George Baddeley (8 May 1874 – July 1952) 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 le ...

who played in

the 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 ...

for

Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stok ...

and

West Bromwich Albion West Bromwich Albion Football Club () is an English professional football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club was formed in 1878 and has pla ...

Career

Born in Fegg Hayes,

Stoke-upon-Trent Stoke-upon-Trent, commonly called Stoke is one of the six towns that along with Hanley, Burslem, Fenton, Longton and Tunstall form the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, England. The town was incorporated as a municipal borough in 18 ...

, Baddeley attended Fegg Hayes Church of England School. After leaving school he played football for Ball Heath, Burslem Swifts, Pitshill and Biddulph He joined

in May 1900 he made his debut in 1901–02. He was awarded the captaincy in his first full season of

1902–03 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 ...

, alongside

Tom Holford Thomas Holford (22 February 1878 – 6 April 1964) was an English footballer who played for Stoke, Manchester City, Port Vale and the England national team. His primary position was wing-half, but over the course of his career he played in ma ...

and

James Bradley James Bradley (1692–1762) was an English astronomer and priest who served as the third Astronomer Royal from 1742. He is best known for two fundamental discoveries in astronomy, the aberration of light (1725–1728), and the nutation of the ...

, Baddeley completed a powerful midfield three which effectively kept Stoke in the First Division throughout the early 1900s. Although occasionally criticised for 'marring a clever display by trying to do much with the ball' Baddeley's consistency allowed him to play 99 consecutive for Stoke from February 1903. Despite home crowds averaging 8,000 in

1905–06 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 ...

, the directors brought poorly and Stoke imploded first being relegated and then being liquidated which saw them leave

at the end of the 1907–08 season. In July 1908 Baddeley along with centre forward Freddie Brown signed for

for £250 and made his debut away at

Grimsby Town Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in ...

two months later. He won a Second Division championship medal with the club in 1910–11 and an FA Cup runners-up medal in

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

. Baddeley's last game for Albion was against

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

on 18 April 1914, at the age of 39 years, 345 days. He remains, as of October 2008, the oldest player ever to appear for the club in a competitive fixture. He retired from football the following month after playing making 157 senior appearances for West Bromwich Albion. He subsequently became a publican and also worked in the upholstery trade. He died in

West Bromwich West Bromwich ( ) is a market town in the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is north-west of Birmingham. West Bromwich is part of the area known as the Black Country, in terms of geography, ...

in July 1952.

Career statistics

Source:

Honours

; West Bromwich Albion *

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 ...

champions: 1910–11 *

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 ...

runner-up: 1911–12

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baddeley, George 1874 births 1952 deaths Footballers from Stoke-on-Trent English men's footballers Stoke City F.C. players West Bromwich Albion F.C. players English Football League players Men's association football defenders