Ken Baily was a self-proclaimed

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

for the

England national football team The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...

from the 1950s until 1990.

Life

Born in Burnham-on-Sea in 1911, Baily first became notable for his feats in long-distance running; with two team-mates, he "ran to America" by jogging on an ocean liner from

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1939. Baily moved to Bournemouth in the 1930s, and became secretary of the local athletics club, a position he held for 17 years until his retirement in 1953. His most notable triumph on track was winning the 1947 Swanage Marathon. Baily's development as mascot came with his appearances at the Burnham Carnival, his first of note being in 1950, when he dressed as

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and was featured on television. He became member number 2 of the England Supporters' Association on its foundation in 1963, when he first seems to have adopted his costume, a

John Bull John Bull is a national personification of England, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter-of-fact man. He originated in satirical works of ...

-style outfit incorporating

Union Jack The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

hat and waistcoat, for an England international in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, and presented a toy

poodle The Poodle, called the in German () and the in French, is a breed of water dog. The breed is divided into four varieties based on size, the Standard Poodle, Medium Poodle, Miniature Poodle and Toy Poodle, although the Medium Poodle is no ...

to the French team before the match as a gesture of friendship. He became a familiar figure (especially after the

1966 World Cup The 1966 FIFA World Cup was the eighth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in England from 11 to 30 July 1966. England defeated West Germany 4–2 in the final to win their first ever ...

) wearing at most England matches, and was also prominent at

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 ...

finals. Baily's fame was such that he was depicted as a

Subbuteo Subbuteo ( ) is a tabletop football game in which players simulate association football by flicking miniature players with their fingers. The name is derived from the Neo-Latin scientific name '' Falco subbuteo'' (a bird of prey commonly known a ...

figure in 1972. He also attended

rugby football Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league. Rugby football started at Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, England, where the rules were first codified in 1845. Forms of football in which the ball ...

internationals, most notably protecting the modesty of Erika Roe after her pitch invasion at

Twickenham Stadium Twickenham Stadium (; usually known as Twickenham, and for sponsorship purposes known as the Allianz Stadium Twickenham) is a rugby union stadium in Twickenham, London, England. It is owned by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), the English rugby u ...

in 1982 with his flag. Baily also lent support to Great Britain against the Australian Rugby League Kangaroos in the 1982 Test series. One of Baily's last appearances in his patriotic outfit was for an England match in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in November 1990. Baily was attacked by Irish fans throwing stones and bottles after he waved to them from his hotel balcony. Baily died of heart failure at the Bramley House Nursing Home in Bournemouth on 10 December 1993.

References

{{reflist

External links

Ken Baily
Association football mascots Burnham-on-Sea Bournemouth England national football team British mascots Mascots introduced in 1963 Sports spectators Association football supporters