Arthur Rowley was an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 footballer.

Playing career

Rowley played for Leek, Distillery, the North Staffordshire Regiment, Stoke

Stoke City F.C.

Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

 and Bristol Rovers

Bristol Rovers F.C.

Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....

 before joining Burslem Port Vale

Port Vale F.C.

Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

 in September 1902. He made 69 appearances (57 in the league) and scored 4 league goals, one of which made him the first to score a goal straight from a direct free kick

Direct free kick

A direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...

 in the Football League

The Football League

The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...

 on 7 September 1903, against Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....

 before leaving the club before the start of the 1904–05 season

1904–05 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season

The 1904–05 season was Burslem Port Vale's seventh consecutive season of football in the Football League. A poor season, the club had to apply for re-election...

.

Career statistics

Club	Season	League		FA Cup		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Stoke Stoke City F.C. Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...	1896–97	25	0	2	0	27	0
	1897–98	18	0	1	0	19	0
	1898–99	14	0	0	0	14	0
Burslem Port Vale Port Vale F.C. Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...	1902–03 1902–03 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season The 1902–03 season was Burslem Port Vale's fifth consecutive season of football in the Football League. Finishing in ninth place for the second time in three years, it would take just over two decades for the club to again reach the heights of a top ten second tier finish...	27	2	2	0	29	2
	1903–04 1903–04 Burslem Port Vale F.C. season The 1903–04 season was Burslem Port Vale's sixth consecutive season of football in the Football League. The club went the whole season without recording an away win, part of a club record 29 away games without victory...	30	2	7	0	37	2
Career Total		114	4	12	0	126	4