William McGregor (football)

William McGregor
Portrait of McGregor
Born(1846-04-13)13 April 1846
Braco, Perthshire, Scotland
Died20 December 1911(1911-12-20) (aged 65)
Birmingham, England
Occupation(s)Draper, Director of Aston Villa
Known forFounder of The Football League
SpouseJessie McGregor[1]
Children2

William McGregor (13 April 1846 – 20 December 1911)[1][2] was a Scottish association football administrator in the Victorian era who was the founder of the Football League (now English Football League), the first organised association football league in the world.

After moving from Perthshire to Birmingham to set up business as a draper, McGregor became involved with local football club Aston Villa, which he helped to establish as one of the leading teams in England. He served the club for over 20 years in various capacities, including president, director and chairman. In 1888, frustrated by the regular cancellation of Villa's matches, McGregor organised a meeting of representatives of England's leading clubs, which led to the formation of the Football League, giving member clubs a guaranteed fixture list each season. This was instrumental in the transition of football from an amateur pastime to a professional business.

McGregor served as both chairman and president of the Football League and was also chairman of The Football Association (the FA). He was recognised by the FA for his service to the game shortly before his death in 1911, and was posthumously honoured by the local football authorities and Aston Villa.

  1. ^ a b "Grave of William McGregor in St Mary's Graveyard". Digital Handsworth. Birmingham City Council. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2008.
  2. ^ Matthews, Tony (2007). The Legends of Aston Villa. Breedon Books Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-85983-580-7.