Charles Bates (1889 – 20 March 1937) was an English professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a centre forward. After his retirement from football, Bates qualified as a

chiropodist A podiatrist ( ) is a medical professional devoted to the treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. The term originated in North America but has now become the accepted term in the English-speaking world for ...

. As a youth, Bates played local football in the Birmingham leagues. He later had a spell with

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

, before joining

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...

side

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...

in May 1910. He made his debut for the club on 3 December 1910 in the 2–1 win over

Leicester Fosse Leicester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the city of Leicester, East Midlands, England. The club compete in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football league system, English f ...

Turf Moor Turf Moor is an association football stadium in Burnley, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Burnley F.C., Burnley Football Club since 1883. This unbroken service makes Turf Moor the second-longest continuously used ground in Footbal ...

, in place of

Tommy Mayson Thomas Mayson (8 December 1886 – 1972) was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield pos ...

, and kept his place in the team for the next two matches. After four games out of the team Bates was selected for the first match of 1911, away at

Glossop Glossop is a market town in the borough of High Peak (borough), High Peak, Derbyshire, England, east of Manchester, north-west of Sheffield and north of Matlock, Derbyshire, Matlock. Near Derbyshire's borders with Cheshire, Greater Mancheste ...

, and scored his first League goal in the 1–1 draw. He scored twice in the following game, securing a 2–1 victory against

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. They compete in , the third tier of English football league system, English football. Huddersfield Town we ...

with a

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

four minutes from time. During the remainder of the season Bates made sporadic appearances for Burnley; his two goals in the 5–3 win against

Stockport County Stockport County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton ...

on 18 March 1911 meant he ended the campaign with a record of 5 goals in 13 games. Hampered by injury, Bates played just two first-team matches for Burnley during the 1911–12 season. His final league appearance for the club came on 9 December 1911 in the 5–1 win away at

Leeds City Leeds City Football Club was the leading professional club in Leeds, England, before the First World War. The club was highly successful in the wartime football league; however, it faced sanction for paying its players during wartime which had b ...

. Following his retirement from professional football in 1912, he was appointed assistant trainer at Burnley, and in 1919 he was promoted to senior trainer after the departure of Ernest Edwards. Bates acted as trainer to the

England national team Team England usually refers to the name under which athletes representing Commonwealth Games England compete. England team or Team England may refer to: *Commonwealth Games England *England national football team *England cricket team *England nat ...

for the 1–2 defeat to

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

at Turf Moor on 28 November 1927. He left Burnley in 1934, later becoming trainer at Newport County, before returning to live in Burnley.

Personal life

Bates was a reservist in the

South Staffordshire Regiment The South Staffordshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for only 68 years. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 38th (1st Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot a ...

prior to the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. At the outbreak of the war, he was called up and while serving as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

was taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

by German forces at

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

on 31 August 1914. During his imprisonment, he was held in Gottingen.

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Charlie 1889 births 1937 deaths English men's footballers Men's association football forwards Darlington F.C. players Burnley F.C. players English Football League players Footballers from Burnley British Army personnel of World War I South Staffordshire Regiment soldiers British World War I prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Germany Military personnel from the West Midlands (county)