William Sudell
Encyclopedia
Major William Sudell was an English association football player and administrator, who was the first chairman of Preston North End
. He joined the Preston Nelson sports club on 3 August 1867, aged 16. Initially a player of several sports, by his mid-twenties he had become chairman of the club. In 1880 the club decided to play football exclusively, and from the following year Sudell managed the team.
To aid the performances of his team, Sudell recruited several Scottish players, giving them nominal jobs in the cotton mill
he managed. After a dispute arising from payments to players resulted in Preston's withdrawal from the 1884 FA Cup
, Sudell became an outspoken proponent of professionalism. His actions resulted in the acceptance of professionalism by the Football Association
(FA), and led to Preston becoming the leading team of the early professional era. Under Sudell's leadership, Preston North End became founder members of the Football League
, and won a league and cup double, going unbeaten for the entire season.
Sudell's career as a football administrator ended in disgrace, when in 1895 he was found guilty of fraudulently redirecting funds from the mill to the football club. Sudell was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. Upon his release, he emigrated to South Africa
, where he died in 1911.
, with Sudell a member of the team. However, Sudell did not go on to play on a regular basis; only two other football matches featuring him as a player are known.
Sudell became the chairman of the sports club, which by then was known as Preston North End
, in 1874 or 1875, while still in his mid-twenties. In 1880 the club voted to play football exclusively, and the following year Sudell took responsibility for the management of the team. From 1883 the club fielded several Scottish players, after Sudell went on a recruitment expedition to Scotland. The club arranged jobs for the players, and supplemented their income with off-balance sheet payments. At this time professionalism was not permitted, but such payments were common among Lancashire clubs.
After Preston won an FA Cup
match against Upton Park
in 1884, the Londoners protested, seeking the result to be overturned due to professionalism in the Preston ranks. This sparked a series of events which threatened to split the FA. Under Sudell's instruction, Preston withdrew from the competition. Fellow Lancashire clubs Burnley
and Great Lever
followed suit. The protest gathered momentum, to the point where more than 30 clubs, predominantly from the north, announced that they would set up a rival British Football Association if the FA did not permit professionalism. At the FA conference called to discuss the issue, Sudell was a member of the committee. He argued passionately for the acceptance of professionalism, but met opposition from southern-based amateur clubs, who viewed sport solely as a pastime. Backed by figures such as the more moderate but influential William McGregor of Aston Villa
, the advocates of professionalism won the day and secured its acceptance. However, each club was permitted to only pay players who had been born or who had lived within six miles of the home stadium for at least two years.
With professionalism legalised, Preston flourished. Keen to make use of tactics, Sudell was the first person to use a blackboard to dictate positions and strategy to his players. In 1887, Preston recorded the biggest win in the history of the FA Cup, beating Hyde
26–0 in the first round. The club progressed to the final having amassed a run of 42 consecutive wins in all competitions, but were beaten in the FA Cup Final
by West Bromwich Albion
.
During this time moves were afoot to prevent cancellation of matches by creating a new competition with a "fixity of fixtures". The brainchild of Aston Villa's William McGregor, the competition became known as The Football League
. Sudell himself suggested the name "Football League", as an alternative to McGregor's suggestion, "Association Football Union". Plans to create the competition had been ongoing for a period of months without Preston's involvement, but as the most skilful team McGregor was keen to interest them. Once involved, Sudell was eager for the embryonic League to assert primacy in relation to other competitions, joining with J. J. Bentley to propose that "The clubs forming the League shall support each other and bind themselves to carry out in the strictest sense the arrangements for matches between them, and not allow them to be cancelled on account of any cup competition or other matches". Sudell was more financially-minded than the egalitarian McGregor, and urged the League to dispense with proposals for equal sharing of gate money and residential requirements for players.
The League kicked off in September 1888, with Preston one of the 12 founder members. North End proved superior to their opponents, winning the title with several matches to spare. This allowed the club to concentrate on the FA Cup, which they duly won by defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers
. In completing the League and Cup double
Preston remained unbeaten for the entire season. The team, nicknamed the Invincibles, contained ten Scots, tempted south by the money on offer as professionalism was still banned in Scotland. Wishing for a grander gesture to celebrate his team's success than the League committee's suggestion of a flag bearing the club's name, Sudell convinced the League to spend 50 guineas
on a trophy. However, despite being responsible for the creation of the trophy, Preston North End have not won it since.
For the first four years of the League's existence, Sudell acted as honorary treasurer. In 1892, with his health declining, Sudell relinquished his position, and was succeeded by Stoke
's Harry Lockett
. He left Preston North End the following year. In 1894 the League gave him £50 for a testimonial.
rifle unit, a precursor of the Territorial Army. He was initially commissioned as quartermaster
in the 11th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps in August 1874, he resigned that commission in February 1879, to take a commission as lieutenant
in the same unit. He was promoted captain
on 23 June 1886, and was granted the honorary rank of major on 19 October 1889; the unit had now become part of the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. He retired on 30 July 1892, and was permitted to retain his rank, and continue wearing the battalion's uniform.
. Accounts of his life after emigration differ. Some versions state that Sudell, by then a broken man, committed suicide by shooting himself on 9 May 1911. Others dispute this, and maintain that Sudell rebuilt his life. According to this account Sudell became a successful rugby journalist, dying from pneumonia on 5 August 1911 in Cape Town
.
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. He joined the Preston Nelson sports club on 3 August 1867, aged 16. Initially a player of several sports, by his mid-twenties he had become chairman of the club. In 1880 the club decided to play football exclusively, and from the following year Sudell managed the team.
To aid the performances of his team, Sudell recruited several Scottish players, giving them nominal jobs in the cotton mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
he managed. After a dispute arising from payments to players resulted in Preston's withdrawal from the 1884 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, Sudell became an outspoken proponent of professionalism. His actions resulted in the acceptance of professionalism by the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
(FA), and led to Preston becoming the leading team of the early professional era. Under Sudell's leadership, Preston North End became founder members of 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...
, and won a league and cup double, going unbeaten for the entire season.
Sudell's career as a football administrator ended in disgrace, when in 1895 he was found guilty of fraudulently redirecting funds from the mill to the football club. Sudell was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. Upon his release, he emigrated to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where he died in 1911.
Football career
Born in Preston in 1850, descended from an old Preston family that included a Preston Guild Mayor, Sudell joined the Preston Nelson sports club in August 1867, aged 17. During this period the club were recruiting many young sportsmen from the area to play new sports, in order to relieve financial pressures. Sudell proved adept at several sports including swimming, cycling, cricket and rugby. The club played its first game of association football in 1878, against EagleyEagley F.C.
Eagley F.C. are an association football club based in the village of Eagley, near Bolton in Greater Manchester.They are members of the Lancashire Football Association, and in the 2011–12 season their senior team is playing in the West Lancashire League Premier Division, which is at the 11th level...
, with Sudell a member of the team. However, Sudell did not go on to play on a regular basis; only two other football matches featuring him as a player are known.
Sudell became the chairman of the sports club, which by then was known as Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, in 1874 or 1875, while still in his mid-twenties. In 1880 the club voted to play football exclusively, and the following year Sudell took responsibility for the management of the team. From 1883 the club fielded several Scottish players, after Sudell went on a recruitment expedition to Scotland. The club arranged jobs for the players, and supplemented their income with off-balance sheet payments. At this time professionalism was not permitted, but such payments were common among Lancashire clubs.
After Preston won an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match against Upton Park
Upton Park F.C.
Upton Park Football Club were an amateur football club from Upton Park, London in the late 19th and early 20th century, now defunct. As well as being one of the fifteen teams that played in the inaugural FA Cup, they also represented Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics football tournament,...
in 1884, the Londoners protested, seeking the result to be overturned due to professionalism in the Preston ranks. This sparked a series of events which threatened to split the FA. Under Sudell's instruction, Preston withdrew from the competition. Fellow Lancashire clubs Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
and Great Lever
Great Lever F.C.
Great Lever Football Club were an English football club founded in 1877. The club were based at the Woodside Ground, Great Lever, near Farnworth in Lancashire, within the town of Bolton, England. The club appeared in the F.A...
followed suit. The protest gathered momentum, to the point where more than 30 clubs, predominantly from the north, announced that they would set up a rival British Football Association if the FA did not permit professionalism. At the FA conference called to discuss the issue, Sudell was a member of the committee. He argued passionately for the acceptance of professionalism, but met opposition from southern-based amateur clubs, who viewed sport solely as a pastime. Backed by figures such as the more moderate but influential William McGregor of Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, the advocates of professionalism won the day and secured its acceptance. However, each club was permitted to only pay players who had been born or who had lived within six miles of the home stadium for at least two years.
With professionalism legalised, Preston flourished. Keen to make use of tactics, Sudell was the first person to use a blackboard to dictate positions and strategy to his players. In 1887, Preston recorded the biggest win in the history of the FA Cup, beating Hyde
Hyde F.C.
Hyde F.C. are an English semi-professional football club from Hyde, Greater Manchester, who are nicknamed The Tigers. Formed in 1885 the club changed its name to Hyde United in 1919, before reverting to Hyde F.C. in June 2010...
26–0 in the first round. The club progressed to the final having amassed a run of 42 consecutive wins in all competitions, but were beaten in the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
by West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
.
During this time moves were afoot to prevent cancellation of matches by creating a new competition with a "fixity of fixtures". The brainchild of Aston Villa's William McGregor, the competition became known as 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...
. Sudell himself suggested the name "Football League", as an alternative to McGregor's suggestion, "Association Football Union". Plans to create the competition had been ongoing for a period of months without Preston's involvement, but as the most skilful team McGregor was keen to interest them. Once involved, Sudell was eager for the embryonic League to assert primacy in relation to other competitions, joining with J. J. Bentley to propose that "The clubs forming the League shall support each other and bind themselves to carry out in the strictest sense the arrangements for matches between them, and not allow them to be cancelled on account of any cup competition or other matches". Sudell was more financially-minded than the egalitarian McGregor, and urged the League to dispense with proposals for equal sharing of gate money and residential requirements for players.
The League kicked off in September 1888, with Preston one of the 12 founder members. North End proved superior to their opponents, winning the title with several matches to spare. This allowed the club to concentrate on the FA Cup, which they duly won by defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. In completing the League and Cup double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
Preston remained unbeaten for the entire season. The team, nicknamed the Invincibles, contained ten Scots, tempted south by the money on offer as professionalism was still banned in Scotland. Wishing for a grander gesture to celebrate his team's success than the League committee's suggestion of a flag bearing the club's name, Sudell convinced the League to spend 50 guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
on a trophy. However, despite being responsible for the creation of the trophy, Preston North End have not won it since.
For the first four years of the League's existence, Sudell acted as honorary treasurer. In 1892, with his health declining, Sudell relinquished his position, and was succeeded by 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...
's Harry Lockett
Harry Lockett
Harry Lockett was an English association football manager and administrator.-Career:Lockett represented Stoke at the meeting in London which led to the formation of the Football League, and served as the League's first Secretary from 1888 to 1902. Lockett managed Stoke for their first two seasons...
. He left Preston North End the following year. In 1894 the League gave him £50 for a testimonial.
Outside football
Sudell worked in a cotton mill, where thanks to his numeracy he quickly worked his way up the ranks; eventually he became manager. His military title came from service in the local Volunteer ForceVolunteer Force (Great Britain)
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated with the British Army after the Childers Reforms in 1881, before forming part of the...
rifle unit, a precursor of the Territorial Army. He was initially commissioned as quartermaster
Quartermaster
Quartermaster refers to two different military occupations depending on if the assigned unit is land based or naval.In land armies, especially US units, it is a term referring to either an individual soldier or a unit who specializes in distributing supplies and provisions to troops. The senior...
in the 11th Lancashire Rifle Volunteer Corps in August 1874, he resigned that commission in February 1879, to take a commission as lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
in the same unit. He was promoted captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
on 23 June 1886, and was granted the honorary rank of major on 19 October 1889; the unit had now become part of the 1st Volunteer Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. He retired on 30 July 1892, and was permitted to retain his rank, and continue wearing the battalion's uniform.
Embezzlement
After his time as Preston chairman, in 1895, Sudell was convicted of embezzling thousands of pounds from the cotton mill at which he worked, in order to fund players' wages and expenses, though he did not gain personally. The fraud, totalling £5,326, resulted in a three year prison sentence. Upon his release, Sudell emigrated to South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Accounts of his life after emigration differ. Some versions state that Sudell, by then a broken man, committed suicide by shooting himself on 9 May 1911. Others dispute this, and maintain that Sudell rebuilt his life. According to this account Sudell became a successful rugby journalist, dying from pneumonia on 5 August 1911 in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
.