The FA and Braco
If asked to make a connection between a draper from Braco, the
Library Service, the Ardoch Roman Camp and the mighty Football
League, you would probably be struggling. William McGregor from
Braco founded the Football League in England in 1888, and this
fascinating fact emerged during research by
Local Studies staff at the
AK Bell Library.
William McGregor's obituary in 1911 says he discovered his passion
for the game whilst casually observing sport at Ardoch in 1865 in a
game which was a cross between association and rugby football
at the time. The match apparently pitted locals against some
stonemasons from Callander who were engaged on building a nearby
mansion. The Football League's website, in its history section,
gives full credit to William McGregor, describing the League as his
"brainchild". It also describes him as "portly" which may explain
the fact that he was not a noted practitioner of the game he loved.
The opening paragraph of the website declares; "Few would have
imagined that the actions of a Perthshire-born draper would lead to
the creation of the greatest football competition in the world and
set the standards for everyone else to follow."
Born in 1847, William McGregor served his draper's apprenticeship
with Richardson and Pearson in George Street, Perth, before
following his brother Peter down to Birmingham in 1870. It is said
that he had not seen another ball being kicked between the Ardoch
match in 1865 and 1870, but he became involved with a local
football club, Calthorpe, on his arrival in the Midlands. It was
the presence of three Scots in the Aston Villa side of the time
that kindled his interest there and he became a member of that club
in 1877.
Professionalism arrived in 1885, clubs became greedy and there was
fixture chaos. Clubs would play in matches guaranteeing them the
biggest fee, and so such a fixture-list as existed was decimated.
This prompted McGregor, in pursuit of some organisation, to write
to the leading clubs of the day proposing the formation of a league
based on a season of home and away fixtures between each member
club. This was in March of 1888, and by September the Greatest Show
on Earth was up and running. McGregor became the League's first
President. His own club, Aston Villa, were to win that league four
times between 1893 and 1900 and he brought the mighty club north to
play St Johnstone in the home club's formative years at the
Recreation Grounds (Craigie Haugh). He was said to have kept a
"friendly eye" on the development of
St
Johnstone until his death in 1911.
McGregor was evidently well-respected and well-liked and he
retained fond links with Perth and his native land to the last. His
obituary in the Perthshire Advertiser of 23rd December 1911
concluded: "He was a Scotsman of whom his countrymen may well feel
proud. His memory will be cherished in the city which he loved for
many a day."
Stories such as these are regularly emerging in
Local Studies at the
AK Bell Library, and this is a small example of the
sort of local historical information to be found there. Staff
are always delighted to help point people in the right direction in
their subject of interest. Further details of the history of
the football league can be found on its
website.
