Charles Bates (1889 – 20 March 1937) was an English professional

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 le ...

who played as a centre forward. After his retirement from football, Bates qualified as a

chiropodist Podiatry () or podiatric medicine () is a branch of medicine devoted to the study, diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and leg. A Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (DPM), or a podiatrist, is a healthcare ...

. As a youth, Bates played local football in the Birmingham leagues. He later had a spell with

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

, before joining

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 ti ...

side

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

in May 1910. He made his debut for the club on 3 December 1910 in the 2–1 win over

Leicester Fosse Leicester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Leicester in the East Midlands of England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home ...

Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C. since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in English professional football ...

, in place of

Tommy Mayson Thomas Mayson (8 December 1886 – 1972) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and ...

, and kept his place in the team for the next two matches. After four games out of the team Bates was selected for the first match of 1911, away at

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is located east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of the county town, Matlock. Glossop lies near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Manches ...

, and scored his first League goal in the 1–1 draw. He scored twice in the following game, securing a 2–1 victory against

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...

with a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

four minutes from time. During the remainder of the season Bates made sporadic appearances for Burnley; his two goals in the 5–3 win against

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club are a professional association football, football club in Stockport, England, who compete in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they wer ...

on 18 March 1911 meant he ended the campaign with a record of 5 goals in 13 games. Hampered by injury, Bates played just two first-team matches for Burnley during the 1911–12 season. His final league appearance for the club came on 9 December 1911 in the 5–1 win away at

Leeds City Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. It was dissolved in 1919 due to financial irregularities, after which Leeds United was established as a replacement. History The club was ...

. Following his retirement from professional football in 1912, he was appointed assistant trainer at Burnley, and in 1919 he was promoted to senior trainer after the departure of Ernest Edwards. Bates acted as trainer to the England national team for the 1–2 defeat to

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

at Turf Moor on 28 November 1927. He left Burnley in 1934, later becoming trainer at Newport County, before returning to live in Burnley.

Personal life

Bates was a reservist in the

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot an ...

prior to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. At the outbreak of the war, he was called up and while serving as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

was taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

by German forces at

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality co ...

on 31 August 1914. During his imprisonment, he was held in Gottingen.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Charlie 1889 births 1937 deaths English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Darlington F.C. players Burnley F.C. players English Football League players Footballers from Burnley British Army personnel of World War I South Staffordshire Regiment soldiers British World War I prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Germany Military personnel from the West Midlands (county)