Charles W. Alcock

Footballer

In 1859, Charles Alcock and his older brother John Forster Alcock founded Forest Football Club in Leytonstone, Essex. Charles later wrote about the club's early days. Both brothers played for Forest in a 1–0 home win over Crystal Palace FC in March 1862. Charles was a prime mover in setting up Forest's more famous successor, Wanderers F.C., in 1863, a side made up mostly of Old Harrovians.

He captained Wanderers to victory in the very first FA Cup final in 1872, though his goal was disallowed for an earlier handball. As early as 1870, the Wanderers were considered the Marylebone Cricket Club of football for their influence on the game. Alcock also played for Upton Park and the first Crystal Palace. He captained England in all five England v Scotland matches from 1870 to 1872, which are not now recognized as full internationals because the Scotland team contained only London-based players.

On 6 March 1875, he captained England in a full international against Scotland, scoring a goal in a 2–2 draw. In 1866, he represented the London FA team in the London v Sheffield match, scoring a disallowed goal for offside. Alcock was a proponent and pioneer of modern football playing styles that employed teamwork and passing. As early as 1870, he was the first to recognize the benefit of playing football in a scientific way.

Contemporary reports from the 1871 England versus Scotland international described his teamwork: a well-executed run down by Alcock, W. C. Butler, and R. S. F. Walker, acting in concert, enabled Walker to equalize the score.

Football administrator

Forest FC was one of the founding clubs of the Football Association, represented at the first 1863 meetings by Charles's elder brother John and A. W. Mackenzie. John Alcock was elected to the FA's committee in December 1863, serving until February 1866, when Charles replaced him. At the FA's annual meeting in February 1867, Charles Alcock said more energy was needed to establish the game on a sure footing and suggested an extraordinary meeting during the Christmas holidays to increase acceptance of FA rules by schools and universities.

He successfully argued for a Wanderers FC law-change to eliminate the touch down tie-breaker and against Sheffield FC alterations that would have introduced Sheffield rules features, saying his changes would be the only step to inducing public schools to join. In October 1867, Alcock was given responsibility for selecting the Middlesex players for the inaugural county match against a Surrey and Kent XI. In 1870, he was elected honorary secretary and treasurer of the FA, replacing Robert Graham in both roles.

He served as secretary for 25 years, unpaid until 1887. His unprecedently long tenure encompassed the establishment of international matches, the introduction of the FA Cup, the unification of Sheffield rules with association football, and the introduction of professionalism.

Cricket

Alcock captained Middlesex in the first county match of 1867 and later played for Essex. His sole first-class appearance came for Marylebone Cricket Club in 1862, since Essex had not yet achieved first-class status. From 1872 to 1907, he served as Surrey’s secretary. The Charles Alcock XI is led by spinner and Himalayan explorer Matt Greenwell, who founded the trophy with Berjes Shroff and Parsee Gymkhana legend Khodadad Yazdegardi.

Author

Alcock earned his living for most of his career by writing and editing books and magazines. He began working for the new paper The Sportsman in the late 1860s, and by 1867 he was its sub-editor for athletics, football, and cricket. He also tried a football magazine called Football, co-edited with Nicholas Lane Jackson, but it was less successful and within six months became Pastime: the Lawn-Tennis Journal, with Jackson as the only editor.