Fred Beardsley

Who was Fred Beardsley?

Frederick William Beardsley was an English footballer, chiefly associated with the foundation of Arsenal Football Club.

Born at Nottingham, Beardsley started working in a government munitions factory. In his spare time he was a keen goalkeeper, and played for Nottingham Forest as an amateur. In 1884, he kept goal in their FA Cup semi-final against Queen's Park; the match went to a replay at Merchiston Castle, Edinburgh, which Forest lost 3-0. Beardsley was sacked by his employers for taking time off without permission, and as a result he moved to London to work at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. He was later joined by Morris Bates, another former Forest player.

Keen to continue playing, Beardsley soon joined a local attempt to form a football club; in 1884 he briefly played for a team known as Woolwich Union, but this side soon disbanded. After the arrival of other keen football enthusiasts, such as David Danskin and Jack Humble at the Arsenal, another attempt to form a football club followed; under Danskin's leadership they formed a works football team called Dial Square, The team would eventually become the modern-day Arsenal Football Club.