Corinthian Football Club was an English amateur

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

between 1882 and 1939. Above all, the club is credited with having popularised football around the world, having promoted sportsmanship and fair play, and having championed the ideals of amateurism. The club was famed for its ethos of "sportsmanship, fair play, ndplaying for the love of the game". Corinthian Spirit, still understood as the highest standard of sportsmanship, is often associated with the side. This spirit was famously summed up in their attitude to penalties; "As far as they were concerned, a gentleman would never commit a deliberate foul on an opponent. So, if a penalty was awarded against the Corinthians, their goalkeeper would stand aside, lean languidly on the goalpost and watch the ball being kicked into his own net. If the Corinthians themselves won a penalty, their captain took a short run-up and gave the ball a jolly good whack, chipping it over the crossbar." Among others,

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

were inspired to adopt Corinthian's white strip, while

Sport Club Corinthians Paulista Sport Club Corinthians Paulista () is a Brazilian sports club based in the Tatuapé district of São Paulo. Although competing in a number of different sports, Corinthians is mostly known for its professional association football team that plays ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and Zejtun Corinthians in Malta adopted their name.

History

The club was founded on 28 September 1882 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 ...

, Assistant Secretary 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 ...

. At that time, football was still amateur, with the English game dominated by southern clubs. In international football (which had not yet spread beyond the home nations),

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

prevailed, having won three consecutive matches over England by scores of 5–1, 6–1 and 5–4. Jackson attributed Scotland's success to "the greater opportunities our opponents over the border aveof playing together", and aimed to counteract this by forming a club "composed of the best amateur players in the kingdom". In order to accomplish this aim, Corinthian F.C. took care to avoid playing matches on Saturdays (when players might be playing for other clubs). The first proposed name for the club was the "Wednesday Club", but this was changed to the "Corinthian Football Club" on the suggestion of Harry Swepstone. From the outset, Corinthian supplied large numbers of players to the

England football team The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by The Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in England, which is affiliat ...

. During the 1880s, the majority of England caps were awarded to Corinthian players and, for two England matches against

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 ...

in 1894 and 1895, the entire team consisted of members of the club (a feat achieved by no other club, before or since). Corinthians 1896-7

Given that the club's constitution declared that it should "not compete for any challenge cup or any prize of any description" the team originally only played

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

es. An exception was later made for the Sheriff of London Charity Shield, for which they competed nine times between 1898 and 1907 (winning three), before the match was replaced in the calendar by the

FA Charity Shield The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier Le ...

. The club would have been strong contenders for the era's honours had they entered major competitions — shortly after Blackburn Rovers beat Queen's Park in the

1884 FA Cup Final The 1884 FA Cup Final was a football match between Blackburn Rovers and Queen's Park contested on 29 March 1884 at the Kennington Oval. It was the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challeng ...

, the Corinthians beat Blackburn 8–1. In 1889, it was written that Corinthians was the only amateur club "which might be pitted against

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

champions Preston North End] with any reasonable hope of success". In the 1904 Sheriff of London Charity Shield against Bury F.C., Bury (who had beaten Derby County F.C., Derby County 6–0 in the 1903 FA Cup Final, 1903 FA Cup final), Corinthian won 10–3. Corinthian fc 1906

Corinthian began competing in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

from the 1922–23 season. They also competed in the

1927 FA Charity Shield The 1927 Football Association Charity Shield was the 14th FA Charity Shield, an annual English association football match. The match, held at Stamford Bridge on 12 October 1927, was contested by Cardiff City, who beat Arsenal in the final of th ...

against

winners

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

, losing 2-1 at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...

Honorary distinctions

Among many others: *Inspired five Brazilian São Paulo railway workers to found one of Brazil's largest and most successful professional teams,

. *Fielded the first Black player to play Association Football at international level, Andrew Watson *Inflicted English side

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

's heaviest defeat, beating the Red Devils 11-3 in a friendly in Leyton, London in 1904. *Awarded Sweden their first National Football title, named the

Corinthian Bowl Corinthian Bowl was a Football in Sweden, Swedish football (soccer), football cup tournament played between 1906 and 1913 commemorating the England, English club Corinthian F.C., Corinthian and their visit to Sweden in 1904. Previous winners ...

. *Inspired Percy Ashley to name Manchester Corinthians LFC in 1949.

Notable players

Notable players who have played for Corinthian FC. include: * Andrew Watson: the first Black player to play Association football at international level. *

C. B. Fry Charles Burgess Fry (25 April 1872 – 7 September 1956) was an English sportsman, teacher, writer, editor and publisher, who is best remembered for his career as a cricketer. John Arlott described him with the words: "Charles Fry could b ...

: sporting polymath who made 74 appearances for Corinthian FC, described by contemporaries as "...probably the most variously gifted Englishman of any age" * R. C. Gosling: described by Sir

Frederick Wall Sir Frederick Joseph Wall (14 April 1858 – 25 March 1944) was an English football administrator. Career Wall became Secretary of the Football Association, a position he held from 1895 to 1934. He was knighted in the 1930 New Year's Honours List ...

, the long-serving Secretary of

the Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

, as "the richest man who ever played football for England". *

Charles Aubrey Smith Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (21 July 1863 – 20 December 1948) was an English Test cricketer who became a stage and film actor, acquiring a niche as the officer-and-gentleman type, as in the first sound version of ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937) ...

: a former Corinthian footballer and British actor, who has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

, situated at 6327 Hollywood Blvd. * Max Woosnam: the English sportsman referred to as the 'Greatest British sportsman' in recognition of his achievements. *

Graham Doggart Alexander Graham Doggart, JP (2 June 1897 – 7 June 1963) was an English administrator, first-class cricketer, footballer and magistrate. Doggart was born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. He was educated at Darlington Grammar School and ...

: a leading goal scorer of Corinthian FC, who went on to appoint England's World Cup winning manager, Sir

Alf Ramsey Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (22 January 1920 – 28 April 1999) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he represented the England national team and captained the side, but he is best known for his time as England manager fr ...

. * Charles Bambridge: held the record for the most years as England's top goalscorer; only Michael Owen,

Vivian Woodward Vivian John Woodward (3 June 1879 – 31 January 1954) was an English footballer who enjoyed the peak of his career from the turn of the 20th century to the outbreak of the First World War. He played for Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. He capta ...

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...

and Gary Lineker have more. * Tinsley Lindley: A Corinthian centre-forward who famously wore his

brogues The brogue (derived from the Gaeilge (Irish), and the Gaelic ( Scottish) for "shoe") is a style of low-heeled shoe or boot traditionally characterised by multiple-piece, sturdy leather uppers with decorative perforations (or "broguing") and s ...

instead of football boots. *

Charles Wreford-Brown Charles Wreford-Brown (9 October 1866 – 26 November 1951) was an English sportsman. He captained the England national football team and was a county cricketer during the Victorian age, and later acted as a sports legislator during the 20th ce ...

: A constant figure throughout the club's golden era, he played 161 games for the club, scoring 8 goals.

Tours

The club's foreign tours are also credited with having popularised football around the world; they were the first club to take the sport outside Europe; the 2000 and 2012 FIFA Club World Champions, SC Corinthians Paulista, are named after the club (indeed, Charles Miller, considered the father of football in Brazil, played for the club in 1892), and the 2015 FIFA Club World Champions,

, wear white to this day in their honor. Their tours included

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. During 'The Split', the 1907–1914 dispute about professional clubs being admitted to membership of the country Football Associations, Corinthian F.C. pledged its allegiance to the Amateur Football Alliance, as did

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. Corinthian therefore, banned from playing top home opposition by The FA, increased the frequency of their foreign tours; "Corinthian FC had little option but to concentrate on their ootballingmissionary work overseas and of the 131 matches played before 'The Split' was resolved in January 1914, 72 were played abroad". The club played at various venues including the

Queen's Club The Queen's Club is a private sporting club in West Kensington, London, England. The club hosts the annual Queen's Club Championships men's grass court lawn tennis tournament (currently known as the "cinch Championships" for sponsorship reas ...

The 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 ...

, and the old Crystal Palace. On 12 April 1939, the Corinthians played their last match. They merged with

Casuals F.C. Casuals F.C. were an amateur football club based in London, formed in 1883. They merged with Corinthian in 1939 to form the Corinthian-Casuals, a club which still exists. History The club was formed in 1883, and was originally made up of p ...

to form a new club,

Corinthian-Casuals F.C. Corinthian-Casuals Football Club is a association football, football club based in Tolworth in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, England. Affiliated to the London Football Association, they are currently members of the and play at Kin ...

Honours

Sheriff of London Charity Shield: 3 *Winners:

1898 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, B ...

(shared),

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

England international players

In all, Corinthian FC had 86 England Internationals (the most of any club), 16 England captains (the most of any club), 12 Welsh Internationals, 8 Scottish Internationals and 2 Irish Internationals. Many players played for Corinthian as a secondary club while playing for another primary club. The 17 players listed below are those that had Corinthian FC as their principal club:Club Affiliations – Corinthians
/ref> *

Claude Ashton Claude Thesiger Ashton (19 February 1901 – 31 October 1942) was an English amateur footballer and first-class cricketer. As footballer he played for Corinthians in several different positions including goalkeeper and centre forward, although hi ...

(1 cap) *

Alfred Bower Alfred George Bower (10 November 1895 – 30 June 1970) was an English amateur footballer who played at full back. He made five appearances for England between 1923 and 1927, three times as captain. He was a member of the Corinthian amateur club ...

(5 caps) *

Jackie Burns Jackie or Jacky may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters named Jackie or Jacky ** Jackie, current ring name of female professional wrestler Jacqueline Moore ** Jackie Lee ( ...

(16 caps) * Bertie Corbett (1 cap) * Norman Creek (1 cap) *

(1 cap) *

Tip Foster Reginald Erskine Foster (16 April 1878 – 13 May 1914), nicknamed Tip Foster, commonly designated R. E. Foster in sporting literature, was an English first-class cricketer and footballer. He is the only man to have captained England at both sp ...

(4 caps) *

(1 cap) *

Jackie Hegan Kenneth Edward "Jackie" Hegan OBE (24 January 1901 – 3 March 1989) was an English amateur footballer who played on the wing and made four appearances for England in 1923, scoring four goals. He was a member of the Corinthian amateur club, and a ...

(4 caps) *

Arthur Henfrey Arthur Henfrey may refer to: * Arthur Henfrey (footballer) (1867–1929), English footballer * Arthur Henfrey (botanist) Arthur Henfrey (1 November 1819 – 7 September 1859) was an English surgeon and botanist. Life Henfrey was born of Engl ...

(4 caps) *

Cecil Holden-White Cecil Henry Holden-White (3 November 1860 – 21 September 1934) was an English international footballer, who played as a left half. Life He was born in Harold House on Lansdown Road in Kensington, the son of Henry White (d.1900) and his Swiss ...

(2 caps) *

Anthony Hossack Anthony Henry Hossack (2 May 1867 – 24 January 1925) was an English footballer who made two appearances for England in the 1890s playing at right half. Career Hossack was born in Walsall, but was educated at Chigwell School, playing for the sc ...

(2 caps) *

Vaughan Lodge Lewis Vaughan Lodge (21 December 1872 – 21 October 1916) was an English Association football, footballer who represented the England national football team. He also played first-class cricket with Hampshire County Cricket Club, Hampshire. Spo ...

(2 caps) *

Bernard Middleditch Bernard Middleditch (1870 – 3 October 1949) was an English international footballer, who played as a right half. Career Born in Highgate, Middleditch played for Corinthian, and earned one cap for England England is a country that is ...

(1 cap) * William Oakley (12 caps) *

Basil Patchitt Basil Clement Alderson Patchitt (8 August 1900 – 2 July 1991) was an English international footballer who earned two caps for the England national team in 1923, captaining the team on both occasions. Patchitt, who played as a right half, play ...

(2 caps) *

G. O. Smith Gilbert Oswald Smith (25 November 1872 – 6 December 1943
), familiarly known as G. O. Smith or simply as G. O. ...

(7 caps) *

Geoffrey Plumpton Wilson Geoffrey Plumpton Wilson (21 February 1878 – 30 July 1934) was an English amateur footballer who played at inside left. He made two appearances for England in 1900, scoring once. He was a member of the Corinthian amateur club and made three app ...

(2 caps) Danish international

Nils Middelboe Nils Middelboe (5 October 1887 – 21 September 1976) was a Danish amateur track and field athlete and football player as well as a football referee and leader. He represented the Denmark national football team at the 1908, 1912 and 1920 Su ...

played for Corinthian after finishing his career with Chelsea.

History

Honorary distinctions

Notable players

Tours

Honours

England international players

See also

References

Further reading