GUNPOWDER AND UNIONS

I can't let November 5th go past without reference to Herbert Chapman who was a major innovator in football in the 1930s. So if you have seen this before, please indulge:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/3994718670252035536/3375573063978574280

The press announcement at the change of name of the Tube Station:

In 1907 Billy Meredith and several colleagues at Manchester United, including Charlie Roberts, Charlie Sagar, Herbert Broomfield, Herbert Burgess and Sandy Turnbull, decided to form a new Players' Union. The first meeting was held on 2nd December, 1907, at the Imperial Hotel, Manchester. Also at the meeting were players from Manchester City, Newcastle United, Bradford City, West Bromwich Albion, Notts County, Sheffield United and Tottenham Hotspur. Jack Bell the former chairman of the Association Footballers' Union (AFU) also attended the meeting. Herbert Broomfield was appointed as the new secretary of the Association Football Players Union (AFPU). It was decided to charge an entrance fee of 5s plus subs of 6d a week. Billy Meredith, a Welshman, (below) chaired meetings in London and Nottingham and within a few weeks the majority of players in the Football League had joined the union. https://spartacus-educational.com/FtuPFA.htm will tell more of this history.

Billy Meredith portrayed in the Manchester Evening News in 1909, brandishing the Association Football Players' Union.