Arthur Witty Cotton, also known as Don Arturo, was a footballer, club president and businessman. Witty played for FC Barcelona in the first Copa del Rey final and later served as club president between 1903 and 1905. He was also a successful trader and his family company, the Witty Group, continues to operate today. He was the older brother of Ernest Witty.
Witty was the son of Frederick Witty, a British entrepreneur, who settled in Barcelona. Frederick, who belonged to a Yorkshire family, initially intended to emigrate to Argentina but was persuaded to go to Spain by friends. In 1873 he founded his own shipping agency under the name of F. Witty, subsequently establishing business links between Spain and the United Kingdom. Arthur and his brother, Ernest, were educated at Merchant Taylors' School in Merseyside, where sport was regarded as a major part of a young man's development. While at Merchant Taylors, Arthur played as a forward for the local rugby union team, Waterloo FC. On their return to Barcelona the two brothers joined their father's company which now became known as Witty Sociedad Anónima, Witty S.A.
FC Barcelona footballer
Witty (seated, middle with a ball) in 1903
Arthur and Ernest returned to Spain with a love of sports. Unable to play rugby union due to a lack of suitable pitches, the Wittys began to organise football games between company teams made up of employees. In 1899 Ernest also became a founding member of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. Ernest, a Spanish national tennis champion, played tennis with, among others, Joan Gamper and when Gamper founded FC Barcelona in October 1899, the Witty brothers quickly became involved. They used their company to imports regulation balls, referees whistles and nets from England. Legend also has it that the Witty brothers also imported the legendary club colours, the blaugrana, from the original colours used by Merchant Taylors' rugby team. However FC Basel and other clubs that Gamper played for and his home canton of Zurich and have all been credited and/or claimed to be the inspiration. Either way, Old Merchant Taylors' BaaBarians hockey team carry FC Barcelona shirts as their away strip in tribute to Arthur Witty.
In early December 1899 the club played its first official game against an English Select at the Velòdrom de la Bonanova, now known as Turó Park. The teams only had ten men each and the English Select actually included several FC Barcelona players, among them, Arthur Witty. The English Select won the game 1–0 with Witty scoring the only goal. On Christmas Eve 1899 Witty made his official debut for the club in a 3–1 win over Català SC.
FC Barcelona was one of several football clubs formed in the city around this time and soon there was enough teams to organise a regular competition, the Copa Macaya. Witty was a member of the FC Barcelona team which won its first ever trophy, the Copa Macaya in 1902. He also played for FC Barcelona in 1902 when they were invited to enter the first ever Copa del Rey. After beating Madrid FC, later to become Real Madrid, 3–1 in the first round, they lost 2–1 to Club Vizcaya in the final. Witty also helped the club win the Copa Barcelona in 1903. Between 1899 and 1905 Witty played 74 games, mainly as a full-back for FC Barcelona.
FC Barcelona President
Witty became president of FC Barcelona on 17 September 1903 after having previously served on the board of directors. During his presidency the club won its first Championat de Catalunya with a squad that included Ernest Witty and Romà Forns. The latter was one of several young reserve players Witty introduced into the team. By now FC Barcelona had acquired a strong fan base within the city and Witty arranged for the club to play their home games at the Carrer Muntaner. Witty also organised the club's first trip abroad which resulted in their first game against a non-Spanish team. On 1 May 1904 FC Barcelona beat Stade Olympien des Étudiants Toulousains 3–2. The same opponents were then invited back to FC Barcelona to play the inaugural game at the Carrer Muntaner. FC Barcelona won this game 4–0 with two goals from Joan Gamper. Witty stepped down as president on 6 October 1905.
After Barcelona
In June 1924 Witty briefly became involved in controversy when he invited the British Royal Marine band that played God Save the Queen at Les Corts, after their attempts to play the Spanish national anthem were jeered. As a result, Witty became disillusioned at the politicization of FC Barcelona club and, while remaining a fan, he gradually began to distance himself from the club. During the 1930s Witty and his son, Frederick Jr., established the family company as traders and helped introduce well known names such as Cadburys, Johnnie Walker, Unilever and Bovril into the Spanish market. Witty also served as President of the Barcelona Ship Agents Association until 1936 and was a leader in the Barcelona and Spanish shipping communities. During the Spanish Civil War the company was exempted from a takeover by a workers committee as it was technically a British-owned company and it continued to trade successfully. During the Second World War, Witty left Spain, leaving the business in hands of a lawyer. He returned during the Franco years and regained his status as a leading shipping agent. Together with his brother he also opened a successful sports shop.
Hans Max Gamper-Haessig, commonly known as Joan Gamper, was a Swiss-born football executive and versatile athlete. He founded football clubs in Switzerland and Spain, most notably Barcelona and Zürich.
Football is the most important sport in Catalonia and was introduced in the late 19th century by a combination of mostly British immigrant workers and visiting sailors, and students returning from Britain. Catalonia led the way in the development of football in Spain, organizing both the first association and the first championship. Today football in Catalonia is organized by the Catalan Football Federation and the RFEF and teams from Catalonia compete in La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Copa Catalunya and several European competitions.
Ernest Witty Cotton was an Anglo-Spanish footballer, tennis player and businessman. In 1899 Witty, a Spanish national tennis champion, became a founding member of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona and in the early 1900s he played football for FC Barcelona. He was also a successful trader and his family company, the Witty Group, continues to operate today. He was the younger brother of Arthur Witty.
The 1901–02 season was the third season for FC Barcelona.
The Hispania Athletic Club Tournament–Alfonso Macaya Cup, popularly known as the Copa Macaya, was a football competition contested by clubs from Catalonia which ran from 1900 until 1903, disappearing at the same time of its organizers, Hispania AC, who won the first edition in 1901. Initially, the championship was open to all Spanish clubs, thus some historians consider this cup to be the first national championship in Spain, as well as the predecessor and forerunner for the Catalan football championship which began in 1903. Until that point, the teams founded at the end of 1899 and during 1900 had been limited to playing friendly games only. It was one of the first football championships played on the Iberian Peninsula, after Taça D. Carlos I in Portugal (1894) and the Merchants Cup in Gibraltar (1895).
Bartomeu Brutau Terradas, sometimes written as Bartolomé Terradas (1874-1948), was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona in the turn of the century. He was treasurer and later the second president in the club's history. He was one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of FC Barcelona, being among the twelve founders of the club in 1899, and then serving the club as a player, winning the 1900–01 Copa Macaya, which was the club's first piece of silverware.
The 1900–01 Copa Macaya was the 1st staging of the Copa Macaya. This tournament is best known for being the very first football competition played on the Iberian Peninsula. The competition was held on the road between 20 January 1901 and ended on 14 April, and it was won by Hispania AC, narrowly beating FC Barcelona by just two points.
Arthur Leask Mace was a Spanish footballer of English descent who played as a forward for FC Barcelona between 1901 and 1903. He is best known for being the referee of Barça's first-ever game on 8 December 1899. In addition to football he was also an outstanding tennis player, winning the men's doubles in the first International Tennis Competition in Spain in 1903, partnering with Ernest Witty.
The Hispània Athletic Club was a football team based in Barcelona, Spain, which existed during the years 1900 and 1903. It was one of the first football clubs in the city and in 1901, Hispania was the fundamental head behind the organization of the inaugural edition of the Copa Macaya, which was the first football competition played in the Iberian Peninsula, and they won the tournament after beating FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol for the title, thus becoming the very first Spanish club to win an official title. The Copa Macaya was later recognized as the first edition of the Catalan championship, hence they were the first Catalan champion in history.
John Parsons Alexander, was an Anglo-Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona. His younger brother, William, followed him every step through.
Gustavo Gren Córdoba, better known as Gustavo Green, was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol.
The 1901–02 Copa Macaya was the 2nd staging of the Copa Macaya. This tournament is best known for being the very first trophy won by the Spanish club FC Barcelona. The competition was held on the road between 22 December 1901 and ended on 12 March 1902.
John Hamilton was a Scottish footballer who played as a goalkeeper and defender for Spanish club FC Barcelona.
George Meyer was a Swiss-born footballer who played as a defender and midfielder for Spanish club FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol. He was regarded as the best player of Barcelona's early years, playing a pivotal role in the club's first-ever piece of silverware, the 1901–02 Copa Macaya. He was also the vice president of the club and a referee.
Team Anglès or English Colony Team, was a football scratch team based in Barcelona, Spain, which existed only during the year 1900, playing a total of four friendly matches against the likes of FC Barcelona and Català FC. The team mainly consisted of members of the British colony living in Barcelona, hence its name. Some historians ascribe this entity as "a group of thirty friends, English workers, who played alternately and without a regular squad".
Luis de Ossó Serra was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for FC Barcelona. He was one of the most important footballers in the amateur beginnings of FC Barcelona, being among the 12 founders of the club in 1899, and then serving the club as a forward for six years, netting 68 goals in 72 appearances, thus contributing decisively in the conquest of Barça's first official titles, 1901–02 Copa Macaya, which was the club's first-ever official title, 1902–03 Copa Barcelona and the 1904–05 Catalan championship.
Udo Steinberg Werle was a German engineer, athlete and sports official who played football as a forward for the Spanish club FC Barcelona between 1902 and 1910. He is best known for being the author of Barça's first-ever goal in the history of the El Clásico.
Josep Llobet was a Spanish footballer who played as a defender and midfielder for FC Barcelona between 1899 and 1904. He was one of the most important footballers in the amateur beginnings of FC Barcelona, being among the 12 founders of the club in 1899, and then serving Barça as a player for six years, featuring in the club's first-ever match and winning the 1901–02 Copa Macaya, which was the club's first-ever official title.
John Henry Ball was an engineer and a footballer who played as a midfielder for Team Anglès in 1899 and who joined the ranks of FC Barcelona in 1900, although he did not play a single match for the Blugrana. He briefly worked as a referee in the first edition of the Copa Macaya, overseeing the first competitive match in the history of football in Catalonia.
The Hispania vs Barcelona football match that took place on 14 April 1901 at the Muntaner in Barcelona, Spain, was played during the last round of the first edition of the Copa Macaya. Hispania and Barcelona came into the match occupying the top two positions in the tournament, separated by just three points, and thus both teams could still claim the title.
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