Walter Bull (19 December 1871 – 21 July 1952)) was an English football player and manager. He was the first coach of a football team in Argentina. He was born and died in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

. Bull played for

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 25 November 1862, it is the ...

and

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The team has playe ...

in the late 1890s and 1900s. At international level, Bull played for the Football League representative against the Scottish League side at

Ibrox Park Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium on the south side of the River Clyde in the Ibrox area of Glasgow, Scotland. The home of Rangers Football Club, Ibrox is the third largest football stadium in Scotland, with an all-seated capacity of . ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, on 19 March 1901. He had previously scored for the North in an international trial match against the South at the old Crystal Palace on 25 February 1901. He then featured for the South v North at Ashton Gate, Bristol on 13 February 1905 and again on 22 January 1906. He also played for Professionals of the South v Amateurs of the South on 8 January 1906. During 1905–06 he was first reserve for the full

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

team as understudy to Colin Veitch, the regular centre half. He represented the Spurs on the

Professional Footballers Association The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members. The aims of ...

committee when the organisation was formed in 1907. At Tottenham, he counted amongst his teammates

Herbert Chapman Herbert Chapman (19 January 1878 – 6 January 1934) was an English football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most influential and successful managers in the early 20th ...

; in 1907 Bull was offered the job of

Northampton Town Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team plays in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1897, the club competed in the Midland ...

manager but after accepting changed his mind, and recommended Chapman take charge of the club instead, launching his career in management. Bull had the privilege to be the first coach ever of a football team in Argentina when he was hired by club

Gimnasia y Esgrima de Buenos Aires Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima (also known for its acronym GEBA) is an Argentine multi-sports club placed in the city of Buenos Aires. The institution is one of the oldest in the country, having been established in 1880. Gimnasia y Esgrima is also one ...

in 1911. Bull's duties included taking over the youth divisions of the club.Húngaros, serbios y croatas dejaron su marca en el país
''Clarín'', 28 October 2009 It was the second coming of Bull to Argentina since he had been part of the Tottenham Hotspur team that toured South America in 1909. Local newspaper ''

La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal '' Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argentina. Its motto is: "''La Na ...

'' wrote about the arrival of Bull to Gimnasia y Esgrima: After his brief tenure on Argentine football, Bull would eventually become Chapman's successor at

, taking over in 1912 but managing the club for just a single season ( 1912-13).League Managers Association
(archived, 8 March 2014)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bull, Walter 1952 deaths English men's footballers Notts County F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players English football managers Northampton Town F.C. managers Year of birth unknown English Football League players English Football League representative players Southern Football League players 1871 births Men's association football players not categorized by position British expatriates in Argentina Footballers from Nottingham