William Thomas Charles Dare (14 February 1927 – 8 May 1994) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a forward. He was described as "gutsy" and as a "stocky little battler" and was the first ever footballer to sign for a club on live television. Dare was born in

Willesden Willesden () is an area of northwest London, situated 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Charing Cross. It is historically a parish in the county of Middlesex that was incorporated as the Municipal Borough of Willesden in 1933, and has forme ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and started his footballing career with Hendon. He played only 10 games for Hendon, starting with his debut game on 11 September 1948 against

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

, but managed eight goals. He joined Brentford in 1948, where he was teammates with

Ron Greenwood Ronald Greenwood CBE (11 November 1921 – 9 February 2006) was an English football player and manager, best known for being manager of the English national football team from 1977 until 1982, as well as being manager of West Ham United for 13 ...

. His Brentford debut came on 12 March 1949 against

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

. He made 208 league appearances and 222 in all competitions, before joining

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

for £5,000 in 1955. A prolific goal scorer, Dare scored 52 goals in 125 games in all competitions for West Ham United. He made his Hammers debut on 5 March 1955 in a 2–1 home win against

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...

. His first goal didn't come until two games later, on 19 March 1955, in a 2–1 home defeat of

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

. His 25 goals in all competitions in 1955–56 made him the club's highest scorer for that season. Dare, playing alongside Johnny Dick and

Vic Keeble Victor Albert Williams Keeble (25 June 1930 – 29 January 2018) was an English footballer who played as a centre-forward for Colchester United, Newcastle United and West Ham United. Early life Victor Albert Williams Keeble was born 25 June 1 ...

, played in the club's

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

championship-winning season of 1957–58. Dare contributed 14 league goals, including one hat-trick in a 3–2 defeat of

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...

at Eastville on 31 August 1957, to a campaign in which West Ham scored 101 league goals. However, the now ageing forward struggled at the higher level, and Dare played only two games between February 1958 and April 1959 before his transfer in 1959. The 1959–60 season saw Dare play for Southern League team

Yiewsley Yiewsley ( ) is a large suburban village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, England, 2 miles (3 km) south of Uxbridge, the borough's commercial and administrative centre. Yiewsley was a chapelry in the ancient parish of Hillingdon, Middl ...

, where he played under Bill Dodgin, Sr. and later

Jackie Milburn John Edward Thompson "Jackie" Milburn (11 May 1924 – 9 October 1988) was a football player principally associated with Newcastle United and England, though he also spent four seasons at Linfield. He was also known as Wor Jackie (particularly ...

. He served as manager of

Spartan League The Spartan League was a football league in England covering London and adjacent counties. Established in 1907, it merged with the South Midlands League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands League. History The Spartan League was establish ...

side

Ruislip Manor Ruislip Manor is an area of Ruislip in the London Borough of Hillingdon in West London. It is located approximately west north west of Charing Cross. The construction of a halt on the Metropolitan Railway in the area in 1912 led to the develo ...

in the mid-1960s.

Honours

Player

West Ham United *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

: 1957–58

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dare, Billy 1927 births 1994 deaths Footballers from Willesden English footballers Association football forwards Brentford F.C. players West Ham United F.C. players Tokyngton Manor F.C. managers English Football League players Hillingdon Borough F.C. players Hendon F.C. players Southern Football League players English football managers