C. W. Alcock
Categories: 1842 births | Creators and founders of football (soccer) and its institutions | History of English football | English footballers | FA Cup | Football (soccer) referees | English journalists | 1907 deaths | Old Harrovians
Charles William Alcock (December 2, 1842 - February 26, 1907) was influential in the early days of football, especially as the creator of the FA Cup and instigator of international football.As a player, Alcock appeared for Forest School and Harrow School Wanderers as a hard-working centre-forward with a very accurate shot. In his only international game, he captained England against Scotland on March 6, 1875. He also scored a goal in that game.
The Football Association's influence on the game in the early days was largely confined to organising inter-county friendlies, but this all changed when, on July 20, 1871, Alcock, then FA Secretary, proposed 'That it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association, for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete'. Thus, the FA Cup, the world's first national football tournament - based on Alcock's experience of inter-house 'sudden death' competition at Harrow - was born. Fifteen teams took part in the first competition in 1872, and, appropriately enough, Alcock was the captain of the Wanderers side that won it.
Then it was Alcock's idea again that led to the statement, 'In order to further the interests of the Association in Scotland, it was decided that during the current season, a team should be sent to Glasgow to play a match v Scotland' in the FA's minutes of October 3 1872. The world's first international match would take place between England and Scotland on November 30 1872.
Alcock served as FA Secretary, Honourary Treasurer and Vice President. He also refereed the 1875 and 1879 FA Cup Finals and was a journalist, responsible for compiling the first Football Annual in 1868 and editing the Cricket newspaper for almost a quarter of a century.