Lew M. Bowen was the first club secretary of English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Stratford, London, Stratford, East London, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English f ...

. Born in Swansea, Bowen was a clerk at the

Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a shipyard and iron works straddling the mouth of Bow Creek at its confluence with the River Thames, at Leamouth Wharf (often referred to as Blackwall) on the west side and at Cann ...

and had reported on predecessor club

Thames Ironworks F.C. Thames Ironworks Football Club, the club that later became West Ham United F.C., West Ham United, was founded by Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company owner Arnold Hills and foreman Dave Taylor (Thames Ironworks F.C. founder), Dave Taylor in ...

for the ''Thames Ironworks Gazette''. He was installed immediately following the new club's formation in June 1900. Bowen remained at the club as

financial director A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, re ...

after

Syd King Ernest Sydney "Syd" King (1 August 1873 – 14 February 1933) was an English footballer and manager, and one of the most important figures in the early history of West Ham United F.C., West Ham United. Playing career Born Chatham, Medway, Cha ...

was appointed secretary during the 1901–02 season. He would also perform the role of league delegate. In 1903, Bowen was involved in an application to the

Football Association A football association, also known as a football federation, soccer federation, or soccer association, is a governing body for association football. Many of them are members of the sport's regional bodies such as UEFA and CONMEBOL and the world gov ...

for West Ham's home, the

Memorial Grounds Memorial Grounds was an outdoor stadium in West Ham that served as the home of Thames Ironworks F.C. from the beginning of the 1897–98 Thames Ironworks F.C. season, 1897–98 season, until the end of the 1899–1900 Thames Ironworks F.C. seaso ...

, to host an

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 ...

final or semi-final. "I think that we have fairly proved the possibilities of putting a crowd of over 100,000 in the Grounds. I believe the correct figures are 133,000 allowing for 16 inches for each person", he stated in a letter to the FA.

References

Year of birth missing Year of death missing Sportspeople from Swansea Welsh sportswriters Association football journalists West Ham United F.C. club secretaries West Ham United F.C. directors and chairmen {{Wales-footy-bio-stub