In the beginning God created Everton…

Abstract

The roots of the original Everton FC are to be found in the evangelizing muscular Christian movement of the latter part of the nineteenth century. Among the Anglican and Nonconformist ministry – and more especially in urban areas – there was great concern to provide leisure activities for their congregations. The move by the clergy towards the provision of sport was stimulated by the struggle by workers to shorten the working day through organizations such as the Nine Hours Movement. While advocating this shortening of the working day, churchmen were concerned with the type of activities workers might pursue in their extended free time away from work.

Notes

1. Rees, ‘The Development of Physical Recreation in Liverpool’, 200.

2. Keates, The History of the Everton Football Club, 141

3. Rees, ‘The Development of Physical Recreation’, 201. Rees quotes from Porcupine, 18 Feb.1871.

4. Rees, ‘The Development of Physical Recreation in Liverpool’, 203.

5. Ibid., 200.

6. Ibid., 204–5; 223; Figs 9 and 10, 124; Fig. 11, 130; Fig. 12, 131.

7. Keates, The History of the Everton Football Club, 2–3. W.C. Cuff’s comments were found in ‘Everton Football Club Jubilee Celebration’, Liverpool Echo (hereafter LE), 27 April 1929, 2, and ‘Annual meeting Rumpus’, LE, 1 March 1949, 3.

8. Gowland, Methodist Secessions, 6 and 121.

9. Ibid., 123.

10. ‘Everton Football Club Jubilee Celebration’, LE, 27 April 1929, 2.

11. Teams of nearby parishes such as St Peter’s, and St Benedict’s – both Church of England – provided initial opposition for St Domingo. Matches with sides from slightly further afield, such as St John’s in Bootle, were also organized. See Keates, The History of the Everton Football Club.

12. Details from unofficial Everton FC website ‘Toffeeweb’, available at http://www.toffeeweb.com/season/09-10/news/article.asp?submissionID=9320

13. The chapel encouraged temperance – having its own Temperance and Band of Hope group. See St Domingo Parish Records: Trust Committee Accounts, 1876–1948 (Ref: 287 LNE 26/4); Church Leaders Meeting Minutes, 1873–1893 (Ref: 287 LNE 26/2), Liverpool Record Office.

14. Keates, The History of the Everton Football Club, 2–16; France and Prentice, Virgin Blues, 4.

15. Mason, Association Football, 42–3.

16. The assertion is made after comparing the Everton FC shareholder lists of 1892 with the club membership lists published in the club minute books from September 1889.

17. Everton FC company file BT31/36624, Companies House, Cardiff.

18. Keates, The History of the Everton Football Club, 150.

19. See Mason, Association Football, 26–28.

20. Keates, The History of the Everton Football Club, 12–13.

21. Orchard, Liverpool’s Legion of Honour, 482.

22. Waller, Democracy and Sectarianism, 516.

23. Ibid., 510.

24. ‘The Everton Football Club: Mr Houlding and the Executive Committee’, letter from Everton FC member to Liverpool Daily Post (hereafter LDP), 15 Feb. 1892, 6.

25. Orchard, Liverpool’s Legion of Honour, 637.

26. Waller, Democracy and Sectarianism, 512.

27. Orchard, Liverpool’s Legion of Honour, 138.

28. See ‘Mr Houlding and the Everton Club’, LDP, 27 Oct. 1891, 6.

29. George Dobson signed from Bolton, George Farmer from Oswestry, and Alex Dick from Kilmarnock – see Young, Football on Merseyside, 24.

30. Lewis ‘The Genesis of Professional Football’.

31. France and Prentice, Virgin Blues,13.

32. Ibid., 9.

33. Keates, The History of the Everton Football Club, 10.

34. France and Prentice, Virgin Blues, 11.

35. ‘Mr John Houlding and the Everton Football Club: Defence of His Actions’, LDP, 21 Oct. 1891, 3.

36. France and Prentice, Virgin Blues, 9.

37. Keates, The History of the Everton Football Club, 13.

38. France and Prentice, Virgin Blues, 19.

39. Ibid.

40. My own figures based on Everton FC home match reports from LDP, season 1887–8; match reports from LE, season 1890–1

41. Richardson, ‘The Development of Professional Football on Merseyside’, 25.

42. France and Prentice, Virgin Blues, 23.