Frederick Morley (1 March 1888 – 4 June 1970) was an English professional
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 ...
inside forward who began his career in England before finishing it in the
American Soccer League. He was born in
Burslem, England.
Career
Morley began his career with
Reading of the
Southern League. In 1909, he transferred to
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
, then in the
Second Division. He saw time in eighty league games before leaving the team in 1912. There is a six-year gap in his career records as he is then shown signing with
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
in August 1918.
In March 1921, Morley injured his knee. Trainers informed him it was most likely a career-ending injury. Morley left England and moved to the United States. That Fall, he signed with
Philadelphia Field Club
Philadelphia Field Club is a name used by four soccer teams based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. All four versions of Philadelphia F.C. competed in the first American Soccer League, but none were in any way related to the other three teams whic ...
of the
American Soccer League. Philadelphia was created when
Bethlehem Steel moved to Philadelphia for the inaugural ASL season. A powerhouse team, Philadelphia took the league championship, but the ownership moved it back to Bethlehem at the end of the season. Morley moved to
J&P Coats for one season before joined the
Fall River F.C. in 1923. During his four seasons in Fall River, Morley and his teammates won three league titles and two
National Challenge Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States of America. It is the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in that country.
The 2023 U.S. O ...
titles. While Morley was never a prolific goal scorer, in the
1924 National Challenge Cup
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Music ...
final, he scored two goals as the 'Marksmen' defeated
St. Louis Vesper Buick Vesper Buick was a U.S. soccer team established in 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri. The team played in the St. Louis Soccer League, winning two league titles and losing the 1924 National Challenge Cup. The team changed sponsorship in 1926, becoming ...
4–2. Morley's career records have another gap between 1927 and 1928 when he is not listed with any team. In 1928, he signed with
J&P Coats, but played only two games before retiring. Following his retirement, he coached the
Fall River F.C.
Personal life
Morley served in the
Royal Garrison Artillery during the
First World War.
Honours
Brentford
*
London Combination:
1918–19
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morley, Fred
1888 births
Military personnel from Stoke-on-Trent
English men's footballers
Reading F.C. players
Blackpool F.C. players
Brentford F.C. players
American Soccer League (1921–1933) players
Philadelphia Field Club players
Pawtucket Rangers players
Fall River F.C. (1922–1931) players
American Soccer League (1921–1933) coaches
Footballers from Burslem
1970 deaths
English Football League players
Men's association football forwards
English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States
English expatriate men's footballers
British Army personnel of World War I
Royal Garrison Artillery soldiers
English football managers