Arthur Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Kinnaird
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Portrait of Kinnaird by
Alexander Bassano, c. 1905 |
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Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird
16 February 1847 Kensington, England
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| Died | 30 January 1923 (aged 75) England
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| Occupation | Football player and executive |
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Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird (born 16 February 1847 – died 30 January 1923) was a very important person in early football. He was a top player and later became the president of The FA. Many people thought he was the first football star.
Kinnaird played in a record nine FA Cup Finals. This amazing record still stands today. He also won the FA Cup five times. This record was only broken in 2010 by Ashley Cole. Arthur Kinnaird was also the president of The FA for 33 years. Because of his huge impact on football and the FA Cup, he was given the actual FA Cup trophy in 1911. This happened when a new trophy was made.
Contents
Arthur Kinnaird's Life Story
Arthur Kinnaird's father, Arthur Kinnaird, 10th Lord Kinnaird, was a banker and a Member of Parliament. His mother was Mary Jane Kinnaird. Arthur was born in London, England.
Education and Work
He went to Cheam School, Eton College, and Trinity College, Cambridge. He finished his studies in 1869. After college, he worked in his family's bank. He became a director of Ransom, Bouverie & Co in 1870. This bank later joined with others to form Barclays Bank in 1896. He stayed a main director of Barclays until he passed away.
Family Life
In 1875, Arthur Kinnaird married Mary Alma Victoria Agnew. They had seven children together. Some of their children included:
- Douglas Arthur Kinnaird, born in 1879. He was a captain in the Scots Guards during the First World War. He died in 1914 and is buried in Ypres, Belgium.
- Kenneth Fitzgerald Kinnaird, born in 1880. He later inherited his father's titles.
- Arthur Middleton Kinnaird, born in 1885. He was a lieutenant in the Scots Guards. He died in 1917 and is buried in Ruyaulcourt.
His Amazing Football Career
Arthur Kinnaird started playing football when he was very young. He was captain of his school team at Cheam School at just 12 years old. He continued to play at Eton College. He began playing association football in 1866. This was soon after the rules of the game were officially set in 1863.
A Record-Breaking Player
Kinnaird had an incredible record in the FA Cup. He played in a record nine FA Cup finals. He won the Cup three times with Wanderers. He also won it twice with the Old Etonians. After his fifth win, he famously stood on his head to celebrate!
During his career, Kinnaird played in every single position on the field. This included goalkeeper and forward. In the 1877 FA Cup Final, he was playing in goal for Wanderers. He accidentally scored the first ever "own goal" in a major final. He stepped backwards over his own goal line while holding the ball. The game ended 1-1, and Wanderers won in extra time.
Even though he was born in London, Kinnaird also played for Scotland. He played in three early unofficial matches against England. He also played in Scotland's second official match in 1873. On 13 March 1875, he captained the Old Etonians in the FA Cup final. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. A replay was held, which Old Etonians lost 2-0. This was the first time an FA Cup final had a replay.
How He Played
Kinnaird was known as one of the toughest players of his time. There's a famous story, probably not true, that his wife worried he would come home with a broken leg. A friend supposedly replied, "If he does, it will not be his own!" This meant he was so tough, he'd break someone else's leg first!
Some people said he was too rough, especially with "hacking." Hacking meant deliberately kicking opponents' shins. However, reports from his playing days don't really criticize him for this. This idea mostly came from a story in a magazine in 1892. The story said he once chose "hacking" over playing fairly in a game. This anecdote made him seem rougher than he might have been.
Many sportswriters and other players praised Kinnaird's skill. They said he was a very talented footballer.
Leading The FA
Kinnaird became involved in football administration very early. He joined the FA committee when he was just 21 years old in 1868. Nine years later, he became the FA's treasurer. Then, in 1890, he became the president of The FA. He held this important role for 33 years. He remained president until his death in 1923. This was just days before the famous Wembley Stadium first opened.
Other Sports
Arthur Kinnaird was good at many sports, not just football. He won awards in tennis twice while at Cambridge University. He also won an international canoe race in Paris in 1867. He was the swimming and fives champion at Cambridge University. He even won a 350-yard race at Eton College in 1864.
Other Important Interests
Outside of sports, Arthur Kinnaird was very active in other areas. He was the president of the YWCA and the YMCA in England. These are youth organizations that help young people. He was also a director at Barclays Bank. For three years, he was the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. This is a special role representing the King or Queen at the Church of Scotland's main meeting.
Awards and Honours
Arthur Kinnaird received many honours for his achievements.
With Wanderers
- FA Cup winners: 1873, 1877, 1878
With Old Etonians
In 1914, King George V made him a Knight of the Thistle. This is a very high honour in Scotland. It allowed him to use the letters "KT" after his name for the rest of his life.
Portrayals
Arthur Kinnaird is a main character in the Netflix mini-series, The English Game. This show came out in 2020. In the series, he is played by actor Edward Holcroft.
See also
- List of Scotland international footballers born outside Scotland
