John McDowall (1861-1928), longest serving secretary of the Scottish Football Association, from 1882 to 1928.
McDowall played football for Queen's Park FC for three years. He became secretary of the SFA only nine years after its foundation, and spent the next forty-six years administering and promoting the game to the point where its position as Scotland's national sport was unchallenged. Football developed during these years from a pastime into a major industry. Glasgow was at the heart of this development, with the SFA headquarters, the largest crowds, and the home of the national team at Hampden Park.
McDowall's other interests included local history, and his book The people's history of Glasgow was a best seller. He was a member of Glasgow School Board, and a Justice of the Peace. He was regarded as an authority on Robert Burns, and often gave lectures on Burns and on other important historical figures.
Reference: Mitchell Library, GC 052 BAI
Reproduced with the permission of Glasgow City Council, Libraries, Information and Learning
Keywords:
football, football administrators, footballers, Glasgow School Board, Hampden Park, historians, JPs, justices of the peace, local history, Queen's Park FC, Scottish Football Association, secretaries, SFA
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