Ebenezer Cobb Morley
Encyclopedia
Ebenezer Cobb Morley was an English
sportsman and is regarded as the father of The Football Association
and modern Football.
Morley was born at 10 Garden Square, Princess Street in Hull
and lived in the city until he was 22. He moved to Barnes in 1858 forming the Barnes Club, a founding member of the FA, in 1862. In 1863, as captain of the Mortlake
-based club, he wrote to Bell's Life newspaper
proposing a governing body for the sport, that led to the first meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern, that created the FA.
He was the FA's first secretary (1863–1866) and its second president (1867–1874) and drafted the first Laws of the Game at his home in Barnes. As a player, he played in the first ever match, against Richmond
in 1863, and scored in the first representative match, between the clubs of London and Sheffield
on 31 March 1866.
A solicitor
by profession, Morley was a keen oarsman, founding the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta for which he was also secretary (1862–1880). He served on Surrey County Council
for Barnes (1903–1919) and was a Justice of the Peace
.
Morley is buried in a now abandoned graveyard on Barnes Common, Barnes. He had no children.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
sportsman and is regarded as the father of 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...
and modern Football.
Morley was born at 10 Garden Square, Princess Street in Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and lived in the city until he was 22. He moved to Barnes in 1858 forming the Barnes Club, a founding member of the FA, in 1862. In 1863, as captain of the Mortlake
Mortlake
Mortlake is a district of London, England and part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes with East Sheen inland to the south. Mortlake was part of Surrey until 1965.-History:...
-based club, he wrote to Bell's Life newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
proposing a governing body for the sport, that led to the first meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern, that created the FA.
He was the FA's first secretary (1863–1866) and its second president (1867–1874) and drafted the first Laws of the Game at his home in Barnes. As a player, he played in the first ever match, against Richmond
Richmond F.C.
Richmond Football Club is a rugby union club from Richmond, London. It is a founding member of the Rugby Football Union, and is one of the oldest football clubs...
in 1863, and scored in the first representative match, between the clubs of London and Sheffield
Sheffield F.C.
Sheffield Football Club is an English football club from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The club is most noted for the fact that they are the world's oldest club now playing Association football, founded in 1857...
on 31 March 1866.
A solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
by profession, Morley was a keen oarsman, founding the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta for which he was also secretary (1862–1880). He served on Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 80 elected councillors.The council is controlled by the Conservative party.The leader of the council is David Hodge....
for Barnes (1903–1919) and was a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
.
Morley is buried in a now abandoned graveyard on Barnes Common, Barnes. He had no children.