Corinthian F.C.

The club was founded on 28 September 1882 by Nicholas Lane Jackson, Assistant Secretary of the Football Association.[1] At that time, football was still amateur, with the English game dominated by southern clubs. In international football (which had not yet spread beyond the home nations), Scotland prevailed,[6] having won three consecutive matches over England by scores of 5–1, 6–1 and 5–4.

Jackson attributed Scotland's success to "the greater opportunities our opponents over the border [have] of playing together", and aimed to counteract this by forming a club "composed of the best amateur players in the kingdom".[6][1] In order to accomplish this aim, Corinthian F.C. took care to avoid playing matches on Saturdays (when players might be playing for other clubs). The first proposed name for the club was the "Wednesday Club", but this was changed to the "Corinthian Football Club" on the suggestion of Harry Swepstone.[6]

The Corinthian team of 1896–97

"Within twenty years the Corinthians were to become the greatest and most attractive team that football had then known. With an intelligent nonchalance and in their tailored shirts and well-cut shorts they brought a quality and culture to the game".[7]

Given that the club's constitution declared that it should "not compete for any challenge cup or any prize of any description"[8] the team originally only played friendly matches. An exception was later made for the Sheriff of London's Charity Shield. The club might have won the FA Cup many times had they competed — shortly after Blackburn Rovers beat Queen's Park in the 1884 final, the Corinthians beat Blackburn 8–1.[1] Similarly, against the Bury side that beat Derby County 6–0 in the 1903 final, Corinthian won 10–3.[1] In 1904, Corinthian beat Manchester United 11–3[1] which remains United's biggest ever defeat.

In 1889, it was written that Corinthians was the only amateur club "which might be pitted against [inaugural league champions Preston North End] with any reasonable hope of success".[9]

The Corinthian F.C. team that toured North America in 1906

Corinthian did, however, supply large numbers of players to the England football team. During the 1880s, the majority of England caps were awarded to Corinthian players[1] and, for two England matches against Wales in 1894 and 1895, the entire team consisted of members of the club (a feat achieved by no other club, before or since).[1]

Among many others:

• Inspired five Brazilian São Paulo railway workers to found one of Brazil's largest and most successful professional teams, Sport Club Corinthians Paulista.[10][11]
• Fielded the first Black player to play Association Football at international level, Andrew Watson[12]
• Inflicted English side Manchester United's heaviest defeat, beating the Red Devils 11-3 in Leyton, London in 1904.[1]
• Awarded Sweden their first National Football title, named the Corinthian Bowl.

Notable players who have played for Corinthian FC. include:[13]

• Andrew Watson: the first Black player to play Association football at international level.
• C. B. Fry: sporting polymath who made 74 appearances for Corinthian FC, described by contemporaries as "...probably the most variously gifted Englishman of any age"
• R. C. Gosling: described by Sir Frederick Wall, the long-serving Secretary of the Football Association, as "the richest man who ever played football for England".
• Charles Aubrey Smith: a former Corinthian footballer and British actor, who has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, situated at 6327 Hollywood Blvd.
• Max Woosnam: the English sportsman referred to as the 'Greatest British sportsman' in recognition of his achievements.[14]
• Graham Doggart: a leading goal scorer of Corinthian FC, who went on to appoint England's World Cup winning manager, Sir Alf Ramsey.
• Charles Bambridge: held the record for the most years as England's top goalscorer; only Michael Owen, Vivian Woodward, Wayne Rooney and Gary Lineker have more.[15]
• Tinsley Lindley: A Corinthian centre-forward who famously wore his brogues instead of football boots.

The club's foreign tours are also credited with having popularised football around the world; they were the first club to take the sport outside Europe;[1] the 2000 and 2012 FIFA Club World Champions, SC Corinthians Paulista, are named after the club (indeed, Charles Miller, considered the father of football in Brazil, played for the club in 1892),[16] and the 2015 FIFA Club World Champions, Real Madrid, wear white to this day in their honor.[17]

Their tours included South Africa, Canada, the United States, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Spain, Denmark, Holland, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Brazil, Ireland, Jamaica and Germany.

During 'The Split', the 1907–1914 dispute about professional clubs being admitted to membership of the country Football Associations, Corinthian F.C. pledged its allegiance to the Amateur Football Alliance, as did Oxford University and Cambridge University. Corinthian therefore, banned from playing top home opposition by The FA, increased the frequency of their foreign tours; "Corinthian FC had little option but to concentrate on their [footballing] missionary work overseas and of the 131 matches played before 'The Split' was resolved in January 1914, 72 were played abroad".[1]

The club played at various venues including the Queen's Club,[18] The Oval, and the old Crystal Palace. On 12 April 1939, the Corinthians played their last match.[1] They merged with Casuals F.C. to form a new club, Corinthian-Casuals F.C.

Corinthian usually played only friendly matches and the only trophies they competed for were charitable events. They played in the Sheriff of London Charity Shield nine times, winning three, between 1898 and 1907 when the match was replaced in the calendar by the FA Charity Shield.[19] They competed in the 1927 FA Charity Shield against FA Cup winners Cardiff City, losing 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.[20]

• Sheriff of London Charity Shield (3): 1898, 1900, 1904

In all, Corinthian FC had 86 England Internationals (the most of any club), 16 England captains (the most of any club), 12 Welsh Internationals, 8 Scottish Internationals and 2 Irish Internationals.

Many players played for Corinthian as a secondary club while playing for another primary club. The 17 players[21] listed below are those that had Corinthian FC as their principal club:[22]

Danish international Nils Middelboe played for Corinthian after finishing his career with Chelsea.

• Scotch Professors

• Morris, Terry (2015). In A Class of Their Own: A History of English Amateur Football. Chequered Flag Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9932152-4-7.
• Taylor, D.J. (2006). On The Corinthian Spirit: The Decline of Amateurism in Sport. Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 9780224075855.