William McGregor (football)

Personal life

William McGregor was born in Braco, Perthshire, and got his first taste of football watching a game between local residents and travelling artisans at Ardoch. After training as a draper in Perth, he followed his brother Peter to Birmingham in 1870, where he set up his own drapery shop at the corner of Brearley Street and Summer Lane, near the Jewellery Quarter. He joined Calthorpe F.C., a club started by fellow Scot Campbell Orr, and was so keen on the sport he closed his shop early on Saturdays to attend matches, later selling football kits there and turning it into a hub for fans.

He married Jessie, and they had a daughter and a son, both named Jessie and William. After his wife died in 1908, he lived at 130 Birchfield Road, Handsworth.

A teetotaller and temperance supporter, he was active in the local Liberal Party until 1882, when football demanded more of his time. He also served as honorary treasurer of the Baseball Association of Great Britain and Ireland and kept his drapery business going all his life. A devoted Christian, he attended the Congregational church on Wheeler Street in Aston for forty years.

Association with Aston Villa

In 1877, McGregor was invited to become a committee member of Aston Villa, a club formed three years earlier, and also umpired matches. He was drawn to the club by its strong Scottish contingent, exciting style of play, and connection to a Wesleyan Chapel.

He quickly became club administrator, helping the impecunious club survive financial troubles; after bailiffs seized some possessions, he allowed the club to use his shop as a store. Under his leadership, Aston Villa won its first trophy, the Birmingham Senior Cup, in 1880, and he became club president. He served as vice-chairman from 1895 and chairman from 1897, and was responsible for adopting the lion rampant from the Royal Standard of Scotland as the club's crest.

Founder of the Football League

By the 1880s, the FA Cup had been dominated by amateur clubs, but the 1883 FA Cup Final saw the first victory by a working-class team, Blackburn Olympic. Professionalism was not initially permitted, and clubs from northern urban areas advocated for it while southern amateurs and FA authorities opposed it. McGregor came to favour professionalism, and at an emergency FA conference in 1885 he spoke in favour, the only Midlands delegate to do so, and admitted his club had been paying players.

The FA accepted professionalism, but with restrictions. Professionalism led to frequent cancellations of friendlies, making it hard for clubs to pay wages. Nicholas Lane Jackson stated McGregor took inspiration from American baseball, but McGregor himself cited the County Cricket Championship.

Death and legacy

McGregor envisaged the League as a friendly union with shared ticket revenues, but its creation made football a business. Club turnovers increased significantly; at Aston Villa, turnover rose more than sixfold between 1889 and 1899. Player wages remained low due to FA restrictions, so clubs used profits to build larger stadiums. The League initially contained a small number of northern clubs, but by the early 1900s included clubs from all parts of England, eventually reaching nearly 100 clubs.

It remained the pre-eminent English competition until the 1990s, when top clubs formed the Premier League. Gate receipts were shared among clubs until the 1980s, preventing domination by a few wealthy clubs. McGregor had little interest in the business aspect and insisted the League not challenge the FA's authority. The League's success inspired similar competitions elsewhere, starting with the Scottish Football League in 1890.

McGregor fell ill in May 1910, was confined to a nursing home, and died on 20 December 1911 after an operation. He is buried at St. Mary's Church in Handsworth alongside his wife.