William George Ballsom (1912 – 1983) was a Welsh 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 ...

of the 1930s. He made 79 appearances 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 ...

during spells with Gillingham and

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 ...

Career

Born on 30 October 1912 in

Trealaw Trealaw is a long village, also a community and electoral ward in the Rhondda Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It stretches over from the junction of Cemetery Road and Brithweunydd Road in the east, to the junction of Ynyscynon Road and Partrid ...

, Ballsom joined Gillingham in 1935 from

Tunbridge Wells Rangers Tunbridge Wells Football Club is a football club based in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. They are currently members of the . They play their home games at Culverden Stadium. The club is affiliated to the Kent County Football Association ...

and went on to make 45 appearances for the club in the

English 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 Engl ...

. When the club was voted out of the league in 1938, however, he returned to his native Wales and signed for

. Replacing Arthur Granville, Ballsom played in 34 league games for the club during the 1938–39 season and was retained for the following year but the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

meant he did not feature for the club again.

References

1912 births 1983 deaths Gillingham F.C. players Cardiff City F.C. players Welsh men's footballers English Football League players Tunbridge Wells F.C. players Men's association football fullbacks {{Wales-footy-defender-stub