junior School. Perhaps it helped his application that the headmaster of Watson's was George Ogilvie, who had been head teacher of Daniel Stewart's Hospital during his time there. Regardless, he had found his vocation and he would flourish in the role.
A new family
Equally importantly, he also found a new family in Edinburgh.
By 1871 he was lodging in Brown Square, off Chambers Street, with Mrs Alexandrina Waters and her children Elizabeth, Catherine and William. Alexander became so close to the Waters family that when they moved in 1874 to 4 St Patrick Square, he joined them there and remained in the household until he emigrated.
After he went to Argentina the Waters family followed on and their lives remained intertwined in work, football and marriage: the teaching staff at the Buenos Aires English High School included Elizabeth and William, Mrs Waters was later on the staff as a house superintendent, and Catherine became his second wife.
University degree
Despite holding down a teaching job at George Watson's, Alexander was determined to further his own education and in 1877 he embarked on a four year Arts degree at Edinburgh University. It must have been a challenge to combine work with study, but he was helped by winning the Dundas Bursary which provided about £20 a year to fund his course.
His progress at the university can be followed by the class results published in The Scotsman: in April 1878 he passed his exams in Mathematics, a year later in Mental Philosophy, then in 1881 he graduated with an MA in Philosophy, gaining Second Class Honours.
A new family
Equally importantly, he also found a new family in Edinburgh.
By 1871 he was lodging in Brown Square, off Chambers Street, with Mrs Alexandrina Waters and her children Elizabeth, Catherine and William. Alexander became so close to the Waters family that when they moved in 1874 to 4 St Patrick Square, he joined them there and remained in the household until he emigrated.
After he went to Argentina the Waters family followed on and their lives remained intertwined in work, football and marriage: the teaching staff at the Buenos Aires English High School included Elizabeth and William, Mrs Waters was later on the staff as a house superintendent, and Catherine became his second wife.
University degree
Despite holding down a teaching job at George Watson's, Alexander was determined to further his own education and in 1877 he embarked on a four year Arts degree at Edinburgh University. It must have been a challenge to combine work with study, but he was helped by winning the Dundas Bursary which provided about £20 a year to fund his course.
His progress at the university can be followed by the class results published in The Scotsman: in April 1878 he passed his exams in Mathematics, a year later in Mental Philosophy, then in 1881 he graduated with an MA in Philosophy, gaining Second Class Honours.
Hutton's graduation from Edinburgh University in 1881 was recorded in the University Calendar.
The advert in The Scotsman of 17 November 1881 that would take Hutton to Argentina. [British Newspaper Archive]
Eager to progress as a teacher now that he was better qualified, the opportunity came in November 1881 when a small advert appeared in The Scotsman: 'Headmaster wanted for the Scotch School in Buenos Ayres. Guaranteed salary £450 per annum.' He made an application to Professor SS Laurie of Edinburgh University and Alexander soon heard he had been appointed to the role that would change his life.
Before he left, however, he needed a recruit. In December he placed his own advert for a female teacher to join the Scotch School as Infant, Junior and Sewing Mistress. The job went to Margaret Budge, also a teacher at George Watson's, and as he went on to marry her, the suspicion is that they were already close and he used the opportunity to ensure she could travel out with him.
The last mention of Alexander in the local press came in mid-January when he advertised for sale a 50 inch Hillman & Herbert 'Premier' bicycle, which conjures up images of this pioneer riding round the streets of Edinburgh on his penny-farthing.
Leaving his life in Scotland behind, he set sail for Argentina, arriving in Buenos Aires on 25 February 1882 to start work.
Football in Scotland
Despite uncovering so much detail of his early life, there is one thing missing: football. A detailed search of the Scottish press has so far failed to turn up any mention of him taking part in a football match, or indeed any kind of sport. Later interviews he gave in Argentina simply said that he played football as a young man in Scotland without giving any specifics, so he may have been enthusiastic but he was clearly not a top level player.
In some respects it is curious that he was so passionate about football after an Edinburgh upbringing (he had no real connection to Glasgow apart from his birth). During his schooldays at Daniel Stewart’s there was no organised recreation for the boys, while George Watson's did have a sporting ethos but the emphasis was on rugby in the winter and athletics and cricket in summer. As he taught at the junior school, presumably he supervised recreation for the boys in his charge, but he had no recorded involvement in school sporting activities or team games.
Life in Argentina
After two years at the Scotch School he left to found the English High School in 1884 where he had the opportunity to encourage sport for the pupils. He built an open air swimming pool and is said to have imported the first leather footballs to the country.
In a lengthy interview he gave to El Grafico in 1933 to mark his 80th birthday, 'Alejandro' reminisced about the early days, and told how the balls were impounded by customs officials who demanded to know what they were for.
That may have coincided with the arrival of William Waters to work at the school, which some accounts date to the summer of 1886 although he was already a member of staff the previous year. Born in 1865, William (known as Guillermo) certainly made an impact on the football field as he went on to captain St Andrews, winners of the country's first league competition, before his early demise in 1906.
Also on the school staff was Margaret Budge, who Alexander married on 27 March 1885 at St Andrew's Church in Buenos Aires. They had three children: Arnold Pencliffe Watson Hutton 1886-1951 (who became a prominent footballer and an Argentina international), Edith Elena Watson Hutton 1888-1971 (married name Stocks), and Mabel Lilian Watson Hutton 1890-1979 (married name Mitchell).
Margaret died in August 1893 of pancreatic cancer and Alexander remarried Catherine (or Kate) Waters on 19 June 1902, with no further children.
By the time of his retirement from teaching in 1910, the English High School was said to be the largest, the best ventilated and the healthiest private school in Buenos Aires.
While he remained in Buenos Aires, he retained close links to Scotland and returned several times for visits. He died on 9 March 1936, age 82, and was buried in British Cemetery at Chacarita, where his grave remains a place of pilgrimage for football fans.
Before he left, however, he needed a recruit. In December he placed his own advert for a female teacher to join the Scotch School as Infant, Junior and Sewing Mistress. The job went to Margaret Budge, also a teacher at George Watson's, and as he went on to marry her, the suspicion is that they were already close and he used the opportunity to ensure she could travel out with him.
The last mention of Alexander in the local press came in mid-January when he advertised for sale a 50 inch Hillman & Herbert 'Premier' bicycle, which conjures up images of this pioneer riding round the streets of Edinburgh on his penny-farthing.
Leaving his life in Scotland behind, he set sail for Argentina, arriving in Buenos Aires on 25 February 1882 to start work.
Football in Scotland
Despite uncovering so much detail of his early life, there is one thing missing: football. A detailed search of the Scottish press has so far failed to turn up any mention of him taking part in a football match, or indeed any kind of sport. Later interviews he gave in Argentina simply said that he played football as a young man in Scotland without giving any specifics, so he may have been enthusiastic but he was clearly not a top level player.
In some respects it is curious that he was so passionate about football after an Edinburgh upbringing (he had no real connection to Glasgow apart from his birth). During his schooldays at Daniel Stewart’s there was no organised recreation for the boys, while George Watson's did have a sporting ethos but the emphasis was on rugby in the winter and athletics and cricket in summer. As he taught at the junior school, presumably he supervised recreation for the boys in his charge, but he had no recorded involvement in school sporting activities or team games.
Life in Argentina
After two years at the Scotch School he left to found the English High School in 1884 where he had the opportunity to encourage sport for the pupils. He built an open air swimming pool and is said to have imported the first leather footballs to the country.
In a lengthy interview he gave to El Grafico in 1933 to mark his 80th birthday, 'Alejandro' reminisced about the early days, and told how the balls were impounded by customs officials who demanded to know what they were for.
That may have coincided with the arrival of William Waters to work at the school, which some accounts date to the summer of 1886 although he was already a member of staff the previous year. Born in 1865, William (known as Guillermo) certainly made an impact on the football field as he went on to captain St Andrews, winners of the country's first league competition, before his early demise in 1906.
Also on the school staff was Margaret Budge, who Alexander married on 27 March 1885 at St Andrew's Church in Buenos Aires. They had three children: Arnold Pencliffe Watson Hutton 1886-1951 (who became a prominent footballer and an Argentina international), Edith Elena Watson Hutton 1888-1971 (married name Stocks), and Mabel Lilian Watson Hutton 1890-1979 (married name Mitchell).
Margaret died in August 1893 of pancreatic cancer and Alexander remarried Catherine (or Kate) Waters on 19 June 1902, with no further children.
By the time of his retirement from teaching in 1910, the English High School was said to be the largest, the best ventilated and the healthiest private school in Buenos Aires.
While he remained in Buenos Aires, he retained close links to Scotland and returned several times for visits. He died on 9 March 1936, age 82, and was buried in British Cemetery at Chacarita, where his grave remains a place of pilgrimage for football fans.
The Argentum 1893 ball was introduced in 2023 by adidas to commemorate Alexander Watson Hutton.
Football legacy
Hutton's legacy as the 'father of Argentine football' relates to his prominent role in establishing the sport on a sound footing. In February 1893 he was appointed President of the relaunched Argentine Association Football League (an earlier attempt in 1891 had foundered with the death of the President, Frank Woolley), which later became the Argentine Football Association. Then in 1898 he backed the foundation of the English High School football team (later Alumni) which won the First Division ten times by 1910 before it was disbanded.
The football fame of Alexander Watson Hutton belongs to his adopted country, and his impact can be explored in more detail through the links posted below. But his story really started back home in Scotland, and I hope this research contributes to a better understanding of the challenges he overcame.
Further links and research
A film of his life, Escuela de Campeones, was made in 1950 (see poster below) and is available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmU3nD3y4Pc
A new book Alumni - El Mito [The Mythical Alumni] tells the story of Hutton's football club. Superbly illustrated, it is published in Argentina by Martin Emanuel de Vita who has made it available as a free download: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/3c5bfe5b66.html
Hutton first came to national notice in Scotland thanks to Dan Brennan's article in The Scotsman in 2008: https://www.scotsman.com/sport/argentine-football-returns-to-roots-of-its-scottish-founder-2474037
Scots Football Worldwide has a detailed account of Hutton and the other Scots who brought football to Argentina: https://www.scotsfootballworldwide.scot/argentina
In 2023 adidas launched the Argentum 1893 as the official ball in Argentina, in celebration of Hutton's legacy (pictured above). You can watch a short promo video here: https://x.com/GustavoYarroch/status/1691446667709390849
A memorial plaque, donated by the Argentina Football Association, is on display in the Scottish Football Museum: www.scottishfa.co.uk/news/the-scottish-trailblazer-who-paved-the-way-for-maradona-and-messi/
Alexander Watson Hutton is also commemorated on the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry: https://www.scottishdiasporatapestry.org/au03-alexander-watson-hutton/
Hutton's legacy as the 'father of Argentine football' relates to his prominent role in establishing the sport on a sound footing. In February 1893 he was appointed President of the relaunched Argentine Association Football League (an earlier attempt in 1891 had foundered with the death of the President, Frank Woolley), which later became the Argentine Football Association. Then in 1898 he backed the foundation of the English High School football team (later Alumni) which won the First Division ten times by 1910 before it was disbanded.
The football fame of Alexander Watson Hutton belongs to his adopted country, and his impact can be explored in more detail through the links posted below. But his story really started back home in Scotland, and I hope this research contributes to a better understanding of the challenges he overcame.
Further links and research
A film of his life, Escuela de Campeones, was made in 1950 (see poster below) and is available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmU3nD3y4Pc
A new book Alumni - El Mito [The Mythical Alumni] tells the story of Hutton's football club. Superbly illustrated, it is published in Argentina by Martin Emanuel de Vita who has made it available as a free download: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/3c5bfe5b66.html
Hutton first came to national notice in Scotland thanks to Dan Brennan's article in The Scotsman in 2008: https://www.scotsman.com/sport/argentine-football-returns-to-roots-of-its-scottish-founder-2474037
Scots Football Worldwide has a detailed account of Hutton and the other Scots who brought football to Argentina: https://www.scotsfootballworldwide.scot/argentina
In 2023 adidas launched the Argentum 1893 as the official ball in Argentina, in celebration of Hutton's legacy (pictured above). You can watch a short promo video here: https://x.com/GustavoYarroch/status/1691446667709390849
A memorial plaque, donated by the Argentina Football Association, is on display in the Scottish Football Museum: www.scottishfa.co.uk/news/the-scottish-trailblazer-who-paved-the-way-for-maradona-and-messi/
Alexander Watson Hutton is also commemorated on the Scottish Diaspora Tapestry: https://www.scottishdiasporatapestry.org/au03-alexander-watson-hutton/
Escuela de Campeones, the 1950 film about Hutton's life and school.
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Author
All blog posts, unless stated, are written by Andy Mitchell.