Colin Campbell McKechnie Veitch (22 May 1881 – 26 August 1938) was an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player in the early 20th century for

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

and manager of Bradford City.

Playing career

Newcastle United

Veitch was born in the Heaton area of Newcastle upon Tyne. At school he was both a gifted scholar and footballer, becoming the first captain of Newcastle Schools in 1895. After enrolling at the city's Rutherford College, Veitch appeared for the College team, regarded at the time as one of the finest amateur teams in North East England, where he attracted the attention of Newcastle United for which he at first signed as an amateur before turning professional in the summer of 1899. Veitch made his debut in October 1899, a match which Newcastle United lost 1–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. For a short spell, Veitch considered giving up his football career to pursue a career in academia, but after a spell in the reserves, playing under the pseudonym of 'Hamilton' he changed his mind. Renowned for his versatility, Veitch captained the successful United side which won League Championships in 1905, 1907 and 1909, the FA Cup in

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

and were FA Cup finalists in

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...

1906 Events January–February * January 12 – Persian Constitutional Revolution: A nationalistic coalition of merchants, religious leaders and intellectuals in Persia forces the shah Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar to grant a constitution, ...

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

and

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

, and also represented England on six occasions. Off the pitch, he was an active member of the players' union. Despite a dispute with Newcastle United in 1911, Veitch continued to play for the club until the outbreak of World War I, during which he served as a lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery. After the war, he returned to St James' Park to become a coach, and in 1924 formed the junior side, Newcastle Swifts, the pioneers of the current Newcastle United juniors system. Veitch was sacked in 1926, ending a 26-year association with United.

Bradford City

In August 1926, Veitch was appointed manager of Bradford City. In his first season the club was relegated to Division Three (North). The following season City recorded their then record victory, 9–1 over Nelson and were mounting a promotion challenge. But in January 1927 Veitch resigned, deciding that football management was not for him.

Personal life

Away from football, Veitch was a great lover of the arts and co-founded the People's Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1911.Christopher Goulding, "The Story of the People's" (Newcastle City Libraries, 1991) He was also an accomplished playwright, composer, conductor and producer, and counted George Bernard Shaw amongst his circle of friends. Veitch served in France during the First World War as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Garrison Artillery. Veitch was also very politically aware and was approached to stand as a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party. Although he turned the proposal down, he did become a union activist for the Professional Footballers' Association and was the PFA's chairman for a number of years. After resigning from Bradford City he returned to Tyneside and became a journalist with the

Evening Chronicle The ''Evening Chronicle'', now referred to as ''The Comical'', is a daily newspaper produced in Newcastle upon Tyne covering North regional news, but primarily focused on Newcastle upon Tyne and surrounding area. The ''Comical'' is published by ...

. In 1929 he was banned from the St James' Park press box. In 1938, Veitch contracted pneumonia and died aged 57 in

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

, Switzerland whilst on a recuperation holiday.

Honours

As a player

Newcastle United *

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

1904–05 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

1906–07 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, 1908–09 * FA Cup winner:

* FA Cup finalist:

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

References

External links

*
www.colinveitch.co.uk
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Veitch, Colin 1881 births 1938 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Royal Garrison Artillery officers Footballers from Newcastle upon Tyne English footballers England men's international footballers Men's association football utility players Newcastle United F.C. players English Football League players English Football League representative players English football managers Bradford City A.F.C. managers English Football League managers Men's association football defenders FA Cup final players Deaths from pneumonia in Switzerland