Professional footballer 1911

[Celia Kinsey]

On the 1911 census my paternal grandfather is registered a a professional footballer living in West Bromwich. This would fit in with my father saying he played for WBA and Walsall. His brother was David Walker who I have been able to find left WBA in 1908 for the princely sum of £700. He went on to play for Leicester City. However I cannot find any information about my grandfather William Walker (not the walker who played for villa). Can anybody help me please

Celia kinsey

[kiterunner]

Have you had a look on this website, Celia? You have to register to use it but a lot of the stuff on the site is free to view once you have registered.
http://www.enfa.co.uk/

[Shona]

William Walker played for West Brom in the 1910/11 season.

[Shona]

William Walker played for West Brom in the 1910/11 season. Sorry - meant to add that he was a centre forward.

This fan website has match stats and some pics of the squads from the time your grandfather was playing for WBA.

http://www.westbromwichalbionhistory.co.uk/page18.htm

[Celia Kinsey]

Thankyou Shona - that is the first bit of light at the end of the tunnel.

[Mary from Italy]

Might be worth a search in www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

[Shona]

Some background bits and pieces.

1900 Top professional players receive up to £8 per week. Concerned about increasing 'professionalism', FA cap wage at £4 a week.

1901 FA cup final filmed for the first time.

1902 First £500 transfer - Alf Common (from Sheffield Utd to Sunderland).

1903 Amateur teams (mainly from private schools) set up their own cup competition.

1905 Alf Common becomes first £1,000 transfer (Sunderland to Middlesbrough).

1907 Daily Mail starts to publish photographs to accompany football coverage.

1907 Amateur clubs, increasingly worried about professionalism (gentleman v players), break away from FA to form the Amateur Football Association - 500 clubs from the south of England are involved.

1908 FA sets maximum transfer fee of £350. The scheme is abandoned after a few months.

1910 6,800 professional players register with FA - 573 are on the maximum wage.

1910-11 WBA are Division 2 Champions.

1912 Danny O'Shea becomes first £2,000 transfer (West Ham to Blackburn Rovers).

Source: When the Whistle Blows - the story of the Footballers' Battalion in the Great War, by Andrew Riddoch.

[Merry]

1900 Top professional players receive up to £8 per week.

More background:

A labourer would be lucky to receive £1 a week in 1900.

However, many professional men would have earned £8 a week, such as engineers and surgeons. Barristers and some top solicitors would have earned quite a lot more.