1872 in association football

The following are events in 1872 which are relevant to the development of association football. Included are events in closely related codes, such as the Sheffield Rules.

Events

24 February – England defeat Scotland 1–0 in the fifth and final representative match between the two teams.
16 March – Wanderers defeat Royal Engineers 1–0 in the inaugural FA Cup Final at the Kennington Oval. Morton Betts scores the winning goal in the 15th minute after a successful dribble by Walpole Vidal.
30 November – The first FIFA-recognised international match is played in front of a crowd of 4,000 between Scotland and England at Hamilton Crescent, Partick. It ends as a 0–0 draw.

Clubs founded

England

France

Le Havre becomes the first French football and rugby club, playing football on a regular basis from 1894.

Scotland

Wales

Wrexham is founded on 28 September at the local Turf Hotel by two members of the Wrexham Cricket Club, who want to play sport during the winter months. It is the first Welsh football club.

Domestic cups

Nation	Tournament	Champion	Final Score	Second place	Title	Last Honor	Ref
England	1871–72 FA Cup	Wanderers	1-0	Royal Engineers	1st	—N/a	^[2]

Births

27 January – Jack Taylor (d. 1949), Scotland international forward in four matches (1892–1895); made 400 appearances for Everton (1896–1910), scoring 80 goals.
28 February – Billy Greer (footballer) ( d. 1937), English footballer^[3]
27 April – Kelly Houlker (d. 1962), England international half-back in five matches (1902–1906).
8 May – Bill Crawford (d. 1955), English professional footballer^[4]
10 May – Charlie Athersmith (d. 1910), England international forward in twelve matches, scoring three goals (1892–1900); won five league titles with Aston Villa.
25 November – G. O. Smith (d. 1943), England international forward in twenty matches (1893–1901), scoring eleven goals; captained the England team in at least thirteen matches from 1896 to 1901.
21 December – Lewis Vaughan Lodge (d. 1916), England international full-back in five matches (1894–1896).
26 December – Joe McMain (d. 1957), English footballer^[5]
27 December – Tommy Crawshaw (d. 1960), England international centre-half in ten matches (1895–1904).
Full date unknown:
- Harry Davy (d. 1896), English professional footballer.^[6]
- Charles Hudson (d. 1955), English professional footballer.^[7]

References

Lynch, Michael (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Scottish History. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-19-969305-4.
The Football Association. "Results Archive". Archived from the original on 31 July 2020.
"Billy Greer". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
Lamming, Douglas (1985). A who's who of Grimsby Town AFC : 1890–1985. Beverley: Hutton. p. 28. ISBN 0-907033-34-2.
"Joe McMain". worldfootball.net. HEIM:SPIEL Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: Tony Brown. p. 71. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
Lamming, Douglas (1985). A who's who of Grimsby Town AFC : 1890–1985. Beverley: Hutton. p. 42. ISBN 0-907033-34-2.