A new book by football historian Philip Mosely reveals the untold story of the Wanderers who played in the first ever football match in Sydney in August, 1880.
The book ‘Early Football and the NSW Wanderers 1880: A Collective Biography’ profiles those young men who took to Parramatta Common for the historic match against the King’s School.
The 5-0 victory by the Wanderers inspired the foundation of the Western Sydney Wanderers more than a century later in 2012.
The book uncovers the connections and careers of 18 original Wanderers. Forming the first football club in the Australian colonies, and quickly affiliating with the English FA, their ranks included an English international representative.
The book was formally launched today by the Western Sydney Wanderers and PB Publishing at CommBank Stadium, just a few hundred metres from the location of the 1880 match.
Western Sydney Wanderers CEO Scott Hudson said the book provides an important connection between the pioneers of 1880 and the Club that proudly carries the Wanderers name today.
“When our Club was established in 2012, we proudly embraced the history of the original Wanderers and the extraordinary story that began here in Western Sydney in 1880,” said Hudson.
“That connection has always been an important part of who we are. More than 140 years ago, a group of pioneers came together in Parramatta and helped begin a football story that continues to be written in Western Sydney today.
“Philip’s work gives us an opportunity to understand who those people actually were, the lives they led and the role they played in the beginnings of football in this country.
“We often describe ourselves as Australia’s newest, oldest club, and this book gives even greater meaning to those words. It puts names, faces and stories behind a history that we are incredibly proud to carry forward.
“For our Members, supporters and everyone connected to football in Western Sydney, this is an important piece of our history. We are proud to support Philip in ensuring the story of the original Wanderers is preserved and shared with generations to come.”
PB Publishing CEO Philipa Butler praised the academic achievement of the author in telling a story previously lost in time.
“Researching the lives of people in the 1880s is a monumental task,” said Butler. “Philip has gone to incredible lengths to piece together this compelling work.”
Philip Mosely thanked the Western Sydney Wanderers and PB Publishing for their support in promoting his work.
“The biographies of the original Wanderers explain not just the birth of football in the antipodes but the social DNA of its pioneers,” he said.
“Resurrecting memories of those who began the journey puts faces to names and deeds largely forgotten. It highlights the place of forebears in the game.”
The book Early Football and the NSW Wanderers 1880: A Collective Biography is available online for $47 from PB Publishing www.pbpublishing.com.au or scan this QR code
About the Author
Phil Mosely is an academic historian and author who wrote Soccer in NSW 1880-1980, based in large part on his original University of Sydney doctorate. His other books are Ethnic Involvement in Australian Soccer and Sporting Immigrants (co-author). The University of Melbourne kept him south of the border for decades until he and wife Wendy moved to the Top End. Nigh on ten years with Charles Darwin University provided the time and space to research and write this book.
