Alfred Jones (

fl. ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...

1885–1915) was

Small Heath Small Heath is an inner-city area in south-east Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England situated on and around the Coventry Road about from the city centre. History Small Heath, which has been settled and used since Roman t ...

's first secretary-manager. Appointed in 1892, the year of their admission to the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

, he oversaw the club winning the inaugural

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 ...

championship, promotion to the

First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to: Military Airborne divisions *1st Parachute Division (Germany) *1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom) * 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine) * 1st Guards Airborne Division Armoured divisions *1st Armoure ...

the following year, and two further promotions before his retirement in 1908. Jones worked as a manufacturer of

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. He began acting as unpaid secretary for Small Heath Alliance F.C. in 1885, the year they turned professional. That season they reached the semi-final of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

, which brought money into the club and broadened popular awareness of it. He supervised their entry into organised league football in the

Football Alliance The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92. History In 1888, the same year the Football League was founded, The Combination was established by clubs who had been ...

which started in 1889, and their subsequent invitation to join the newly formed

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

of the Football League. It was at this point that Jones became the club's first paid secretary, and in addition took over responsibility for team affairs. In Jones's first season as secretary-manager, Small Heath won the inaugural Second Division championship, though this did not bring automatic

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; the club were unsuccessful in a test match against the bottom club in the First Division,

Newton Heath Newton Heath is an area of Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester city centre and with a population of 9,883. Historically part of Lancashire, Newton was formerly a farming area, but adopted the factory system following the Industrial ...

. The following season the club were promoted via a test match victory over

Darwen Darwen is a market town and civil parish in the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The residents of the town are known as "Darreners". The A666 road, A666 road passes through Darwen towards Blackburn to the north, Bolton to ...

. Their stay in the top flight was brief, and with relegation came the loss of top players, falling attendances, and consequent reduced income. Despite the club's financial difficulties, Jones was responsible for some excellent players joining. In his 13-year tenure as manager his team were promoted three times, but relegated again three times. After the 1908 relegation, Jones was replaced as secretary-manager by Alex Watson, though he stayed at the club as part-time

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until 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 ...

References

* * Year of birth missing Year of death missing English football managers Birmingham City F.C. managers Place of birth missing Place of death missing {{England-footy-manager-stub