Ebenezer Cobb Morley (1831–1924) was an English sportsman and is regarded as the father of The Football Association and modern Football.
Morley was born at 10 Garden Square, Princess Street[1] in Hull[2] and lived in the city until he was 22.[1] He moved to Barnes in 1858[2] forming the Barnes Club, a founding member of the FA, in 1862.[2] In 1863, as captain of the Mortlake-based club, he wrote to Bell's Life newspaper proposing a governing body for the sport, that led to the first meeting at the Freemasons' Tavern, that created the FA.[2]
He was the FA's first secretary (1863–1866) and its second president (1867–1874) and drafted the first Laws of the Game at his home in Barnes. As a player, he played in the first ever match, against Richmond in 1863, and scored in the first representative match, between the clubs of London and Sheffield on 31 March 1866.
A solicitor by profession, Morley was a keen oarsman, founding the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta for which he was also secretary (1862–1880). He served on Surrey County Council for Barnes (1903–1919) and was a Justice of the Peace. Morley is buried[3] in a now abandoned graveyard on Barnes Common, Barnes. He had no children.[3]
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