Charles Clegg (footballer)

Sir John Charles Clegg (15 June 1850 – 26 June 1937), better known as Charles Clegg, was an English footballer and later both chairman and president of the Football Association. He was born in Sheffield and lived there his whole life. He competed in the first international match between England and Scotland in 1872. He was the older brother of William Clegg, whom he played both with and against.

He became heavily involved in local football serving as chairman and president of both Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United. He was also one of the founders of the latter. He played a critical role in merging the two competing Sheffield football associations into the Sheffield and Hallamshire Football Association, of which he then became chairman. During his reign in charge of the FA he became known as the Napoleon of Football.

Charles Clegg was the son of Mary and William Johnson Clegg, who would go on to have a total of six children. His father was a trainee solicitor at the time of Charles' birth. Two years later he became a highway rate collector but re-entered the profession after the Great Sheffield Flood in 1864. He prepared claims against the water company responsible. This would lead to him to become a fully qualified solicitor and found his own firm, which became known as Clegg & Sons. He would also go on to be mayor of Sheffield three times.

Charles joined his father's law firm after leaving school and would eventually become a solicitor in 1872. In the same year, he married Mary Sykes, with whom he would have three children. Both Charles and his brother were noted athletes with a flair for football. Charles was also an outstanding runner winning prizes at the 100 yards sprint and the quarter mile. Locally he played for Sheffield F.C., Perseverance and Broomhill but his favoured club became Sheffield Wednesday.

He and his brother represented the Sheffield Association in the first inter-association match against the FA at Bramall Lane on 2 December 1871. The game was won 3–1 by Sheffield, and Clegg would become a regular feature in inter-association matches.

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