My coaching colleague, David Wood, knows a thing or two about the great world of football and he is also a professional in musical organ building and servicing. You will work out the link soon.......
He alerted me to this board game from 1938. His interest in it is probably because his favourite club, The Terriers (Huddersfield Town), features as one of the 8 clubs "taking part" in the board game. Note that Town were in the Football League First Division in that decade, though in 1938 they were lounging in the bottom half of the division and the other 7 clubs were prominent in the First Division in those days.
You may be able to work out which other 7 clubs take part. Yes, ok, Leeds Utd FC is one.........
What I love about Soccatome is that it was designed and produced by Dr. James Hugh Reginald Dixon, a musician, born in Yorkshire and adopted by Lancashire. Why he came to invent and produce the board game is not clear, though he had "many irons in the fire" as you will read.
Born in 1886, Reggie, as his family knew him, became an "inventor" and he brought into the world an early electric musical organ,
a self help aural system for musicians (Dr Dixon taught music based at his "School of Auscultics" in London),
various chemical pest controls known as "Pol-Kill" that "polishes windows and kills flies" for his company known as Elro Products and
of course, the board game. I suspect he was up to other things!
The game includes a board, playing cards, 8 wooden team pieces, coloured counters, score cards, forecast coupons and a Book of Rules.
It is a game "suitable for young and grown ups alike".
If you wanted to buy it at the time, you could purchase it for 6 shillings and 11 pence from Reginald Dixon, at Lawson's Toy Shop, New Street, Lancaster. If you happened to be in Lancaster you might find a model nursery sized rocking horse mounted outside a shop in New Street which is where the game could be bought. The shop closed in 2009.
Reggie died in 1975.
This link takes you to the wonderful world of football board games!
http://www.oldfootballgames.co.uk/index.asp?pageid=70666
Reggie, the Doctor, was often confused with Mr Reginald Herbert Dixon (1904-85). They frequently received letters from admirers praising them for playing in places they had never been to!
Mister Reginald was renowned for his organ playing having played in churches in the Sheffield district of Eccleshall and at the Stocksbridge Palace Theatre. In May 1937. George VI was crowned and the Lancaster Borough was was elevated to the status of "City". Dixon composed a Grand Civic March to mark the occasion to which all in the City did indeed march. Doctor FC. Dixon was a guest at the Luncheon and then the celebration ended with a football match on the Giant Axe Field between local rivals Lancaster City and Morecambe FC.
On a Wednesday in October 1933 at 6.30pm, Doctor Dixon was playing at the Manchester Town Hall whilst on the following day, also at 6.30pm, Mister Dixon was playing the WurliTzer at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom (something he did between 1930-70). This was a venue that he became associated with, playing the famous organ and being honoured nationally (even globally over the radio) with the ARCM and MBE for his services to music. Known as Mister Blackpool he popularised the song "I do like to be beside the seaside".
Confused? Yep, so am I!
With thanks to Joan Johnson's book, she, a pupil of Dixon.
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