On the 16 August 1831, the English sportsman and father of the Football Association [FA], Ebenezer Cobb Morley was born.

Morley was born in Kingston upon Hull and lived in the city until he was 22.

He qualified as a lawyer in 1854, and in 1858 he moved to the London suburb of Barnes to practice as a solicitor in the capital.

He founded Barnes Football Club in 1862, and in 1863, when captain of the Mortlake-based club, he wrote to Bell’s Life newspaper, proposing a governing body for the sport.

This led to the first meeting of the FA, held at the Freemasons’ Tavern, in October 1863, when Morley was elected the first secretary of the association.

He created the first draft of the rules which were published in December 1863, and led to the elimination of the rugby-style carrying the ball, and ‘hacking’, the kicking of an opponent’s shins.

Morley continued to serve as FA secretary until 1866, but subsequently retired ans served as it’s President, from 1867 to 1874.

The house in which Morley created the first draft of the FA’s laws carried a ‘blue plaque’ commemorating Morley, but the house collapsed in 2015 during building work.

As a player, he played in the first ever match under FA rules, against Richmond in 1863.

Morley was also a keen oarsman, and founded the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta. 

Morley died in 1924 aged 93 in Richmond, and is buried in the now abandoned graveyard on Barnes Common.

16 August, 2019