This summer has proved bountiful for fans of all kinds of sports. From the Euros to the cricket test matches, Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, Tour de France, and, of course, the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo from 23 July to 8 August, there is plenty to enjoy.
If the action on the pitch has piqued your interest, you may wish to investigate the lives of well-known sports players or your own sporting ancestors. We hold more information on footballers than any other sport and we’ve highlighted some of our football collection below.
You can read more about this in the Genealogists’ Magazine vol 30 No 10 June 2012 as part of a longer item on Sporting Ancestors by Tim Lawrence.
Joe Smith (pictured above) is number 11 on the list of England’s top-flight goal scorers, with 243 league goals. In the 1914/15 season alone, he scored 36 goals in 45 games as a forward for Bolton Wanderers. He was capped for England five times, but sadly was too old for the 1st World Cup of 1930.
Early players should be found listed in the:
– Who’s who of the Football League 1888-1915 part 1-12 [surnames A-Q] [PR/SPO] and the
– Who’s who of the Football League 1919-39 part 1-9 [Surnames A-L) [PR/SPO], together with the
– 1902-03, 1903-04, 1907-08 and 1909-10 editions of Football who’s who [PR/SPO]
– Forgotten caps : England football internationals of two World Wars [PR/SP]
Sources
– Who’s who of the Football League 1888-1915 part 1-12 [surnames A-Q] [PR/SPO] and the
– Who’s who of the Football League 1919-39 part 1-9 [Surnames A-L) [PR/SPO], together with the
– 1902-03, 1903-04, 1907-08 and 1909-10 editions of Football who’s who [PR/SPO]
– Forgotten caps : England football internationals of two World Wars [PR/SP]
Excellent photographs of some of these can be found in Famous Association footballers 1895 [PR/SPO]
– Players from the post WW2 era should be listed in the following publications:
– Football League players’ records 1946-88 [PR/SPO]
– The F. A. Complete Guide to England Players since 1945 [Apply to staff]
– The PFA Premier & Football League players’ records 1946-2005 [PR/SPO]
– Who’s who in the football league [1952] : extracts from Football Monthly Oct 1952- Jun 1953
– Who’s who in soccer [Winter Palace]
Regional works include:
“Shall it be Bradford or Leeds?” : the origins of professional football in the West Riding textile district [YK/PER Thoresby Society, vol. 63],
East London: a hotbed of football 1867-1918 [ES/L 155]
History of the Lancashire Football Association 1878-1928 [LA/G 67]
The centenary book of the Birmingham County Football Association 1875-1975 [WA/L 64]
Hereward Sports United Counties Football League : a century of football 1895-1995 souvenir centenary brochure [Professions/Occupations tracts box].
Please contact us for more information