William McGregor

William McGregor

William McGregor (born April 13, 1846 in Braco , Perthshire , † December 20, 1911 in Birmingham ) was a Scottish football official in the Victorian era . He is considered to be the inventor of the English " Football League ", which was launched in 1888 as the world's first national football league. After moving from Perthshire in central Scotland to Birmingham, England, the cloth merchant came into contact with the football club Aston Villa . He served this club in various capacities as president, director and chairman for a period of 20 years and helped it develop into one of the leading English football clubs. Out of frustration with the chaotic schedules of the game days, he organized a meeting with the officials of the leading English football clubs, which ultimately led to the founding of the Football League. He himself served the League Association as president and was also chairman of the English football association " Football Association " (FA).

Professional background

Born in the Scottish county of Perthshire, McGregor first came into contact with football when he was in Ardoch in 1865 to watch a local selection match against local artisans . He first completed his training in the cloth trade in Perth , Scotland , before moving to Birmingham in 1870 - like his brother before - to open his own shop there. Although he had not watched another football match in five years, shortly after his arrival in the Midlands he became involved with the local club Calthorpe FC, which had been founded by his Scottish compatriot Campbell Orr. He developed such a passion for his new field of activity that he always closed his shop earlier every Saturday to be able to attend the games. He later sold matching clothes for the soccer player and his shop became more and more a popular meeting place for soccer enthusiasts.

Aston Villa

In 1877, Aston Villa , founded only three years earlier, invited McGregor to become a member of the club's committee. The fact that the club was under far-reaching Scottish influence made the decision for the businessman easy, especially since the games , which were then played in Aston Park, were not far from his business. McGregor often helped out as an "umpire", as the more advisory role for players and referees was called earlier. In the further course he became an important puller at Aston Villa and took over the function of "club administrator". When the "Villans" won the first title in club history with the Birmingham Senior Cup in 1880 , McGregor took over the presidency.

McGregor moved to a director post the following year, which he retained until 1895. The position in English football had improved continuously for Aston Villa and the team won the FA Cup as the first club from the Midlands after a final victory against local rivals West Bromwich Albion in 1887 . After McGregor had been vice chairman since 1895, he took full leadership of the club two years later. From an organizational point of view, the ambitious Scot was one of the central control points in the association for years.

Founder of the Football League

In the mid-1880s, English football finally developed professional structures, which created new problems for the clubs. Lucrative friendly matches often fell victim to the FA Cup and a number of regional cup competitions, which were usually not financially rewarding. Short-term game cancellations were also not uncommon if the opponent had the opportunity to increase the income with another game. The weekly fees for their own players could only be paid with great effort - or often not at all. When Aston Villa had to suffer from a game cancellation on the fifth Saturday in a row in the spring of 1888 and increasing dissatisfaction spread among the supporters, McGregor decided to act. On March 2, 1888, he wrote a letter to the leading English clubs proposing the establishment of a national league competition that would guarantee the clubs a series of games each season:

“Every year it becomes harder and harder for football clubs of all levels to play friendlies or even just to arrange them. As a result, clashes with cup competitions at the last minute often force clubs to duel with opponents who do not attract the public.

I would therefore ask you to consider the following in order to overcome this difficulty: that ten or twelve of the most prominent clubs in England come together to play home and away games against each other each season; the games mentioned should be agreed at a collegial meeting that could take place at the same time as the international conference.
The association could be called "Association Football Union" and run with one representative from each club. Of course, this should not disturb the national association; the proposed games could even be played under cup rules. However, this is only a detail.
Rather, the aim of my writing here is to draw your attention to the matter and encourage a friendly meeting to discuss the matter in full. I will deal with the matter preferentially, if you will kindly consider the matter, and in that context I will consider any suggestion that you consider necessary. I am only writing to Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, West Bromwich Albion, and Aston Villa in detail, and I am happy to receive suggestions which other clubs you may have in mind.
Sincerely, William McGregor (Aston Villa FC)

PS Would Friday, March 23rd, 1888, be suitable for a friendly talk at the Anderton's Hotel in London? "

McGregor chose March 23 as the conference date, as the FA Cup final was to be played the next day and therefore all the officials of the major clubs were in London . It quickly became clear that the clubs from the south of England were not interested in McGregor's proposal and so a second meeting in Manchester had to be arranged for April 17th , at which a few details were clarified before the final decision. McGregor's proposal for a name met with widespread rejection, as "The Association Football Union" was too reminiscent of the rival association Rugby Football Union . The decision was made in favor of " The Football League ", although this designation was not met with approval by McGregor due to associations with the unpopular Irish Land League . In September 1888, twelve clubs began playing in league football, including McGregor's Aston Villa.

In the new association McGregor sat between 1888 and 1892 initially on the administrative committee. He then took over the presidency for two years before being named the first "life member" in 1895. Parallel to his obligations for the Football League, he was chairman of the Football Association between 1888 and 1894. In soccer, he became one of the first celebrities off the field, and he also made a name for himself in the press with his sports journalistic activities.

Death and legacy

Despite his wide-ranging activities for football, McGregor always continued his cloth business. He fell seriously ill in May 1910 and had to be looked after in a nursing home, where he died on December 20, 1911. McGregor was a devout Methodist ; However, he was buried on the site of a Church of England St. Mary's Church in Handsworth - at the side of his wife Jessie, who had died in 1908. McGregor, who left a son and daughter, was remembered by the football world as the "father of the Football League" and was given a prominent place in the history books of both English football in general and "his" club Aston Villa in particular.

Shortly before his death, the FA honored McGregor with a medal for his long service to football. His many posthumous honors include a fountain dedicated to him at Villa Park , where his former club now plays its home games. More recently, his work has been recognized by his inclusion in the newly opened Aston Villa Hall of Fame (as one of only twelve important personalities at the club). A VIP room in Villa Park is named after him. A bronze statue of William McGregor has stood in Villa Park since 2009.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} "The FA and Braco" ( Memento from December 16, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (Perth and Kinross Council, p. 12)
2. ↑ "William McGregor statue a step closer thanks to Aston Villa supporters" (birminghammail.net)
3. ^ "Club Profile: Aston Villa" (Premier League)
4. ^ "The rules, and history of the rule, of association football" (everything2.com)
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Source: Tony Matthews: The Legends of Aston Villa . Breedon Books Publishing Co. Ltd., 2007, ISBN 1-85983-580-5 , pp. 116 .
6. ^ "Villa Legends: George Ramsay" ( Memento from February 26, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (Aston Villa FC)
7. ↑ Source: Phil Soar & Martin Tyler: Encyclopedia of British Football . Willow Books, 1983, ISBN 0-00-218049-9 , pp. 24 .
8. ↑ "Demolition for Villa birthplace" " (BBC)
9. ↑ ^{a b} Source: Phil Soar & Martin Tyler: Encyclopedia of British Football . S. 162 .
10. ↑ ^{a b c} Source: Hunter Davies: Boots, Balls and Haircuts: An Illustrated History of Football from Then to Now . Cassell Illustrated, 2003, ISBN 1-84403-261-2 , pp. 39-41 .
11. ↑ Source: Stefan Szymanski: National Pastime: How Americans Play Baseball and the Rest of the World plays Soccer . Brookings Institution, 2006, ISBN 0-8157-8259-4 , pp. 41 .
12. ^ "The Football League - Part 17 of the History of Football" (The Association of Football Statisticians)
13. ↑ Source: Phil Soar & Martin Tyler: Encyclopedia of British Football . S. 16 .
14. ^ "Football League 1888-89" . Retrieved October 23, 2013. (The Football Club History Database)
15. ↑ Source: Richard Cox: Encyclopedia of British Football . Routledge, 2002, ISBN 0-7146-5249-0 , pp. 3 .
16. ↑ ^{a b c} Source: Tony Matthews: The Legends of Aston Villa . S. 117 .
17. ^ "Grave of William McGregor in St Mary's Graveyard" ( Memento June 15, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (Digital Midlands Project)
18. ↑ Source: Matthew Taylor: The Leaguers: The Making of Professional Football in England, 1900-1939 . Liverpool University Press, 2005, ISBN 0-85323-649-6 , pp. 48 .
19. ^ "Villa Legends: William McGregor" ( Memento from April 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (Aston Villa FC)
20. ^ "McGregor's Restaurant" (Aston Villa Hospitality and Events)
21. ↑ bbc.co.uk: Fans' tribute to football's' savior '(November 28, 2009) , accessed on March 26, 2019