Calthorpe F.C.

Calthorpe was an English association club based in Birmingham. The club gave its foundation date as 1873.[1] The club's name came from its home ground at Calthorpe Park.

Calthorpe
Full nameCalthorpe F.C.
Founded1873
Dissolved1900?
GroundCalthorpe Park

The club was founded by legal clerks in Birmingham,[2] led by two Scotsmen who had recently arrived in Birmingham; John Carson and John Campbell Orr, both from Glasgow, and both of whom had experience in football; Carson with Queen's Park and Campbell Orr at St Andrews University in 1868-70.[3] Campbell Orr claimed that not only was Calthorpe the first club in Birmingham, but for one season the only association club.[4]

The club was a founder member of the Birmingham Football Association and Campbell Orr was named its first secretary. The club donated seven guineas to the association to contribute to a trophy for the Birmingham Senior Cup competition. Calthorpe regularly entered the competition and gained its record victory (7-0 against Perry Athletic) in it in 1880. By this time the club had moved to a ground at Bournbrook on the Bristol Road, as Lord Calthorpe refused permission to charge admission to Calthorpe Park, and the 3d per match charge at the new ground helped to defray the club's expenses.

In 1879, the club entered the FA Cup, and was the first club from Birmingham to play an FA Cup tie, losing 3-1 away to Maidenhead, in a match refereed by Charles Alcock.[5] As the game moved towards professionalism, the club remained amateur, and as a result was eclipsed by the other Birmingham and Black Country clubs; its last FA Cup appearance was a 9-0 home defeat to Walsall Town in 1883. In 1900 its ground was sold off for housing and at or before this time the club ceased to exist.

Colours

The club's colours[6] changed over time and were influenced by its Scottish links.

Caption text
YearColours
1876Dark blue & scarlet with St Andrews cross on breast
1877Dark blue
1878Dark blue
1879Black & white
1880Dark blue
1881Black & white
1882Black & white


References
  1. Alcock, Charles (1876). Football Annual. Virtue & Co. p. 144.
  2. Tongue, Steve (2021). West Midlands Turf Wars. Pitch Publishing.
  3. Morris, Terry (2016). Vain Games Of No Value?.
  4. Alcock, Charles (1876). Football Annual.
  5. "match report". Maidenhead Advertiser: 3. 29 October 1879.
  6. As set out in the Charles Alcock football annuals


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