Sir John Charles Clegg.

Sir John Charles Clegg (15 June 1850 - 26 June 1937), better known as Charles Clegg, was an English footballer and later both chairman and president of the Football Association. Events 763 BC - Assyrians record a Solar eclipse that will be used to fix the Chronology of Mesopotamian history For the game see 1850 (board game. 1850 ( MDCCCL) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey He was born in Sheffield and lived there his whole life. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England He competed in the first international between England and Scotland in 1872. He was the older brother of William Clegg, whom he played both with and against. Sir William Clegg ( 21 April 1852 - 1932 was an English footballer and politician

He became heavily involved in local football serving as chairman and president of both Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He was also one of the founders of the latter. He was also played a critical role in merging the two competing Sheffield football associations in to the Sheffield and Hallamshire Football Association, which he then became chairman of. The Sheffield and Hallamshire Football Association (originally called the Sheffield Football Association was formed in Sheffield in 1867 and was the first During his reign in charge of the FA he became known as the Napoleon of Football.

Early life and playing career

Charles Clegg was the son of Mary and William Johnson Clegg, who would go on to have a total of 6 children. His father was a trainee solicitor at the time of Charles' birth. Two years later he became a highway rate collector but re-entered the profession after the Great Sheffield Flood in 1864. The Great Sheffield Flood, also known as the Great Inundation, was a Flood that devastated parts of Sheffield, England, on 11 March He prepared claims against the water company responsible. This would lead to him to become a fully qualified solicitor and found his own firm, which became known as Clegg & Sons. ^[1] He would also go on to be mayor of Sheffield three times. The Lord Mayor of Sheffield is a ceremonial post held by a member of Sheffield City Council. ^[2]

Charles joined his father's law firm after leaving school and would eventually become a solicitor in 1872. In the same year he married Mary Sykes with whom he would have 3 children. Both Charles and his brother were noted athletes with a flair for football. Charles was also an outstanding runner winning prizes at the 100 yards sprint and the quarter mile. Locally he played for Sheffield F.C., Perseverance and Broomhill but his favoured club became Sheffield Wednesday. Sheffield Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Sheffield FC or Sheffield, is an English Amateur football club from Sheffield

He represented the Sheffield Association the first inter-association match against the FA at Bramall Lane on 2 December 1871 and would become a regular feature in inter-association matches. The Sheffield and Hallamshire Football Association (originally called the Sheffield Football Association was formed in Sheffield in 1867 and was the first } Bramall Lane Stadium is the home of Sheffield United Football Club in Sheffield, England and is the oldest major stadium in Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1871 ( MDCCCLXXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common ^[3]

The highlight of his career came when he represented England in the first international played on 30 November 1872. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Scotland v England (1872 was the first ever official international football match to be played Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats Year 1872 ( MDCCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year However he did not enjoy the experience later stating that his team mates were 'snobs from the south who had no use for a lawyer from Sheffield'. This would prove to be the only cap that he would earn. He and William would go on to become the first brothers to win English caps when his brother earned his first cap the next year. ^[4]

Towards the end of his career he earned one last distinction. When it was decided to experiment with the first floodlit match he and his brother were chosen to captain the two sides involved. On the night of 15 October 1878 a crowd of 20,000 turned up at Bramall Lane to watch the Reds (captained by Charles) were beaten by the Blues 2-0. Events 533 - Byzantine General Belisarius makes his formal entry into Carthage, having conquered it from the Year 1878 ( MDCCCLXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The game was declared a huge success. ^[5]

Rise to the top

After finishing his playing career Charles became a referee. During the 80s it was said that there were few major Sheffield matches that were not refereed by either him or his brother (William Clegg). He also was put in charge of two FA Cup finals, in 1882 and 1892 as well as the 1888 match between Scotland and Wales and the 1893 match between England and Scotland. The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. The Wales national football team represents Wales in international men's football. ^[6]

He also became prevalent in local football politics. In the mid 1880s he became the Chairman of Sheffield Wednesday. He also became chairman of Sheffield Football Association in 1885 earning a place on the FA Council. The FA Council consists of 92 elected representatives from the FA Premier League, the Football League, County FAs, and the non-executive board of He subsequently played a crucial role in uniting the Sheffield and Hallamshire associations.

In 1889, in his role as president of Sheffield United Cricket Club, he proposed that a football club should be based at Bramall Lane. It was named after the cricket club and so Sheffield United Football Club was born on 22 March 1889. Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Events 238 - Gordian I and his son Gordian II are proclaimed Roman emperor. Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He would also become the president and chairman of the new club. ^[7]

The Napoleon of Football

Charles Clegg became chairman of the Football Association in 1890. The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey It was a turbulent time in English football. Professionalism, something that Charles vehemently opposed throughout his life, had been legalised in 1885 and the Football League had been created the season before. The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs

During his years in charge, Charles would oversee the Football Association's entry into FIFA in 1905 and subsequent exit in 1919. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football) After re-entering in the early 1920s they would leave FIFA once again in 1927 over the thorny issue of professional payments.

He also became President of the FA in 1923 after the death of Lord Kinnaird. Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird 11th Lord Kinnaird KT ( 16 February 1847 &ndash 30 January 1923) was a principal of The Football No other person before or since has held both positions. He was knighted by King George V in 1927. The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. Although the citation did not mention football, he is generally regarded as the first person to receive a knighthood for services to football. ^[5]

Charles Clegg died on the 26 June 1937, barely two months after seeing his beloved Wednesday fall into the second division. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. His funeral was held at Sheffield Cathedral on the 30 June and was attended by representatives from both national FAs and all the county FAs of England as well as a number of clubs. Sheffield Cathedral (The Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul Sheffield) is the Cathedral church for the Church of England diocese Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper He was buried at Fulwood Churchyard in Sheffield. ^[6]

Personality

Charles Clegg was a strict teetotaller and non-smoker. See also Prohibition, Temperance movement Teetotalism (or T-total is the practice and promotion of complete Abstinence from Alcoholic beverages He also had a deep religious conviction. His favourite quote was "nobody ever gets lost on a straight road". He was known to frown on those who drank before matches and also disliked gambling. He feared that professionalism would be a corrupting influence on the game and fought a losing battle against it throughout his administrative career.

Despite this he was more broad-minded than people expected. He understood that players sometimes had to 'rough it'. He also had a sharp wit. During a disciplinary meeting, where a young player had been brought before him for ungentlemanly remarks to a referee, Clegg asked what had been said. The player responded, "Well, I said 'I've shit better referees'". "I see," said Clegg. "All right, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll give you a week to prove you can do just that. But if you can't, I'm afraid you'll have to pay a £1 fine". ^[4]

References