Football Programmes Centre

Flaming Pie · Joined: 26 Nov 2016 Posts: 975

Has anyone got any idea who this is? The photographer is Birmingham based. It is dated 31 Jan 1907. Could it be a pre-season Birmingham City , or even an Aston Villa training session with youth players present ( not the kids in the front!) ? Is it athletics and not football? The players do look in good shape, so don’t think they are amateurs. Thanks for any help.

Pete’s Picture Palace · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2018 5:08 pm Post subject:

Looks like an athletics club to me.

What's the stuff in front of the 4 boys?

Flaming Pie · Joined: 26 Nov 2016 Posts: 975

Looks like straw. I did think it might be athletics. The seller thought it was a football team from the Birmingham area. Those committee people on it with the beards looked very similar to the committee on an 1892 -93 Small Heath FC ( later re-named Birmingham City ) photo on Wikipedia.When l received the photo and saw the 1907 date , l had my doubts. Thanks Pete.

atletico · Joined: 20 Nov 2008 Posts: 672 Location: Nottingham

31st January was a Thursday.
Did they have works matches midweek.
Just a thought.

Birmingham played a friendly at Reading the day before.
There was also Wednesday League matches played in the afternoon.
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ASTON VILLA & A FEW NON-LEAGUE
https://www.flickr.com/photos/astonvillaprogrammes/

Flaming Pie · Joined: 26 Nov 2016 Posts: 975

Thanks athletico.The date is just what the poster wrote on the back to accompany his get well message to someone in Wandsworth , 31 Jan 1907. The actual photo was probably taken at an earlier date. I tried to display the back of the postcard but didn’t succeed.

Pete’s Picture Palace · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2018 8:33 pm Post subject:

This is Liverpool in 1905. Note their boots & strapping go above their ankles.

To me the Birmingham men aren't wearing football boots, more like plimsolls.

Flaming Pie · Joined: 26 Nov 2016 Posts: 975

True Pete, that’s why l thought it might have been a pre-season training session in lightweight footware? When you look at the older men in the photo and compare it to your Liverpool photo, the Birmingham squad still look a bit too fresh faced . They don’t look hard/ mature enough to be pro- footballers from that era, which was pretty rough. It has got an athletics club feel to it. Would have been nice if it was an early Birmingham City. Only cost a couple of quid!