 | |
| Abbreviation | AAC |
|---|---|
| Successor | Amateur Athletic Association |
| Formation | 20 January 1866 |
| Dissolved | 1879 |
| Type | Amateur Sports Organization |
| Headquarters | Lillie Bridge |
Chairman | Major Frederick Hammersley |
| | |
| Abbreviation | AAC |
|---|---|
| Successor | Amateur Athletic Association |
| Formation | 20 January 1866 |
| Dissolved | 1879 |
| Type | Amateur Sports Organization |
| Headquarters | Lillie Bridge |
Chairman | Major Frederick Hammersley |
The Amateur Athletic Club or AAC was the predecessor of the Amateur Athletic Association (later renamed the Amateur Athletic Association of England) and from 1866 to 1879 was the de facto governing body for amateur athletics in the United Kingdom. The club was formed at the beginning of 1866 by some old University and London athletes. In the prospectus it was announced that the club was formed to 'supply a want which existed of some established ground on which competitions in amateur athletic sports might take place, and to afford as completely as possible to all classes of gentlemen amateurs the means of practising and competing against one another, without being compelled to mix with professional runners.' [1] The newly formed club determined to institute an Annual Open Athletics Championship and the first of these known as the AAC Championships took place on 23 March 1866 at Beaufort House, Walham Green, a venue already known for hosting athletics, such as the 1865 Civil Service Athletics competition.
Contemporary sources reported that the event was a success [2] and one of the founders of the AAA later recalled this. [3] Montague Shearman later wrote that he believed the intention of the founders of the Amateur Athletic Club was to place their club in the same position with athletes as the M.C.C. stood to cricketers. To this end, the AAC began well and by 1868 the club had opened a very well received running ground for amateurs at Lillie Bridge, which became the headquarters.[ citation needed ]
It has been argued that the cause of the demise of The Amateur Athletic Club was drafted into its original constitution. There was an assumption that those who engaged in manual labour might have a competitive edge. As such, what has been termed a 'mechanics clause' was introduced that effectively prevented anyone in manual labour from joining. This caused debate and unease from the beginning and by 1879, the Northern Athletics Association, whose membership was wider than that of its southern counterparts, threatened to boycott the AAC's annual championships. This caused the AAC to collapse and in 1880 the Amateur Athletic Association was formed, with rules that ensured any genuine amateur could join irrespective of their occupation or social class. [4]
| Full name | Amateur Athletic Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | A.A.C., The Amateurs | |
| Founded | 1866 | |
| Dissolved | 1876 | |
| Ground | Lillie Bridge | |
The club included a football club which was a member of the Football Association from 1868 to 1876 [5] and playing its first match against external opposition in November 1866. [6] It entered the FA Cup in 1873–74 but scratched when drawn to play Clapham Rovers because of an inability to get a team together. [7]
Despite the club claiming a membership of over 350 in 1873, [8] there is no record of it having played a match against external opposition after November 1868, [9] suggesting the football side was mainly aimed at matches within the membership. There is no record of the club ever having won a match against external opposition, the club's best result being a 0–0 draw against the Royal Engineers A.F.C. in February 1868, the club being bolstered by the presence of Edgar Lubbock and Charles W. Alcock in the side. [10]
The club's colours were all white with cerise trimmings. [11]
Home matches were originally played at Beaufort House [12] but by 1872 the club was based at Lillie Bridge. [13]
E.E. Bowen, [14] Thomas Hooman, [15] and W.J. Dixon of Crusaders [16] played for the club in 1867.
Wanderers Football Club was an English association football club. It was founded as "Forest Football Club" in 1859 in Leytonstone. In 1864, it changed its name to "Wanderers", a reference to it never having a home stadium, instead playing at various locations in London and the surrounding area. Comprising mainly former pupils of the leading English public schools, Wanderers was one of the dominant teams in the early years of organised football and won the inaugural Football Association Challenge Cup in 1872. The club won the competition five times in total, including three in succession from 1876 to 1878, a feat which has been repeated only once.
The Lillie Bridge Grounds was a sports ground on the Fulham side of West Brompton, London. It opened in 1866, coinciding with the opening of West Brompton station. It was named after the local landowner, Sir John Scott Lillie (1790–1868) and the Lillie bridge over the West London Line, that links Old Brompton Road with Lillie Road. The grounds were adjacent to the railway on the south side of Lillie Road. Although geographically near to present day Stamford Bridge, there was never direct access, there being the 13 acre now defunct Western Hospital site between the two. The ground was the scene in its day of many sports including athletics, boxing, cricket, cycling and football, and hosted the FA Cup Final in 1873. It closed in 1888 following a riot reported in The Times.
Charles William Alcock was an English sportsman, administrator, author and editor. He was a major instigator in the development of both international football and cricket, as well as being the creator of the FA Cup.
The Amateur Athletic Association of England or AAA is the oldest national governing body for athletics in the world, having been established on 24 April 1880. Historically it effectively oversaw athletics throughout Britain and Ireland. Its role changed to support regional athletic clubs within England alone. This role was effectively taken over by England Athletics in 2005 and the Amateur Athletic Association of England was absorbed into that organisation. It is now concerned with the development of young athletes and has taken on the role of safeguarding the history of the sport and still awards trophies to elite athletes.
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Walter Slade was a nineteenth-century British runner who set a number of world records for the mile as an amateur, but never became a professional athlete.
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London Athletic Club (LAC) is a track and field club based in London, England. It is the oldest independent track and field club in the world and celebrated its first 150 years in 2013. More than sixty athletes connected with the club have since become Olympians and top athletics administrators in Britain. The club is currently based at Barn Elms, in West London.
Giulio Cowley Tyler Smith was an amateur athlete who played for England in the first unofficial football match against Scotland in March 1870.
Gitanos Football Club was an English association football club and one of the first members of the Football Association.
The AAC Championships was an annual track and field competition organised by the Amateur Athletic Club. It was the foremost domestic athletics event in the United Kingdom during its lifetime and was the predecessor of the prestigious AAA Championships.
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