They are the men who shaped and guided professional football on Merseyside, the six founding fathers who oversaw the growth of the worldwide institutions that are Everton and Liverpool.
Yet their names are noticeable only by their absence from Anfield and Goodison Park.
Dr David France hopes to change all that.
The man who created the first registered charity to look after the welfare of former footballers, the Everton Former Players Foundation, and collected the world’s greatest archive of football memorabilia, is hoping to bring the achievements of the six pioneers to a wider audience.
Dr France has commissioned magnificently detailed oil paintings of the six – and hopes that Everton and Liverpool can share possession of the images of Ben Swift Chambers, John Houlding, John McKenna, George Mahon, James Baxter and Will Cuff.
Produced by artist Wasan Suttikatem, the paintings are 18 x 24 inches in size.
Dr France said: “I think it’s vital that we remember the importance of the six founding fathers of Merseyside football. This is a nice way of paying tribute to some of the people that have been long forgotten in the history of the game and the city.
“I commissioned a celebration of the men who contributed to the development of the city's two great footballing institutions. I want to use the paintings to reach out beyond the boundaries of the divide.
“They’re ideal for a boardroom or a major entrance, but even more suited to areas accessed by ordinary fans of all persuasions. I want to keep them together as a set of six and rotate them around different important locations in the city so as many people as possible get to see them. I’d like Everton to have them for a short time, Liverpool to have them for a time and then a city museum. They could even go as far as the National Football Museum at Preston for a time if they were kept as a group of six and referred to them as ‘The Founding Fathers of Merseyside Football’.
“No-one has ever done this kind of thing before and it’s about time we encouraged healing between the clubs and put behind us any problems from the past and celebrate our joint bloodline.”
The painting of Rev. Ben Swift Chambers is of particular interest as photographs of him had proved elusive.
In 1877, he was appointed superintendent and minister of St Domingo Chapel in the Everton district of Liverpool. His brand of ‘muscular Christianity’ led to the formation of the team that would become Everton Football Club and, by consequence, Liverpool Football Club.
A special service to re-dedicate his grave was held in the Yorkshire village of Shepley last summer but pictures of Chambers proved difficult to come by.
However, after exhaustive research by Paul Wharton, a member of the Everton Shareholders’ Association, the family of a former St Domingo’s caretaker was tracked down.
It transpired that the Methodist church kept a book of photographs depicting the circuit ministers and so an image of Chambers was found.
Dr France added: “I was a bit surprised by his appearance as I was expecting him to be clean shaven but he had a big beard and wore John Lennon glasses.
“Actually all six are the same size and they have been done with exactly the same vintage background. I’d like people to look at them and think: ‘Yes, this is the history of us as a city with an unrivalled football history.’ We’re a city that has always had a team in the top-flight from day one and these paintings are a real celebration of that.”
JOHN HOULDING: The man synonymous with the split which led to the formation of Liverpool Football Club, the Liverpool-born brewer was originally known as King John of Everton. He later became Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
REV BEN SWIFT CHAMBERS: The churchman who created the St Domingo’s cricket team, which later became St Domingo’s FC, Chambers can be credited as being the man who kickstarted Merseyside’s entire football history.
DR JAMES CLEMENT BAXTER: With the destiny of the club relying on a move away from Anfield, Dr Baxter stepped in. He advanced Everton £1,000 in the shape of an interest free loan, thus establishing the club’s future.
GEORGE MAHON: Born in Liverpool in 1854, his family moved to Ireland when he was a child, but he returned to Liverpool and became a senior partner in Roose, Mahon & Howard, a firm of accountants who were based in North John Street.
JOHN McKENNA: A self-made businessman and former rugby player, ‘Honest’ John, acting as the club’s secretary, guided Liverpool through the ranks of the Lancashire League after their entry into the Football League was denied.
WILL CUFF: A St Domingo’s church-goer who devoted more than 50 years to Everton in their formative years, Cuff, who died in 1949, played an immeasurably important part in the formation of Everton Football Club as we know it today.
Yet their names are noticeable only by their absence from Anfield and Goodison Park.
Dr David France hopes to change all that.
The man who created the first registered charity to look after the welfare of former footballers, the Everton Former Players Foundation, and collected the world’s greatest archive of football memorabilia, is hoping to bring the achievements of the six pioneers to a wider audience.
Dr France has commissioned magnificently detailed oil paintings of the six – and hopes that Everton and Liverpool can share possession of the images of Ben Swift Chambers, John Houlding, John McKenna, George Mahon, James Baxter and Will Cuff.
Produced by artist Wasan Suttikatem, the paintings are 18 x 24 inches in size.
Dr France said: “I think it’s vital that we remember the importance of the six founding fathers of Merseyside football. This is a nice way of paying tribute to some of the people that have been long forgotten in the history of the game and the city.
“I commissioned a celebration of the men who contributed to the development of the city's two great footballing institutions. I want to use the paintings to reach out beyond the boundaries of the divide.
“They’re ideal for a boardroom or a major entrance, but even more suited to areas accessed by ordinary fans of all persuasions. I want to keep them together as a set of six and rotate them around different important locations in the city so as many people as possible get to see them. I’d like Everton to have them for a short time, Liverpool to have them for a time and then a city museum. They could even go as far as the National Football Museum at Preston for a time if they were kept as a group of six and referred to them as ‘The Founding Fathers of Merseyside Football’.
“No-one has ever done this kind of thing before and it’s about time we encouraged healing between the clubs and put behind us any problems from the past and celebrate our joint bloodline.”
The painting of Rev. Ben Swift Chambers is of particular interest as photographs of him had proved elusive.
In 1877, he was appointed superintendent and minister of St Domingo Chapel in the Everton district of Liverpool. His brand of ‘muscular Christianity’ led to the formation of the team that would become Everton Football Club and, by consequence, Liverpool Football Club.
A special service to re-dedicate his grave was held in the Yorkshire village of Shepley last summer but pictures of Chambers proved difficult to come by.
However, after exhaustive research by Paul Wharton, a member of the Everton Shareholders’ Association, the family of a former St Domingo’s caretaker was tracked down.
It transpired that the Methodist church kept a book of photographs depicting the circuit ministers and so an image of Chambers was found.
Dr France added: “I was a bit surprised by his appearance as I was expecting him to be clean shaven but he had a big beard and wore John Lennon glasses.
“Actually all six are the same size and they have been done with exactly the same vintage background. I’d like people to look at them and think: ‘Yes, this is the history of us as a city with an unrivalled football history.’ We’re a city that has always had a team in the top-flight from day one and these paintings are a real celebration of that.”
JOHN HOULDING: The man synonymous with the split which led to the formation of Liverpool Football Club, the Liverpool-born brewer was originally known as King John of Everton. He later became Lord Mayor of Liverpool.
REV BEN SWIFT CHAMBERS: The churchman who created the St Domingo’s cricket team, which later became St Domingo’s FC, Chambers can be credited as being the man who kickstarted Merseyside’s entire football history.
DR JAMES CLEMENT BAXTER: With the destiny of the club relying on a move away from Anfield, Dr Baxter stepped in. He advanced Everton £1,000 in the shape of an interest free loan, thus establishing the club’s future.
GEORGE MAHON: Born in Liverpool in 1854, his family moved to Ireland when he was a child, but he returned to Liverpool and became a senior partner in Roose, Mahon & Howard, a firm of accountants who were based in North John Street.
JOHN McKENNA: A self-made businessman and former rugby player, ‘Honest’ John, acting as the club’s secretary, guided Liverpool through the ranks of the Lancashire League after their entry into the Football League was denied.
WILL CUFF: A St Domingo’s church-goer who devoted more than 50 years to Everton in their formative years, Cuff, who died in 1949, played an immeasurably important part in the formation of Everton Football Club as we know it today.
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