Dave Taylor was one of the co-founders of Thames Ironworks, the team that became

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

, in 1895. He was a

foreman __NOTOC__ A foreman, forewoman or foreperson is a supervisor, often in a manual trade or industry. Foreman may specifically refer to: *Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew * Jury foreman, a head j ...

at the

Thames Iron Works The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a shipyard and iron works straddling the mouth of Bow Creek at its confluence with the River Thames, at Leamouth Wharf (often referred to as Blackwall) on the west side and at Cannin ...

as well as being a local football referee. Taylor approached the Ironworks owner

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with the idea of starting a works football team, and with his financial aid was able to announce on 29 June 1895 the following in the company's weekly journal: :''"Mr. Taylor, who is working in the shipbuilding department, has undertaken to get up a football club for next winter and I learn that

quoits Quoits ( or ) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The game of quoits encompasses several distinct var ...

and bowls will also be added to the attractions." - Thames Iron Works Gazette.'' He organised the half-a-crownEquivalent to £ in today's pounds. year's membership for fifty would-be players and spent that summer arranging the fixtures for the Thames Ironworks team and their reserves for the club's inaugural season of 1895–96. Before Thames Ironworks played their first game Dave Taylor returned to refereeing and the organisational duties of the club were handed over to another Thames Iron Works employee, Ted Harsent, who became the first official club secretary.

References

Bibliography

* * West Ham United F.C. club secretaries Year of birth missing Year of death missing Place of birth missing English football referees {{England-footy-bio-stub