Richard Brooks was an English professional footballer who played as a full-back

Defender (association football)

Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 for various clubs in the early years of the 20th century.

Football career

Brooks was born in Reading, Berkshire

Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....

 and after a career in the Army, with the King's Royal Rifle Corps

King's Royal Rifle Corps

The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...

 and the Royal Garrison Artillery

Royal Garrison Artillery

The Royal Garrison Artillery was an arm of the Royal Artillery that was originally tasked with manning the guns of the British Empire's forts and fortresses, including coastal artillery batteries, the heavy gun batteries attached to each infantry division, and the guns of the siege...

 in Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

, in 1910 he found employment at the Eastleigh Works

Eastleigh Works

Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh in the county of Hampshire in England.-History under the LSWR:...

 of the London and South Western Railway

London and South Western Railway

The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...

. He was playing for Eastleigh Athletic

Eastleigh Athletic F.C.

Eastleigh Athletic F.C. were a long running amateur football club, formed by local railway workers, who for many years were Eastleigh's leading football club.-History:...

 in the Hampshire League

Hampshire League

Hampshire League is a name used for two distinct football competitions based in Hampshire, England. There are two leagues; Hampshire Premier Football League named 'Puma Engineering Hampshire Premier Football League' for sponsor purposes and the division below which is the Hampshire League 2004 or...

 where he was spotted by scouts from his home-town club, Reading

Reading F.C.

Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...

 of the Southern League

Southern Football League

The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...

, joining them in March 1911.

After a season with Reading, he returned to Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

 when he joined another Southern League side, Southampton

Southampton F.C.

Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

 in August 1912. At The Dell he had to wait until 21 March 1913 before making his first team debut, when he replaced Arthur Coates

Arthur Coates (footballer)

Arthur Coates was an English professional footballer who played as a full-back for various clubs in the early years of the 20th century.-Football career:...

 at right-back in a 2–1 victory at Brentford

Brentford F.C.

Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....

. Described as "a strong, burly full-back with, at times, an inclination to be over-exuberant", Brooks retained his place for five matches, before being replaced by the veteran Bert Lee

Bert Lee (footballer)

Ernest Albert "Bert" Lee was an English professional footballer who played in the 1902 FA Cup final for Southampton, and also made one appearance for England in 1904...

.

Brooks was recalled for the third match of the 1913–14 season, but after six matches Lee returned briefly before Fred Smith

Fred Smith (full back)

Frederick Smith was an English footballer who played as a full back in the period prior to World War I.-Football career:...

 took over at right-back. Brooks was recalled in January for a further seven matches before Smith returned.

Brooks left the Dell in 1914 to rejoin the Army following the outbreak of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, but returned in 1919, spending a season in the reserves.