The father figures who helped shape Merseyside football
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.
