William Dyer

Bilbao Football Club

In 1901, together with fellow Englishmen George Langford, George Cockram and Walter Evans, the 18-year-old Dyer was one of the young English workers and residents in Bilbao who joined the recently established Bilbao Football Club. At the end of 1901, the two most important clubs in the city were Bilbao FC and Athletic Club, so a rivalry soon arose between them, and they played several friendlies at the Hippodrome of Lamiako. Dyer was a key element in this historic rivalry that served as one of the drivers of football as a mass phenomenon in Bilbao, since their duels aroused great expectation. On 19 January 1902, in the match that went down in history as the first paid match held in Biscay since they charged a ticket price of 30 cents of a peseta, Dyer scored a consolation goal in a 2–4 loss.

Club Bizcaya

The two rivals agreed to join the best players of each club to play two games against the Bordeaux-based side Burdigala. This temporary merge became known as Club Bizcaya, and Dyer ousted Athletic's forwards for a spot in the first-ever line-up of the Bizcaya team against Burdigala on 9 March, helping his side to a 0–2 win in France, the first time a Bilbao team played on foreign territory. Three weeks later, on 31 March 1902, he was again in Bizcaya's starting XI for the return fixture at home, the first visit by a foreign team to Bilbao, and he netted four goals to help his side to a 7–0 win over the French side. Together with Juan…

Dyer was born in Sunderland on 11 September 1883. He arrived in Bilbao at the hands of his father, Sidney, who devoted himself to the mineral purchase business. After the death of his father, who had been Britain's honorary consul in Bilbao, he took over the family business while becoming involved in the town's affairs. Dyer became interested in bullfighting and participated in the creation of the Cocherito de Bilbao club, in honor of the local bullfighter Cástor Jaureguibeitia Ibarra.

Dyer created the Unión Ciclista Bilbaina, he was a sailor, a cricket and tennis player, he liked boxing and his business was also going very well with his shipments of iron and coal.

Club Bizcaya

Copa de la Coronación: Winners: 1902 Athletic Club

Copa del Rey: Winners: 1904 Runner-up: 1905