Steve Bloomer
Encyclopedia
Steve Bloomer was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County
, Middlesbrough
and England
during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin'
, is played before every home game. On 17 January 2009 a bust of Bloomer was unveiled next to the home dugout at Pride Park Stadium
.
During his career Bloomer was a prolific goalscorer for both club and country. Although possessing only a slight frame, he was a menace to defenders due to his quick thinking. He was also able to shoot powerfully and accurately with either foot and his speciality was the daisy cutter – a low shot, hit with great power, speed and accuracy. In 536 English First Division
games he scored 317 goals and, after Jimmy Greaves
, he is the second highest all-time goalscorer in the first division. He also scored 28 goals in 23 appearances for England. In his last international against Scotland
in 1907 he scored a stunning goal.
Bloomer also played baseball
for Derby County Baseball Club
and helped them become British champions three times in the 1890s. He also played cricket
at an amateur level. After retiring as a footballer he became a coach and worked with clubs in Germany, The Netherlands and Spain. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben
, a civilian detention camp. The highlight of his coaching career came in 1924 when he guided Real Unión
to victory in the Copa del Rey
. After returning to England he served as player-coach with Derby Reserves, worked as a newspaper columnist and as a grounds man at the Baseball Ground
. In late 1937, while severely ill, Derby County paid for him to go on a cruise to Australia
and New Zealand
. He died three weeks after returning home in April 1938. His funeral took place on the afternoon of Wednesday 20 April 1938 at Derby Cathedral. His grave can been seen in Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby.
his parents, Caleb Bloomer and Merab Dunn, moved to Normanton, Derbyshire and then Pear Tree. Bloomer's brother, Philip also briefly played for Derby County
. However he only played one first team game and died of peritonitis in May 1896. The same year saw Steve Bloomer marry Sarah Walker. They subsequently had 4 daughters; two of whom died before they reached the age of 18; one died in 1917 while he was still in Ruhleben
. Another, Hetty, married Alf Quantrill
, who played for Derby County and England as an outside-left. Bloomer lived with another of his daughters, Doris Richards, toward the end of his life, after the death of his wife in 1936. Mrs Richards' son, Steve Richards, is a journalist. Bloomer's nephew, Ted Measures, signed for Arsenal F.C.
in 1932.
, where together with John Goodall
and Archie Goodall
, he formed the backbone of a County side that regularly challenged for top honours during the 1890s and early 1900s. Bloomer scored four times on his County debut, against Darley Dale. He made his English First Division
debut on 3 September 1892 in a 3–1 away win against Stoke City
and scored his first league goal for County on 24 September 1892 in a home game against West Bromwich Albion
.
While at Derby he was top scorer in the First Division on five occasions in 1896, 1897, 1899, 1901 and 1904. In 1896, together with John Campbell of Aston Villa
, he was also the top goalscorer
in any European league. He was also the leading Rams scorer for 14 consecutive seasons and scored 17 hat-tricks in the league. One of his best seasons came in 1896–97 when he scored 31 goals, including five hat-tricks, in 33 League and FA Cup
games. Between 14 November 1896 and 5 April 1897 he scored 21 goals in 20 games. He also scored six goals for the club in a game against Sheffield Wednesday
in January 1899.
Bloomer’s goals helped Derby finish runners-up in the First Division
in 1896 and helped them reach three FA Cup finals
in 1898
, 1899
and 1903
. He scored in the 1898 final, a 3–1 defeat to Nottingham Forest
. On 3 September 1900 Bloomer scored the first-ever goal at The Hawthorns
, the 1–1 draw against West Bromwich Albion
being the first match played at the ground. After four years at Middlesbrough
he returned to the Rams in 1910 and helped them win the Second Division
title in 1912. He scored his last league goal for Derby against Sheffield United
on 6 September 1913 and his last match was against Burnley
on 31 January 1914 when he was 40 years and 11 days.
for a fee of £750. Among team mates at his new club were Alf Common
, the first £1,000 footballer, and Fred Pentland
. He was topscorer at Middlesbrough in both the 1906–07 and 1907–08 seasons. He also scored four goals in a game against Woolwich Arsenal
on 5 January 1907.
appearances, which was a record
at the time. He made his debut in 3 March 1895, scoring twice in a 9–0 win against Ireland
. He scored in all his first 10 international appearances, which remains a record for number of consecutive scoring appearances. He netted 19 times during these games. On 16 March 1896 Bloomer scored 5 goals for England against Wales
and on 18 March 1901 he scored four goals against the same opposition. Bloomer thus became the first player to score two hat-tricks for England and was also the first to score four goals for England twice. He eventually finished his international career with 28 goals. During his international career Bloomer’s team mates included his County team mate John Goodall
as well as Frank Becton
, Jack Reynolds, Ernest Needham
, Fred Spiksley
, Samuel Wolstenholme
and Vivian Woodward
. Bloomer helped England win the British Home Championship
eight times. He held the overall England scoring record
from April 1898 when he surpassed Tinsley Lindley
's total of 14 with two goals against Scotland
, until his final tally of 28 was overhauled by Vivian Woodward
in 1911.
. However within three weeks of arriving the First World War broke out and he found himself interned at Ruhleben
, a civilian detention camp in the Spandau
district of Berlin. Bloomer was one of several former professional footballers among the detainees. Others included his former England
colleagues Fred Spiksley
and Samuel Wolstenholme
, his former Middlesbrough
team mate Fred Pentland
, a Scotland
international, John Cameron, John Brearley
, once of Everton
and Tottenham Hotspur
and a German
international Edwin Dutton
who had previously played for Britannia Berlin 92.
The camp contained between 4,000 and 5,500 prisoners. Gradually a mini-society evolved and football became a popular activity. The Ruhleben Football Association was formed and cup and league competitions were organised with as many as 1,000 attending the bigger games. The teams adopted the names of established teams and in November 1914, Bloomer captained a Tottenham Hotspur XI
, that also included Dutton, to victory in a cup final against an Oldham Athletic XI. Spiksley also played in the game, refereed by Wolstenholme, although it is uncertain which team he played for. On 2 May 1915 an England XI featuring Pentland, Wolstenholme, Brearley and Bloomer played a World XI captained by Cameron. Bloomer also played cricket
at the camp and in May 1915 a Rubleben XI, featuring Bloomer and Brearley, played a Varsities XI
in the Rubleban Cricket League. In July 1916 a Lancashire XI, featuring Bloomer, beat a Yorkshire XI that included Wolstenholme.
In summer the prisoners turned to cricket on ‘The Oval’, played to packed houses. Bloomer smashed the camp batting record with a cool 204 and once recorded impressive bowling figures of 6 for 15. There was athletics too. Bloomer won the ‘Old Age Handicap’ at the Ruhleben Olympics, sprinting the 75 yards in 9.6 seconds. Everybody in camp knew ‘Steve’. When he finally left Ruhleben in March 1918, a farewell football match was staged in his honour.
in Spain and subsequently guided them to victory in the 1924 Copa del Rey. During the 1920s the Copa was effectively a play-off to decide the Spanish champions. Teams qualified by winning their regional titles and Real Unión represented Guipuzcoa. Nine other regional champions also qualified and in the first round of the competition Real beat Sevilla FC
, the champions of Andalusia
, 3–1 on aggregate. In the semi-final they faced the Catalan champions, FC Barcelona
, coached by another Englishman, Jack Greenwell. Greenwall’s squad included the likes of Paulino Alcántara
, Sagibarba
and Josep Samitier
. Despite this Real beat FC Barcelona 5–1 after a replay and went on to beat Real Madrid
, the champions of central Spain, 1–0 in the final.
|1892–93||rowspan="13"|Derby County
||rowspan="13"|First Division
||28||11||–||–||28||11
|-
|1893–94||25||18||2||0||27||18
|-
|1894–95||29||9||1||0||30||9
|-
|1895–96||25||22||5||5||30||27
|-
|1896–97||29||24||4||7||33||31
|-
|1897–98||23||15||3||5||26||20
|-
|1898–99||28||24||5||6||33||30
|-
|1899–1900||28||19||2||0||30||19
|-
|1900–01||36||12||5||2||41||14
|-
|1901–02||28||15||7||3||35||18
|-
|1902–03||24||12||2||1||26||13
|-
|1904–05||29||13||1||0||30||13
|-
|1905–06||23||12||3||0||26||12
|-
355||206||40||29||395||235
|-
|1905–06||rowspan="5"|Middlesbrough
||rowspan="5"|First Division
||9||6||–||–||9||6
|-
|1906–07||34||17||2||0||36||17
|-
|1907–08||34||14||1||0||35||14
|-
|1908–09||28||16||–||–||28||16
|-
|1909–10||20||8||2||1||22||9
|-
125||61||5||1||130||62
|-
|1910–11||rowspan="4"|Derby County
||rowspan="2"|Second Division
||28||20||4||4||32||24
|-
|1911–12||36||18||2||1||38||19
|-
|1912–13||rowspan="2"|First Division
|||29||13||1||1||30||14
|-
|1913–14||5||2||1||0||6||2
|-
98||53||8||6||96||59
|-
(Steve Bloomer: Watching at last)
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
and England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin'
Steve Bloomer's Watchin'
The song Steve Bloomer's Watchin has been the official club anthem of Derby County Football Club since Boxing Day 1997, where the finished version of the song was played for the first time before the league game against Newcastle United. Derby won the game 1-0...
, is played before every home game. On 17 January 2009 a bust of Bloomer was unveiled next to the home dugout at Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium located on the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. It is the current home of Football League Championship club Derby County, who moved to the stadium from the Baseball Ground upon its opening in 1997...
.
During his career Bloomer was a prolific goalscorer for both club and country. Although possessing only a slight frame, he was a menace to defenders due to his quick thinking. He was also able to shoot powerfully and accurately with either foot and his speciality was the daisy cutter – a low shot, hit with great power, speed and accuracy. In 536 English 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....
games he scored 317 goals and, after Jimmy Greaves
Jimmy Greaves
James Peter 'Jimmy' Greaves is an English former football player, England's third highest international goalscorer, the highest goalscorer in the history of Tottenham Hotspur football club, the highest goalscorer in the history of English top flight football and more recently a television pundit -...
, he is the second highest all-time goalscorer in the first division. He also scored 28 goals in 23 appearances for England. In his last international against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
in 1907 he scored a stunning goal.
Bloomer also played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
for Derby County Baseball Club
Derby County Baseball Club
The Derby County Baseball Club was a baseball club in Great Britain that played baseball until 1898 when football become the dominant sport in that region...
and helped them become British champions three times in the 1890s. He also played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
at an amateur level. After retiring as a footballer he became a coach and worked with clubs in Germany, The Netherlands and Spain. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a civilian detention camp during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, then a village to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf...
, a civilian detention camp. The highlight of his coaching career came in 1924 when he guided Real Unión
Real Unión
Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Irun, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the province of Gipuzkoa, near the border with France...
to victory in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
. After returning to England he served as player-coach with Derby Reserves, worked as a newspaper columnist and as a grounds man at the Baseball Ground
Baseball Ground
The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 1997. It was commonly referred to as the "BBG".As the name suggests, the stadium was...
. In late 1937, while severely ill, Derby County paid for him to go on a cruise to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He died three weeks after returning home in April 1938. His funeral took place on the afternoon of Wednesday 20 April 1938 at Derby Cathedral. His grave can been seen in Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby.
Family life
Although Bloomer was born in WorcestershireWorcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
his parents, Caleb Bloomer and Merab Dunn, moved to Normanton, Derbyshire and then Pear Tree. Bloomer's brother, Philip also briefly played for Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. However he only played one first team game and died of peritonitis in May 1896. The same year saw Steve Bloomer marry Sarah Walker. They subsequently had 4 daughters; two of whom died before they reached the age of 18; one died in 1917 while he was still in Ruhleben
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a civilian detention camp during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, then a village to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf...
. Another, Hetty, married Alf Quantrill
Alf Quantrill
Alfred Edward Quantrill was an English footballer. Born in RawalPindi, Punjab, India where his father was based on military service, he played on either wing and appeared four times for the England national team....
, who played for Derby County and England as an outside-left. Bloomer lived with another of his daughters, Doris Richards, toward the end of his life, after the death of his wife in 1936. Mrs Richards' son, Steve Richards, is a journalist. Bloomer's nephew, Ted Measures, signed for Arsenal F.C.
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...
in 1932.
Derby County
Bloomer spent the majority of his playing career at Derby CountyDerby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, where together with John Goodall
John Goodall
John Goodall was a footballer who rose to fame as a centre-forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903...
and Archie Goodall
Archie Goodall
Archibald Lee Goodall , commonly referred to as Archie Goodall, is a former Irish footballer who played for, among others, Derby County and Ireland. Goodall made 423 appearances and scored 52 goals for County...
, he formed the backbone of a County side that regularly challenged for top honours during the 1890s and early 1900s. Bloomer scored four times on his County debut, against Darley Dale. He made his English 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....
debut on 3 September 1892 in a 3–1 away win against Stoke City
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 scored his first league goal for County on 24 September 1892 in a home game against 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...
.
While at Derby he was top scorer in the First Division on five occasions in 1896, 1897, 1899, 1901 and 1904. In 1896, together with John Campbell 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...
, he was also the top goalscorer
European Golden Boot
The European Golden Shoe, formerly known as the European Golden Boot, is an association football award presented each season to the leading goalscorer in league matches from the top division of every European national league...
in any European league. He was also the leading Rams scorer for 14 consecutive seasons and scored 17 hat-tricks in the league. One of his best seasons came in 1896–97 when he scored 31 goals, including five hat-tricks, in 33 League and 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...
games. Between 14 November 1896 and 5 April 1897 he scored 21 goals in 20 games. He also scored six goals for the club in a game against Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
in January 1899.
Bloomer’s goals helped Derby finish runners-up in 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....
in 1896 and helped them reach three FA Cup finals
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...
in 1898
1898 FA Cup Final
The 1898 FA Cup Final was contested by Nottingham Forest and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Forest won 3–1, with goals from Arthur Capes and John McPherson. Steve Bloomer scored Derby's effort.-Summary:...
, 1899
1899 FA Cup Final
The 1899 FA Cup Final was contested by Sheffield United and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Sheffield United won 4–1, with goals scored by John Almond, Walter Bennett, Billy Beer and Fred Priest. John Boag scored Derby's goal.-Match details:...
and 1903
1903 FA Cup Final
The 1903 FA Cup Final was contested by Bury and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Bury won 6–0, with goals from George Ross, Charles Sagar, Joe Leeming , William Wood and John Plant...
. He scored in the 1898 final, a 3–1 defeat to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
. On 3 September 1900 Bloomer scored the first-ever goal at The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns
The Hawthorns is an all-seater football stadium in West Bromwich, Sandwell, England, with a capacity of 26,484. It has been the home of West Bromwich Albion F.C. since 1900, when it became the sixth ground to be used by the club. The ground was the last Football League ground to be built in the...
, the 1–1 draw against 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...
being the first match played at the ground. After four years at Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
he returned to the Rams in 1910 and helped them win 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...
title in 1912. He scored his last league goal for Derby against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
on 6 September 1913 and his last match was against 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...
on 31 January 1914 when he was 40 years and 11 days.
Middlesbrough
In March 1906 Bloomer joined MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
for a fee of £750. Among team mates at his new club were Alf Common
Alf Common
Alf Common was an English footballer who played at inside forward or centre forward. He is most famous for being the first player to be transferred for a fee of £1,000 on his transfer to Middlesbrough from Sunderland in 1905.-Club career:Common played for South Hylton and Jarrow in North East...
, the first £1,000 footballer, and Fred Pentland
Fred Pentland
Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland was an English footballer and manager. He played as a forward for, among others, Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough and England. However he is best remembered for his career as a manager in Spain where he coached several clubs including Athletic...
. He was topscorer at Middlesbrough in both the 1906–07 and 1907–08 seasons. He also scored four goals in a game against Woolwich 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...
on 5 January 1907.
England international
Between 1895 and 1907, Bloomer also made 23 EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
appearances, which was a record
Progression of England association football caps record
This is a progressive list of association footballers who have held or co-held the record for international caps for the England national football team, beginning with Charles Chenery and Ernest Greenhalgh, the only England players to appear in both of the first two international games...
at the time. He made his debut in 3 March 1895, scoring twice in a 9–0 win against Ireland
Ireland national football team (IFA)
The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at association football, it was organised by the Irish FA , and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales...
. He scored in all his first 10 international appearances, which remains a record for number of consecutive scoring appearances. He netted 19 times during these games. On 16 March 1896 Bloomer scored 5 goals for England against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
and on 18 March 1901 he scored four goals against the same opposition. Bloomer thus became the first player to score two hat-tricks for England and was also the first to score four goals for England twice. He eventually finished his international career with 28 goals. During his international career Bloomer’s team mates included his County team mate John Goodall
John Goodall
John Goodall was a footballer who rose to fame as a centre-forward for England and for Preston North End at the time of the development of the Football League, and also became Watford's first manager in 1903...
as well as Frank Becton
Frank Becton
Frank Becton was an English professional footballer at the turn of the 20th century. A striker, he turned out for Preston North End , Liverpool, Sheffield United, Bedminster, Swindon Town, Ashton Town and New Brighton Tower...
, Jack Reynolds, Ernest Needham
Ernest Needham
Ernest 'Nudger' Needham was an English footballer and cricketer. He played football 14 times for England and captained the side in 1901....
, Fred Spiksley
Fred Spiksley
Fred Spiksley was an English footballer and coach, who played as a forward for Sheffield Wednesday F.C. and England. He also played for Gainsborough Trinity, Glossop North End, Leeds City, Watford and in 1907 became the only professional footballer to play for the Corinthians...
, Samuel Wolstenholme
Samuel Wolstenholme
Samuel Wolstenholme was an English footballer who played for, among others Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and England. He played alongside Steve Bloomer and Vivian Woodward in the England teams that won the British Home Championship in 1904 and 1905...
and Vivian Woodward
Vivian Woodward
Vivian John Woodward was an English amateur football player who enjoyed the peak of his career in the late 1900s and early 1910s.-Club career:...
. Bloomer helped England win the British Home Championship
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...
eight times. He held the overall England scoring record
Progression of England association football goalscoring record
This is a progressive list of association footballers who have held or co-held the record for international goals for the England national football team, beginning with William Kenyon-Slaney who scored the first ever international goal...
from April 1898 when he surpassed Tinsley Lindley
Tinsley Lindley
Tinsley Lindley was an English footballer. He was considered one of the 19th century's great centre forwards. His passes and shots at goal were very precise, he was very clever and an excellent team player. An elegant and technically superb player.He was the son of Leonard Lindley who was a lace...
's total of 14 with two goals against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, until his final tally of 28 was overhauled by Vivian Woodward
Vivian Woodward
Vivian John Woodward was an English amateur football player who enjoyed the peak of his career in the late 1900s and early 1910s.-Club career:...
in 1911.
Prisoner in Germany
After retiring as a player Bloomer went to Germany in July 1914 to coach Britannia Berlin 92Berliner SV
Berliner SV 1892 is a German association football club from the district of Wilmersdorf, Berlin. BSV 1892 is one of the country's oldest clubs and was a founding member of the DFB in 1900....
. However within three weeks of arriving the First World War broke out and he found himself interned at Ruhleben
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp
Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a civilian detention camp during World War I. It was located in Ruhleben, then a village to the west of Berlin, now split between the districts of Spandau and Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf...
, a civilian detention camp in the Spandau
Spandau
Spandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...
district of Berlin. Bloomer was one of several former professional footballers among the detainees. Others included his former England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
colleagues Fred Spiksley
Fred Spiksley
Fred Spiksley was an English footballer and coach, who played as a forward for Sheffield Wednesday F.C. and England. He also played for Gainsborough Trinity, Glossop North End, Leeds City, Watford and in 1907 became the only professional footballer to play for the Corinthians...
and Samuel Wolstenholme
Samuel Wolstenholme
Samuel Wolstenholme was an English footballer who played for, among others Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and England. He played alongside Steve Bloomer and Vivian Woodward in the England teams that won the British Home Championship in 1904 and 1905...
, his former Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
team mate Fred Pentland
Fred Pentland
Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland was an English footballer and manager. He played as a forward for, among others, Blackburn Rovers, Queens Park Rangers, Middlesbrough and England. However he is best remembered for his career as a manager in Spain where he coached several clubs including Athletic...
, a Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
international, John Cameron, John Brearley
John Brearley
John Brearley is a former English footballer and manager. He played as a forward for several clubs, most notably Millwall Athletic, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur. He was able to play in at least five outfield positions, but had a preference for playing inside-right...
, once of Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
and a German
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
international Edwin Dutton
Edwin Dutton
Edwin Dutton is a former Anglo-German footballer and coach. Dutton played as a forward for Britannia Berlin 92, BFC Preussen, Newcastle United and Germany. During the First World War he was interned at Ruhleben, a civilian detention camp in Germany...
who had previously played for Britannia Berlin 92.
The camp contained between 4,000 and 5,500 prisoners. Gradually a mini-society evolved and football became a popular activity. The Ruhleben Football Association was formed and cup and league competitions were organised with as many as 1,000 attending the bigger games. The teams adopted the names of established teams and in November 1914, Bloomer captained a Tottenham Hotspur XI
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, that also included Dutton, to victory in a cup final against an Oldham Athletic XI. Spiksley also played in the game, refereed by Wolstenholme, although it is uncertain which team he played for. On 2 May 1915 an England XI featuring Pentland, Wolstenholme, Brearley and Bloomer played a World XI captained by Cameron. Bloomer also played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
at the camp and in May 1915 a Rubleben XI, featuring Bloomer and Brearley, played a Varsities XI
Varsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
in the Rubleban Cricket League. In July 1916 a Lancashire XI, featuring Bloomer, beat a Yorkshire XI that included Wolstenholme.
In summer the prisoners turned to cricket on ‘The Oval’, played to packed houses. Bloomer smashed the camp batting record with a cool 204 and once recorded impressive bowling figures of 6 for 15. There was athletics too. Bloomer won the ‘Old Age Handicap’ at the Ruhleben Olympics, sprinting the 75 yards in 9.6 seconds. Everybody in camp knew ‘Steve’. When he finally left Ruhleben in March 1918, a farewell football match was staged in his honour.
Coaching career
Immediately after the First World War Bloomer briefly coached Blauw-Wit Amsterdam in The Netherlands. In 1923 he became coach of Real UniónReal Unión
Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Irun, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the province of Gipuzkoa, near the border with France...
in Spain and subsequently guided them to victory in the 1924 Copa del Rey. During the 1920s the Copa was effectively a play-off to decide the Spanish champions. Teams qualified by winning their regional titles and Real Unión represented Guipuzcoa. Nine other regional champions also qualified and in the first round of the competition Real beat Sevilla FC
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
, the champions of Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
, 3–1 on aggregate. In the semi-final they faced the Catalan champions, FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, coached by another Englishman, Jack Greenwell. Greenwall’s squad included the likes of Paulino Alcántara
Paulino Alcántara
Paulino Alcántara Riestrá was a Filipino–Spanish footballer and manager. He spent most of his playing career at Barcelona and was the first Filipino and Asian player to play for a European club. He also played for Catalonia, the Philippines and Spain...
, Sagibarba
Emilio Sagi Liñan
Emilio Sagi Liñán , was a former footballer who played as a left-winger for FC Barcelona, the Catalan XI and Spain during the 1920s and 1930s. He was the son of, Emilio Sagi Barba, the Catalan baritone singer, and as a result, was widely referred to as Sagibarba...
and Josep Samitier
Josep Samitier
Josep Samitier Vilalta , also known as José Samitier , was a Spanish footballer, manager and scout who played for FC Barcelona, Madrid CF, OGC Nice, the Catalan XI and Spain...
. Despite this Real beat FC Barcelona 5–1 after a replay and went on to beat Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, the champions of central Spain, 1–0 in the final.
Career statistics
|-|1892–93||rowspan="13"|Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
||rowspan="13"|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....
||28||11||–||–||28||11
|-
|1893–94||25||18||2||0||27||18
|-
|1894–95||29||9||1||0||30||9
|-
|1895–96||25||22||5||5||30||27
|-
|1896–97||29||24||4||7||33||31
|-
|1897–98||23||15||3||5||26||20
|-
|1898–99||28||24||5||6||33||30
|-
|1899–1900||28||19||2||0||30||19
|-
|1900–01||36||12||5||2||41||14
|-
|1901–02||28||15||7||3||35||18
|-
|1902–03||24||12||2||1||26||13
|-
|1904–05||29||13||1||0||30||13
|-
|1905–06||23||12||3||0||26||12
|-
355||206||40||29||395||235
|-
|1905–06||rowspan="5"|Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
||rowspan="5"|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....
||9||6||–||–||9||6
|-
|1906–07||34||17||2||0||36||17
|-
|1907–08||34||14||1||0||35||14
|-
|1908–09||28||16||–||–||28||16
|-
|1909–10||20||8||2||1||22||9
|-
125||61||5||1||130||62
|-
|1910–11||rowspan="4"|Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
||rowspan="2"|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...
||28||20||4||4||32||24
|-
|1911–12||36||18||2||1||38||19
|-
|1912–13||rowspan="2"|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....
|||29||13||1||1||30||14
|-
|1913–14||5||2||1||0||6||2
|-
98||53||8||6||96||59
|-
Player
- British ChampionsBritish Home ChampionshipThe 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...
- Champions: 18951895 British Home ChampionshipThe 1895 British Home Championship was an international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The competition was won by England, who like second placed Wales, did not loose a game. Wales however failed to win one either, scoring three draws and so finishing behind England....
, 18981898 British Home ChampionshipThe 1898 British Home Championship was the fifteenth edition of the annual football tournament played between the British Home Nations. England won the trophy after whitewashing all three opponents and taking the maximum six points...
, 18991899 British Home ChampionshipThe 1899 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. A very high scoring affair, the competition featured the highest scoreline ever achieved in the Home Championships when England defeated Ireland 13–2 in Sunderland...
, 19011901 British Home ChampionshipThe 1901 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. England won the competition with five points after strong victories over Wales and Ireland...
, 19031903 British Home ChampionshipThe 1903 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations.Unusually, the trophy was shared by three of the Home Nations all of whom scored four points. At the time, goal difference was not used to differentiate teams...
(Shared), 19041904 British Home ChampionshipThe 1904 British Home Championship football tournament was a low scoring affair, won by a powerful England side who were followed by the unfancied Irish in second place...
, 19051905 British Home ChampionshipThe 1905 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. It was competed in the second half of the 1904–05 football season and saw England win the championship for the third time in a row with two victories and a draw...
(Shared), 19061906 British Home ChampionshipThe 1906 British Home Championship was the 22nd edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. The trophy was shared between the two sides which regularly dominated the competition, England and Scotland who each gained four points.England and... - Runner-up: 18961896 British Home ChampionshipThe 1896 British Home Championship was an edition of the annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations. Despite England achieving an almost record 9–1 victory over Wales, the trophy was won by Scotland who won two and drew one of their matches, the draw...
, 18971897 British Home ChampionshipThe 1897 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. It was won by Scotland after a late goal at The Crystal Palace which beat England to the trophy despite England's dominance of the competition up to that point...
, 19021902 British Home ChampionshipThe 1902 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations which was meant to herald the arrival full professional game of football as both England and Scotland fielded fully professional teams for the first time...
, 19071907 British Home ChampionshipThe 1907 British Home Championship was an international football tournament between the British Home Nations. For the first time ever it was won undisputed by the Welsh team, who secured two victories and a draw to take them to the top of the table. They were followed by England and Scotland, who...
- Champions: 1895
- First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe 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....
- Runner-up: 1895–96
- Third-place: 1893–94, 1896–97
- FA CupFA CupThe 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...
- Runner-up: 18981898 FA Cup FinalThe 1898 FA Cup Final was contested by Nottingham Forest and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Forest won 3–1, with goals from Arthur Capes and John McPherson. Steve Bloomer scored Derby's effort.-Summary:...
, 18991899 FA Cup FinalThe 1899 FA Cup Final was contested by Sheffield United and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Sheffield United won 4–1, with goals scored by John Almond, Walter Bennett, Billy Beer and Fred Priest. John Boag scored Derby's goal.-Match details:...
, 19031903 FA Cup FinalThe 1903 FA Cup Final was contested by Bury and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Bury won 6–0, with goals from George Ross, Charles Sagar, Joe Leeming , William Wood and John Plant... - Semi-finalists: 1896, 1897, 1901, 1904
- Runner-up: 1898
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 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...
- Champions: 1911–12
Manager
Real Unión- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1- 1924
- Campeonato de Guipuzcoa: 1
- 1923–24
Baseball Player
Derby County Baseball Club- British Champions: 3
- 1895, 1897, 1898
Legacy
On January 17, 2009 after a long and sustained period of campaigning a bust of Bloomer was finally unveiled inside Pride Park, Derby. Bloomer's two grandsons, Steve Richards and Alan Quantrill (Modest but proud grandson of Rams legend Steve is mourned) unveiled the bust in the presence of Bloomer's family and relations, the sculptor Andrew Edwards and thousands of Derby County fans.(Steve Bloomer: Watching at last)