 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John McCredy McAlery | ||
| Date of birth | 29 November 1848 (or 1849)[nb 1] | ||
| Place of birth | Rathfriland, Ireland | ||
| Date of death | 3 December 1925 (aged 77) | ||
| Place of death | Belfast, Northern Ireland | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Cliftonville | |||
| International career | |||
| 1882 | Ireland | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
John McCredy McAlery (29 November 1848 – 3 December 1925) was an Irish association football pioneer. His accomplishments include organizing the first ever properly organized football match in the history of Irish football in 1878, founding the first Irish football club in 1879, helping found the Irish Football Association in 1880, and wearing the captain's armband in Ireland's first ever international match in 1882. He is known as the "father of Irish association football."
In 2013, a blue plaque erected by the Ulster History Circle was unveiled at Solitude, Cliftonville's home ground, to commemorate McAlery's efforts.[3]
- ^ John McAlery at worldfootball.net
- ^ "John 'Mac' McAlery". Northern Ireland's Footballing Greats. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ McGonagle, Suzanne (23 September 2013). "Man who gave Ireland soccer commemorated". The Irish News. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
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