The Old Etonians Association Football Club is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club whose players are alumni of

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

, in Eton, Berkshire. Having been a member of

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest football association in the world a ...

and played several editions of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

, Old Etonians currently play in the Premier Division, the highest level of the

Arthurian League The Arthurian League is an English association football league for teams consisting of old boys of public schools. It is affiliated to the Amateur Football Alliance The Amateur Football Alliance is a county football association in England. ...

History

Founded by

Lord Kinnaird Lord Kinnaird was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1682 for George Kinnaird. The ninth Lord was created Baron Rossie, of Rossie in the County of Perth, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1831, with normal remainder to th ...

, they were the last amateur or "true blue" club to win the

on 25 March 1882 when they beat

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

1–0 at

The Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

with a goal from William Anderson. They lost 2–1 after extra time to another Blackburn club,

Blackburn Olympic Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-no ...

, the following year. In all, they reached the final six times in nine years between 1875 and 1883, winning twice. They also supplied a number of players for the England team, including three in one match against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

in 1879. Old Etonians' last participation in the FA Cup was the 1887–88 edition. In modern times, Old Etonians are members of the

(affiliated to the

Amateur Football Alliance The Amateur Football Alliance is a county football association in England. It is unusual among county FAs in not serving a particular geographical area. It was founded in 1906 as the Amateur Football Defence Council, was briefly known as the Ama ...

) and field two teams there.League tables
on Arthurian league, retrieved 22 Mar 2020 The 1st XI have won the league's Premier Division title on two occasions.

International players

Several Old Etonians players were capped for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, either while with the club or subsequently. The following eight scholars played for England whilst with the club (with the number of caps received whilst registered with Old Etonians F.C.): * Rupert Anderson (1 cap) *

Lindsay Bury Lindsay Bury (9 July 1857 – 30 October 1935) was an English amateur footballer who, playing as a full back, helped the Old Etonians win the FA Cup in 1879 and made two appearances for England in the 1870s. He also played cricket for Hamp ...

(1 cap) * Edward Christian (1 cap) *

Arthur Dunn Arthur Tempest Blakiston Dunn (12 August 1860 in Whitby, Yorkshire – 20 February 1902 in Ludgrove near Barnet, Hertfordshire) was a noted amateur footballer who founded the English boarding school, Ludgrove, in 1892. Education Dunn, son ...

(2 caps) *

Harry Goodhart Harry Chester Goodhart (17 July 1858 – 21 April 1895) was an English amateur footballer who played as a forward in four FA Cup Finals for Old Etonians, before going on to become Professor of Humanity at the University of Edinburgh. Early lif ...

(3 caps) * Robert Cunliffe Gosling (5 caps) * John Hawtrey (2 caps) *

Herbert Whitfeld Herbert Whitfeld (15 November 1858 – 6 May 1909) was an English amateur sportsman who played association football and county cricket. In football, he helped Old Etonians win the 1879 FA Cup Final and was on the losing side in 1881 as well ...

(1 cap) Anderson, Bury and Whitfeld made their only appearances together, on 18 January 1879 against

. Whitfeld scored in a 2–1 victory. Other Old Etonians who later played for England include: * Alexander Bonsor *

Percy de Paravicini Percy John de Paravicini (15 July 1862 – 11 October 1921) was an English amateur cricketer and international footballer in the late nineteenth century. Early life and education He was born in Kensington, London, the son of Baron James Prior ...

Alfred Lyttelton Alfred Lyttelton KC (7 February 1857 – 5 July 1913) was a British politician and sportsman from the Lyttelton family who excelled at both football and cricket. During his time at university he participated in Varsity Matches in five sports ...

Reginald Macaulay Reginald Heber Macaulay (24 August 1858 – 15 December 1937) was an amateur English footballer who won the FA Cup with Old Etonians in 1882 and made one appearance for England in 1881 playing as a forward. Family Background Macaulay was born ...

Cuthbert Ottaway Cuthbert John Ottaway (19 July 1850 – 2 April 1878)''Jackson's Oxford Journal'', 6 April 1878. was an English footballer. He was the first captain of the England football team and led his side in the first official international football ma ...

John Frederick Peel Rawlinson John Frederick Peel Rawlinson (21 December 1860 – 14 January 1926) was an English barrister, politician and footballer. An amateur, he won the FA Cup with Old Etonians in 1882 and made one appearance for England in 1882 playing as a goalke ...

Club founder

made one appearance for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

in 1873, the second ever international match.

Honours

** Winners (2): 1879,

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in t ...

**''Runners-up (4)'':

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...

1881 Events January–March * January 1– 24 – Siege of Geok Tepe: Russian troops under General Mikhail Skobelev defeat the Turkomans. * January 13 – War of the Pacific – Battle of San Juan and Chorrillos: The ...

, 1883 *

** Premier Division Champions (2): 1992–93, 2004–05 ** Division One Champions (1): 1985–86 ** Division Two Champions (2nd XI) (4): 1992–93, 1997–98, 1999–2000, 2003–04 ** Division Three Champions (3rd XI) (2): 1995–96, 2004–05 ** Division Four Champions (4th XI) (2): 1989–90, 1993–94 *

Arthur Dunn Cup The Arthur Dunn Cup is a football cup competition played between the Old Boys of public schools. It started in 1903 and is named in honour of Arthur Dunn who had proposed such a competition but died very suddenly shortly after. Dunn was a leadin ...

** Winners (2): 2004–05, 2009–10

Eton Ramblers

The Eton Ramblers cricket club, also made up of Old Etonians, occasionally played the existing students in the

Eton Field Game The Field Game is one of two codes of football devised and played at Eton College. The other is the Eton Wall Game. The game is like association football in some ways – the ball is round, but one size smaller than a standard football, and may n ...

in the cricket off-season. In 1882-83 the Ramblers also entered the FA Cup, beating

Romford Romford is a large town in east London and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Havering. It is located northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. Historically, Romfo ...

6-2 in the first round, but lost 7-0 to the Old Carthusians on the Brocas at Eton in the second. Because of a lack of regulation footballs, the tie was played using an Eton Field Game ball, which was much smaller than the Association standard.

Notes

References

External links

Official Twitter
* {{coord, 51, 29, 41.73, N, 0, 35, 49.61, W, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title Association football clubs established in 1865 FA Cup winners Football clubs in Berkshire 1865 establishments in England Football clubs in England University and college sports clubs in England