Frank Richards (football manager)
Encyclopedia
Frank Richards was an English
football
manager and administrator. He served as secretary-manager of Birmingham
, Preston North End
and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic
and later joined the board of directors
at Birmingham.
Born in Handsworth
, Birmingham
, Richards worked in the Jewellery Quarter
of the city before joining the St Andrew's
office staff in 1907. He was appointed club secretary in 1910 and took over responsibility for team affairs in 1915 when the Football League
was suspended because of the First World War
. He signed a number of players who went on to give excellent service to Birmingham, including record goalscorer Joe Bradford
, playmaker Johnny Crosbie
, future manager George Liddell
and England
international goalkeeper
Dan Tremelling
; those four between them made over 1,500 Football League appearances for the club. In 1920–21
he led Birmingham to the championship of the Second Division
. Birmingham failed to enter the FA Cup
in 1921–22
because Richards forgot to send in the forms; the Football Association
proved impervious to appeals for clemency. After two years in the top flight he handed over responsibility for playing matters to former player Billy Beer, remaining as club secretary for a further two years.
In May 1925 he became secretary-manager of Preston North End
. He took with him Birmingham player Harry Hampton as coach
, and was responsible for bringing Alex James
to the club.
He held the post for two seasons before returning to Birmingham as club secretary with Bill Harvey
as team manager. For two years from June 1928 he was secretary-manager of Bournemouth
. He later spent five years as a member of Birmingham's board of directors. He died in Birmingham in 1963 at the age of 83.
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...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
manager and administrator. He served as secretary-manager of Birmingham
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, 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...
and Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
and later joined the board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
at Birmingham.
Born in Handsworth
Handsworth, West Midlands
Handsworth is an inner city area of Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the ancient Staffordshire parish of Handsworth into two urban districts: Handsworth and Perry Barr. Handsworth was annexed to the county borough of Birmingham in Warwickshire in 1911...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Richards worked in the Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
of the city before joining the St Andrew's
St Andrews (stadium)
St Andrew's is an association football stadium in the Bordesley district of Birmingham, England. It has been the home ground of Birmingham City Football Club for more than a century....
office staff in 1907. He was appointed club secretary in 1910 and took over responsibility for team affairs in 1915 when 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...
was suspended because of the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He signed a number of players who went on to give excellent service to Birmingham, including record goalscorer Joe Bradford
Joe Bradford
Joseph "Joe" Bradford was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward. Born in Peggs Green, near Coalville, Leicestershire, Bradford made nearly 450 appearances for Birmingham in all competitions, scoring 267 goals...
, playmaker Johnny Crosbie
Johnny Crosbie
John Anderson "Johnny" Crosbie was a Scottish professional footballer who played in the Scottish Football League for Ayr United and made more than 400 appearances in the Football League for Birmingham. He was capped twice for the Scotland national football team. He played as an inside...
, future manager George Liddell
George Liddell
George M. Liddell was an English professional association football player and manager.-Biography:...
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...
international goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (football)
In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...
Dan Tremelling
Dan Tremelling
Richard Daniel "Dan" Tremelling was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made nearly 450 appearances in the Football League for Birmingham and Bury, including more than 300 in the First Division, and was capped for England.His younger brother, Billy, played for...
; those four between them made over 1,500 Football League appearances for the club. In 1920–21
1920-21 in English football
The 1920–21 season was the 46th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League Third Division is introduced, expanding the League's operational radius south of Birmingham...
he led Birmingham to the championship of 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...
. Birmingham failed to enter the 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...
in 1921–22
1921-22 in English football
The 1921–22 season was the 47th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The league underwent a major expansion for the second consecutive season, adding 20 teams from the Midlands and Northern England. They were placed in the new Third Division North, and the existing southern-based...
because Richards forgot to send in the forms; 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...
proved impervious to appeals for clemency. After two years in the top flight he handed over responsibility for playing matters to former player Billy Beer, remaining as club secretary for a further two years.
In May 1925 he became secretary-manager of 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...
. He took with him Birmingham player Harry Hampton as coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, and was responsible for bringing Alex James
Alex James (footballer)
Alexander Wilson James was a Scottish footballer, and is most noted for his success with Arsenal, where he is regarded as one of the club's greatest players of all time. James played as an inside forward, as a supporting player for the main strikers...
to the club.
He held the post for two seasons before returning to Birmingham as club secretary with Bill Harvey
Bill Harvey
William "Bill" Harvey was an English association football player and manager.-Playing career:Harvey played for Sheffield Wednesday, Birmingham and Southend United...
as team manager. For two years from June 1928 he was secretary-manager of Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
. He later spent five years as a member of Birmingham's board of directors. He died in Birmingham in 1963 at the age of 83.