Sydney Nicholls
| Full name | Sydney Herbert Nicholls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 28 May 1868 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Hartpury, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 24 November 1946 (aged 78) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Cardiff, Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable relative(s) |
Gwyn Nicholls, brother Jack Nicholls, son |
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| Occupation(s) | publican, hotelier | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby league career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position(s) | Forward | ||
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| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1901–1910 | Hull F.C. | () | |
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
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| Amateur team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1886–1892 | Cardiff RFC County side: Gloucestershire |
() | |
| National team(s) | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Points) |
| 1888–1891 |
 Wales
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4 | (0) |
Sydney 'Sid' Herbert Nicholls (29 May 1868 – 24 November 1946) was an English-born dual code rugby forward who played club rugby under the union code for Cardiff and in his later years league rugby with Hull F.C. Nicholls won four caps for Wales and was part of the Welsh team that beat the first touring Southern Hemisphere team the New Zealand Natives. He was the elder brother of Wales rugby legend Gwyn Nicholls, and his son Jack Nicholls was a Welsh international footballer.
Nicholls was born in 1868 in Hartpury, England to Hartley Nicholls, a farm supervisor, and his wife Jane Eliza (née, Millard). The second eldest of five children, he had an elder sister and five younger brothers, the third of his brothers being Gwyn Nicholls. In the mid-1870s the family left England and crossed over to Wales, where the family settled in Roath. After the end of his rugby career, Nicholls became a publican and in 1894 he acquired a business interest in the Grand Hotel, opposite the Cardiff Arms Park. Nicholls would run the Grand up until 1901, when he decided to become a professional rugby league player. Now a veteran player, Nicholls was still able to demand a five figure sum for his switch to the league code. He left Wales for Hull that year, returning in 1910.
He was instrumental in the growth of Cardiff City F.C. and "Cardiff City was admitted to the Second Division of the Southern League in 1910. A board of directors was elected with S. H. Nicholls as the first chairman."
He went on to become Chairman of Council of South Wales Football Association between 1920–1921 and was a Director of Cardiff City when they reached the F.A. Cup final in 1927. He was influential in critical team decisions in the run up to the cup final and almost removed the Cardiff Captain, Fred Keenor, in the run up to the match. "Keenor was officially listed at a meeting of club directors at The Corporation pub in Canton on January 19, 1927. At the summit, called by Sid Nicholls, fellow board member Walter Riden – Keenor's old teacher at Stacey Road Primary School in Adamsdown – proposed listing the captain. Nicholls seconded the idea and Keenor's future at Ninian was in jeopardy. But within weeks the skipper won his place back, his name was removed from the list and on April 23 he led the Bluebirds to their most famous victory, a 1–0 win over Arsenal.". Nicholls is seen in film newsreels of the match introducing King George V to the Cardiff City players and sat with the King to watch the match. By June 1928 Nicholls was the Vice-President F. A. Wales.
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