Edgar Chadwick

Early career

Born in Blackburn, he started his career at 15 with Little Dots FC, before signing as a professional with Blackburn Olympic in 1886. After one season at Olympic, he then joined Blackburn Rovers where he spent the 1887–88 season before signing for Everton in July 1888.

Everton

1888–89

Described by one source as one of the best known players of his day, 5 ft 6 in tall, he was a master strategist and dribbler with the ball. Chadwick signed for Everton on 1 July 1888 and made his club and league debut on 8 September 1888, playing as a forward, at Anfield, the then home of Everton. The home team defeated the visitors Accrington 2–1. When he played as a forward against Accrington on 8 September 1888, Chadwick was 19 years 86 days old; which made him, on that first weekend of league football, Everton's youngest player. Chadwick scored his debut club and league goal on 15 September 1888, playing as a forward, at Anfield. The visitors were Notts County and the home team won 2–1 with Chadwick scoring the first of Everton's two goals. Chadwick appeared in all the 22 League matches played by Everton in the 1888–89 season and was the only player to achieve 22 matches in that first season. Chadwick also top scored for Everton with six League goals. Chadwick played in a forward line that scored three–League–goals–or–more on four separate occasions.

1889 onwards

He was an ever-present in Everton's first two years as a Football League…

After hanging up his boots in 1908, he moved to the continent where he coached in Germany before moving to the Netherlands where he coached various club sides including The Hague and Haarlem sides. In 1908, Chadwick was approached to become coach of the Netherlands national team. The experts are in disagreement as to whether Chadwick, or his predecessor Cees van Hasselt, should be considered as the first manager of the Netherlands national team. Chadwick was appointed manager of the Netherlands to prepare the team for the 1908 Summer Olympics held in London. As Hungary had pulled out of the tournament, the Netherlands had a bye into the semi-finals, where they met Great Britain. This match ended in a 4–0 defeat (with all four goals coming from Harold Stapley, who later spent six seasons with Glossop North End); and the Netherlands then played Sweden for the bronze medal, winning 2–0, as a result of which the Dutch gained their first international success. Chadwick managed the Netherlands national team for 24 games (generally friendlies against Belgium), winning 14. In 1909 they met the England amateur side and were defeated 9–1 (with six goals from Vivian Woodward, who was an amateur who spent six seasons with Chelsea), but against Belgium, Germany and Sweden they avoided defeat.

During the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm (where eleven teams participated in the football tournament, against only six in 1908) the Dutch defeated Sweden and Austria, but lost in the…

As a player

Everton

Football League champions: 1890–91 FA Cup finalist: 1893 and 1897 Southampton

FA Cup finalist: 1902 Southern League championships: 1900–01

As a manager

Netherlands

Olympic Games – Bronze medal: 1908 & 1912 Sparta Rotterdam

Dutch Championship: 1915 Dutch Western Division: 1915