Charles Sutcliffe
Encyclopedia
Charles Edward Sutcliffe (8 July 1864 – 11 January 1939) was a lawyer, football administrator and referee.
. One of the more notable matches he played in was an 1885 FA Cup
tie against Darwen Old Wanderers. The match finished 11–0 to Darwen, a club record defeat for Burnley which still stands in the 21st century. He finished playing in the mid-1880s, after finding himself unable to compete with England international Joe Lofthouse
in a match against Blackburn Rovers
. He retained a role at the club, joining the committee.
After encouragement by Preston North End
's William Sudell
, Sutcliffe took up refereeing, and became eligible to officiate League matches from 1891. He soon gained a reputation for obstinacy, and did not shy from controversy. In one match between Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool
he disallowed six goals. After provoking the ire of the crowd in a match at Sunderland
, he reputedly had to sneak out of the ground disguised as a policeman. He stopped refereeing League matches in 1898, though he continued as a linesman
for a further decade. For a period of four years at the end of the 19th century, he refereed a number of Home Internationals
. In 1908 he was a founder and the first president of the Referees' Association.
Sutcliffe became a Burnley director in 1897, and joined the Football League Management Committee the following year. He immediately proposed that the League should discontinue the test matches, which were used to determine promotion and relegation
. The test matches were contested in a round-robin league format comprising four teams – the bottom two from the First Division
and the top two from the Second Division
. The two teams with the best test match record gained (or retained) First Division status, the other two were demoted. In 1898 Burnley had just gained promotion through the test matches in dubious circumstances. The final test match was between Burnley and Stoke
. Other results meant both clubs knew a draw would be sufficient to give them First Division football. Neither team attempted to score, in what the Staffordshire Advertiser called a "fiasco". Sutcliffe proposed that the First Division be expanded by two clubs, thus giving space for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United
, the two clubs adversely affected by the arranged test match.
From 1915 until his death in 1939 Sutcliffe was responsible for devising the schedule of fixtures for Football League matches. Using a closely guarded system featuring red and white squares in the manner of a chessboard, Sutcliffe's method created a durable fixture list, the first draft of which usually required only the most minor revisions. For providing the fixture list, the league paid him 150 guineas
. Sutcliffe's method, taken on by his son, continued to provide fixtures until 1967, when the process was computerised.
After 38 years on the Football League's Management Committee, Sutcliffe became League President in 1936. This coincided with the League taking a firm stance against football-based gambling, of which the most common type was the football pools
. First, advertisement for pools were banned from football grounds, then the League took further action, sparking what became known as the "Pools War". In February 1936, the League announced that the existing fixture schedule was to be abandoned. Fixtures would be announced 48 hours in advance, in an attempt to make it more difficult for pools companies to produce coupons. Sutcliffe, as both a senior League administrator and the man responsible for devising fixtures, was central to the plan. Though Sutcliffe was determined to see the pools companies defeated, the chaos caused by the uncertainty over fixtures meant the scheme lasted just two weeks.
In August 1922 Sutcliffe, in his capacity as a representative of the Football League, opened Doncaster Rovers
' Belle Vue
ground.
Sutcliffe strongly believed that British football was superior to that played elsewhere, and took an isolationist stance on related issues. When the Home Nations withdrew from FIFA
in 1928, Sutcliffe was among those who voted for withdrawal. In response to overseas tours by the Home Nations, he declared "I don't care a brass farthing about the improvement of the game in France, Belgium, Austria or Germany" and accused FIFA's one member one vote system of "magnifying the midgets". Six years later he branded the 1934 World Cup
"a joke". His antipathy extended to English clubs who attempted to sign foreign players. When Arsenal
attempted to sign Rudy Hiden from Wiener AC
in 1930, Sutcliffe wrote "The idea of bringing foreigners to play in league football is repulsive to the clubs, offensive to British players and a terrible confession of weakness in the management of a club". The FA agreed, and introduced legislation the following year which in essence banned foreign players from playing in England. The ruling remained in place until 1978.
.
Football career
In the 1880s Sutcliffe played for BurnleyBurnley 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...
. One of the more notable matches he played in was an 1885 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...
tie against Darwen Old Wanderers. The match finished 11–0 to Darwen, a club record defeat for Burnley which still stands in the 21st century. He finished playing in the mid-1880s, after finding himself unable to compete with England international Joe Lofthouse
Joe Lofthouse
Joseph Morris "Joe" Lofthouse was an English footballer.-Playing career:Joseph Lofthouse was born in Blackburn on 14 April 1865. A talented footballer he joined Blackburn Rovers...
in a match against Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. He retained a role at the club, joining the committee.
After encouragement by 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...
's William Sudell
William Sudell
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...
, Sutcliffe took up refereeing, and became eligible to officiate League matches from 1891. He soon gained a reputation for obstinacy, and did not shy from controversy. In one match between Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
he disallowed six goals. After provoking the ire of the crowd in a match at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, he reputedly had to sneak out of the ground disguised as a policeman. He stopped refereeing League matches in 1898, though he continued as a linesman
Assistant referee (association football)
In association football, an assistant referee is one of several officials who assist the referee in controlling a match. Two officials, traditionally known as linesmen , stand on the touchlines, while a fourth official assists administrative or other match related tasks as directed by the referee...
for a further decade. For a period of four years at the end of the 19th century, he refereed a number of Home Internationals
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
. In 1908 he was a founder and the first president of the Referees' Association.
Sutcliffe became a Burnley director in 1897, and joined the Football League Management Committee the following year. He immediately proposed that the League should discontinue the test matches, which were used to determine promotion and relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
. The test matches were contested in a round-robin league format comprising four teams – the bottom two from the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
and the top two from the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
. The two teams with the best test match record gained (or retained) First Division status, the other two were demoted. In 1898 Burnley had just gained promotion through the test matches in dubious circumstances. The final test match was between Burnley and 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...
. Other results meant both clubs knew a draw would be sufficient to give them First Division football. Neither team attempted to score, in what the Staffordshire Advertiser called a "fiasco". Sutcliffe proposed that the First Division be expanded by two clubs, thus giving space for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, the two clubs adversely affected by the arranged test match.
From 1915 until his death in 1939 Sutcliffe was responsible for devising the schedule of fixtures for Football League matches. Using a closely guarded system featuring red and white squares in the manner of a chessboard, Sutcliffe's method created a durable fixture list, the first draft of which usually required only the most minor revisions. For providing the fixture list, the league paid him 150 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...
. Sutcliffe's method, taken on by his son, continued to provide fixtures until 1967, when the process was computerised.
After 38 years on the Football League's Management Committee, Sutcliffe became League President in 1936. This coincided with the League taking a firm stance against football-based gambling, of which the most common type was the football pools
Football pools
A football pool, often collectively referred to as "the pools", is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of top-level association football matches set to take place in the coming week. The pools are typically cheap to enter, with the potential to win huge money. Entries were traditionally...
. First, advertisement for pools were banned from football grounds, then the League took further action, sparking what became known as the "Pools War". In February 1936, the League announced that the existing fixture schedule was to be abandoned. Fixtures would be announced 48 hours in advance, in an attempt to make it more difficult for pools companies to produce coupons. Sutcliffe, as both a senior League administrator and the man responsible for devising fixtures, was central to the plan. Though Sutcliffe was determined to see the pools companies defeated, the chaos caused by the uncertainty over fixtures meant the scheme lasted just two weeks.
In August 1922 Sutcliffe, in his capacity as a representative of the Football League, opened Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
' Belle Vue
Belle Vue (football)
Belle Vue was the home of English professional football club Doncaster Rovers from 1922 to 2006. The ground was affectionately called by fans as 'Old Belle Vue' or OBV.-History:...
ground.
Sutcliffe strongly believed that British football was superior to that played elsewhere, and took an isolationist stance on related issues. When the Home Nations withdrew from FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
in 1928, Sutcliffe was among those who voted for withdrawal. In response to overseas tours by the Home Nations, he declared "I don't care a brass farthing about the improvement of the game in France, Belgium, Austria or Germany" and accused FIFA's one member one vote system of "magnifying the midgets". Six years later he branded the 1934 World Cup
1934 FIFA World Cup
The 1934 FIFA World Cup was the second FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in Italy from 27 May to 10 June 1934....
"a joke". His antipathy extended to English clubs who attempted to sign foreign players. When Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
attempted to sign Rudy Hiden from Wiener AC
Wiener AC
Wiener Athletiksport Club, also known as Wiener AC or WAC, is an Austrian sports club in Vienna. It is particularly noted for its hockey team, which was established in 1900....
in 1930, Sutcliffe wrote "The idea of bringing foreigners to play in league football is repulsive to the clubs, offensive to British players and a terrible confession of weakness in the management of a club". The FA agreed, and introduced legislation the following year which in essence banned foreign players from playing in England. The ruling remained in place until 1978.
Personal life
Sutcliffe was born in Burnley on 8 July 1864 to John Sutcliffe, who worked as a solicitor, and Jane Pollard Brown. One of four sons, he trained as a solicitor and joined his father's practice. His legal qualification came around the same time as his retirement from playing football. With his first wife, Annie, he had two sons and a daughter. Annie died in 1924, and in 1926 Sutcliffe married Sarah Pickup. He died at home on 11 January 1939. At the next Burnley match a silence was held, and the crowd sang Abide with MeAbide With Me
The hymn tune most often used with this hymn is "Eventide" composed by William Henry Monk in 1861.Alternate tunes include:* "Abide with Me," Henry Lyte, 1847* "Morecambe", Frederick C...
.