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Charles William Alcock (2 December 1842 – 26 February 1907) was an English sportsman, administrator, author and editor. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
, as well as being the creator of the FA Cup.


Early life and career

Alcock was born in Sunderland on 2 December 1842, the second son of the elder Charles Alcock, a ship builder and owner, and his wife Elizabeth. From 1853 to 1859, Alcock attended Harrow School. By the time young Charles left Harrow, his family had moved from Sunderland to
Chingford Chingford is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The town is approximately north-east of Charing Cross, with Waltham Abbey to the north, Woodford Green and Buckhurst Hill to the east, Walthamstow to th ...
, Essex. Charles senior subsequently established a marine insurance business in the City of London.


Footballer


Forest/Wanderers

In 1859, Charles, along with his elder brother John Forster Alcock, was a founder of Forest Football Club, based in Leytonstone, Essex. As Charles Alcock would later write: In March 1862, both brothers played for Forest in a home 1–0 victory over
Crystal Palace FC Crystal Palace Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon, Borough of Croydon, South London, England, who compete in the Premier League, the highest level of English ...
. Charles was a prime mover in the 1863 foundation of Forest's more famous successor,
Wanderers F.C. Wanderers Football Club was an English association football club. It was founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859 in Leytonstone. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers", a reference to it never having a home stadium, instead playing at v ...
, who were initially a predominantly Old Harrovian side. Alcock captained Wanderers to triumph in the very first FA Cup final, in 1872. During this match, he put the ball in the opponents' goal, but the score was disallowed because of an earlier handball. For their influence on the game of football the Wanderers were considered as early as 1870 to be the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) of football. Alcock also turned out for Upton Park during his career.


England

Alcock captained the England team in all five of the England v Scotland matches from 1870 to 1872, which are not now recognized as full internationals because the "Scotland" team contained only London-based players. On 6 March 1875, he captained England in a full international against Scotland, scoring a goal in a 2–2 draw.


Other matches

Alcock represented the "London" (FA) team in the London v Sheffield match of 1866, scoring a goal that was disallowed for offside.


Playing style

Alcock was a proponent and pioneer of modern football playing styles that employed teamwork and passing. As early as 1870 Alcock was the first to recognise the benefit of playing football in a "scientific" way. Alcock himself was one of the earliest football players to be described in ''contemporary'' reports as showing teamwork between players, for example in the 1871 England versus Scotland international:
"indeed it seemed as if the cottishdefence would prove more than equal to the attack until a well executed run down by C W Alcock WC Butler and RSF Walker, ''acting in concert'', enabled the last named of the trio to equalise the score by the accomplishment of a well merited goal"
In 1874 Alcock was the first to advocate the predecessor of the modern passing style known as the " Combination game": "Nothing succeeds better than what I may call a 'combination game'" He attributed to
Sheffield FC Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, although now based in nearby Dronfield, across the county boundary in Derbyshire. They currently compete in the . Founded in October 1857 Events J ...
the beginning of the modern passing game. In a discussion on the history of a "definite scheme of attack" and "elaborate combination" in football playing style, Alcock noted (in 1891): "The perfection of the system which is in vogue at the present time however is in a very great measure the creation of the last few years. The Cambridge University eleven of 1883 were the first to illustrate the full possibilities of a systematic combination giving full scope to the defence as well as the attack"


Football administrator

Forest FC was one of the founding clubs of the
Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world an ...
(FA), the club being represented in the first 1863 meetings by Charles's elder brother John (as club captain) and A. W. Mackenzie (as club secretary). John Alcock was elected to the FA's committee in December 1863, serving until February 1866, when he was replaced by Charles.


FA Committee Member (1866-1870)

At the FA's annual meeting in February 1867, Charles Alcock expressed the view that "a little more energy was required to establish the game on a sure footing", and suggested an extraordinary meeting of the association ought to be held during the Christmas holidays with a view to increasing the acceptance of the FA's rules by schools and universities. He also argued successfully for the law-change proposed by Wanderers FC to eliminate the " touch down" tie-breaker from the FA laws, and against several alterations suggested by
Sheffield FC Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, although now based in nearby Dronfield, across the county boundary in Derbyshire. They currently compete in the . Founded in October 1857 Events J ...
that would have introduced features from Sheffield rules football into the FA code, saying that his proposed changes would be "the only step to inducing the public schools to join" the association. In October 1867, Alcock was given the responsibility for selecting the "Middlesex" players for the inaugural county match between Middlesex and a "Surrey and Kent XI".


FA Secretary (1870-1895)

In 1870, Alcock was elected honorary secretary and treasurer of the FA, replacing Robert Graham in both roles. He served as secretary for 25 years (unpaid until 1887). His unprecedently long tenure encompassed the establishment of international matches, the introduction of the FA Cup, the unification of Sheffield rules football with association football, and the introduction of professionalism.


First international match

Alcock was one of those responsible for the first ever international soccer match (and subsequent early international games) with Scotland. The first two of these took place in 1870, with later matches in 1871 and 1872. After the 1870 games there was resentment in Scotland that their team did not contain more home grown players and some of this fire was aimed at Alcock. Alcock himself was categorical about the international standing of the 1870 games and where he felt responsibility lay for the inclusion of so many England-based players in the Scotland team, writing in ''
the Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...
'' newspaper:
"I must join issue with your correspondent in some instances. First, I assert that of whatever the Scotch eleven may have been composed the right to play was ''open to every Scotchman'' lcock's italicswhether his lines were cast North or South of the Tweed and that if in the face of the invitations publicly given through the columns of leading journals of Scotland the representative eleven consisted chiefly of Anglo-Scotians ... the fault lies on the heads of the players of the north, not on the management who sought the services of all alike impartially. To call the team London Scotchmen contributes nothing. The match was, as announced, to all intents and purposes between England and Scotland"."Charles W Alcock", ''The Scotsman'', 28 November 1870, p. 7
Alcock then proceeded to offer further challenges with a Scottish team drawn from Scotland and proposed the north of England as a compromise venue to take into account travelling distances. Although not currently recognised by FIFA as official, the Scotsman newspaper described the 1870 and 1871 games as "international" and in italics. One reason for the absence of a response to Alcock's early challenges may have been different football codes being followed in Scotland at the time. A written reply to Alcock's letter above states: "Mr Alcock's challenge to meet a Scotch eleven on the borders sounds very well and is doubtless well meant. But it may not be generally well known that Mr Alcock is a very leading supporter of what is called the "association game"... devotees of the "association" rules will find no foemen worthy of their steel in Scotland". Alcock appeared to be particularly concerned about the number of players in Scottish football teams at the time, adding: "More than eleven we do not care to play as it is with greater numbers it is our opinion the game becomes less scientific and more a trial of charging and brute force... Charles W Alcock, Hon Sec of Football Association and Captain of English Eleven". In 1872 Alcock's was behind the statement that '''To further the interests of the Association in Scotland, it was decided that during the current season, a team should be sent to Glasgow to play a match v Scotland''' in the FA's minutes of 3 October 1872. The 1872 international match took place between England and Scotland on 30 November, with Alcock ruled out of the England side which drew 0–0 at the
West of Scotland Cricket Ground Hamilton Crescent is a cricket ground in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the home of the West of Scotland Cricket Club. Hamilton Crescent hosted the first international football match, between Scotland and England, played on 30 ...
in Partick through injury sustained two weeks earlier, playing for Old Harrovians against Old Etonians. Instead he represented his country as
umpire An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per' ...
, with the England captaincy awarded to
Cuthbert Ottaway Cuthbert John Ottaway (19 July 1850 – 2 April 1878)''Jackson's Oxford Journal'', 6 April 1878. was an English footballer. He was the first captain of the England football team and led his side in the first official international football m ...
.


FA Cup

On 20 July 1871, Alcock, in his position as FA Secretary, proposed '''That it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association, for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete'''. Thus, the FA Cup – the world's first national football tournament, based on Alcock's experience of inter-house ' sudden death' competition at Harrow – was born. Fifteen teams took part in the first competition in
1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...
, with Alcock captaining the winning Wanderers side. It was only fitting that the final should be played at The Oval, since Alcock had become Secretary of Surrey County Cricket Club the previous month.


Professionalism

As Secretary of the Football Association, Alcock played a leading role in the debate over professionalism in the 1880s. Following a controversy over the expulsion of
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syst ...
from the
1883–84 FA Cup The 1883–84 Football Association Challenge Cup was the 13th staging of the FA Cup, England's oldest football tournament. One hundred teams entered, sixteen more than the previous season, although three of the one hundred never played a match. ...
over alleged financial inducements to Scottish players, Alcock worked to introduce a regulated professionalism into the game. He was influenced by the model of professionalism that had already been introduced in cricket, with which he was familiar as a result of his role as Secretary of Surrey Cricket Club.


Referee

Alcock
referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other tit ...
d the
1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of th ...
and
1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...
FA Cup Finals.


Cricket

In
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
, Alcock captained
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbouri ...
in the first county match in 1867, before playing for
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Gr ...
. He played only one first-class fixture, for Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), in 1862 (Essex was not yet a first-class county). Between 1872 and 1907, Alcock served as secretary of Surrey. Repeating his interest in sporting internationals, he arranged the first cricket Test match to be played in England, England against Australia at the
Kennington Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it ...
in 1880


Author

Throughout the majority of his career, Alcock supported his family with his work as an author and editor of books and periodicals.


Newspapers

Alcock started work at the recently-launched '' The Sportsman'' in the late 1860s, becoming the athletics, football and cricket sub-editor of that journal by 1867. In 1882, Alcock launched: '' Cricket: A Weekly Record of the Game'', a successful newspaper which ran until 1913. He also produced a parallel magazine about football: ''Football'', co-edited by
Nicholas Lane Jackson Nicholas Lane Jackson, known as N. L. Jackson and "Pa" Jackson, (1 November 1849 – 26 October 1937) was an English sports administrator and author. Early life Jackson was born in Hackney, London in 1849 to his father, also named Nicholas ...
; this venture was less successful, within six months being renamed ''Pastime: the Lawn-Tennis Journal'', with Jackson as sole editor.


Annuals

Alcock founded and edited the ''
Football Annual __NOTOC__ The ''Football Annual'' was a reference work published annually from 1868 to 1908. It reported on the various codes of football played in England, and also provided some coverage of the other home nations, supplemented on occasion by r ...
'' from 1867 until his death; he also founded and edited ''
James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual ''James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual'' was a cricket annual edited by Charles W. Alcock, the secretary of Surrey County Cricket Club Surrey County Cricket Club (Surrey CCC) is a first-class club in county cricket, one of eighteen in the ...
'' from 1872 to 1900.


Death

Charles Alcock is buried in West Norwood Cemetery in south London, England.Burial confirmation
: ''Friends of West Norwood Cemetery'' website.


Publications


Football Annual

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Cricket Calendar

* * *


Other publications

* * * * * * * ** included in ** Revised edition, with illustrations (1897) **
New edition
(1906) * * * * *


References


Bibliography

* Booth, Keith. ''The Father of Modern Sport: The Life and Times of Charles W. Alcock'', Parrs Wood Press. 2002.


External links

* Football: The Association Game (1906)
British Football Legends profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alcock, C.W. 1842 births 1907 deaths Association football forwards Burials at West Norwood Cemetery Creators of association football England international footballers England v Scotland representative footballers (1870–1872) English cricket administrators English cricketers English football referees English footballers English male journalists Essex cricketers FA Cup Final players FA Cup Final referees FA Cup winning managers Footballers from Chingford Founders of association football institutions History of football in England Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Middlesex cricketers People educated at Harrow School People from Chingford Upton Park F.C. players Wanderers F.C. players 19th-century British businesspeople