THE POPE AND "A GOD" WOODWARD

 2nd June 1982

The Pope popped into Cardiff City’s Ninian Park ground. No, not to watch a close-season friendly but to speak at a Youth rally being held at their ground during a UK tour. Over 30,000 were at the ground to hear the Polish Pope John Paul II speak.

In early June 1985, days after the Heysel Stadium tragedy, when 39 spectators died, the Belgian government announced a ban of all English clubs from their country and OUR Government insisted on the FA banning clubs any European matches away for 12 months. On June 2nd 1985 UEFA banned all English clubs from European competition indefinitely, but not affecting the national team. The ban lasted five seasons and Liverpool served another year after that.

The first English internationals played in early June (6-13th) was on the 1908 tour of Europe. The results left England with a goal difference in their favour of 28-2. You could understand why the FA didn't venture into Europe at this time. Mind you the Home opposition wasn't much good either, although the Scots did present a decent challenge. The closest to this day's date, was against AUSTRIA, the following year, on June 1st 1909. It was a tour game played at the Hohe Wartz Stadium, Vienna, which England won 8-1. England had played Hungary prior to this in two tour games, on May 29th and 31st, in Budapest. England won 4-2 and 8-2. Vivian Woodward was a prolific international in this period and on that tour he scored 9 out of England's 20 total. The crowd was 3,000.

At this time the FA had ignored the invitations to play abroad, despite the game that the English invented spreading like wildfire across gthe continent,  The Dutch in 1902 and a year later the French were offering "unity", in what would be called a European Federation, but the English FA said "The Council of the FA cannot see the advantages of such a federation." 

In 1904 FIFA was formed with Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland meeting in Paris, meeting the isolationist resolve of the English. A year or two later the home associations invested in the new organisation. The FA Treasurer, DB Woolfall, took over from Robert Guerin as President. The first European team to be invited to play in England was Belgium in 1923, at Highbury and they were soundly beaten 6-1. Prior to that England's international fixtures at home were only against "Home" nations.

Vivian Woodward captained Great Britain to gold medals at the 1908 Olympics and in the 1912 Olympics. Woodward's tally of 29 goals in 23 matches for England remained a record from 1911 to 1958; his strike rate of 1.26 goals per game remains the all-time record for an England player. Woodward played for Spurs (1901-09) and Chelsea (1909-15) scoring 131/61 games for Tottenham and 106/30 for Chelsea.  His England record was as an Amateur from 1906-14 30 apps and 44 goals. For the full side 1903-11, 23 apps 29 goals.

He scored Spurs' first ever goal in the Football League in September 1908 against Wolves that finished 3–0. He helped the team win promotion to the First Division that season.

He served in the Army during the First World War, and as a result missed out on Chelsea's run to their first-ever FA Cup final in 1915. Woodward's injuries during the war caused his retirement from football. He also played for Chelmsford, Clacton,  and Harwich & Parkeston.