Harry Stapley

Henry Stapley[lower-alpha 1] (29 April 1883 – 29 April 1937) was an English amateur footballer who played for West Ham United and Glossop. Internationally, he played for the England amateur team and competed for Great Britain at the 1908 Summer Olympics, where he scored 6 goals.

Harry Stapley
Stapley with Great Britain at the 1908 Olympics
Personal information
Full name Henry Stapley
Date of birth (1883-04-29)29 April 1883
Place of birth Southborough, Kent, England
Date of death 29 April 1937(1937-04-29) (aged 54)
Place of death Glossop, England
Position(s) Centre-forward, inside-right
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Manor Park Albion
Bromley
Norwich CEYMS
Reading 0 (0)
Woodford Town
1905–1908 West Ham United 71 (39)
1908–1914 Glossop 188 (93)
National team
1907–1909 England Amateur 11 (22)
1908 Great Britain 3 (6)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Stapley played for Manor Park Albion, Bromley and Norwich CEYMS before joining Reading, where he played for the reserve and amateur teams. He then played for Woodford Town, where he was made captain,[1] before signing for West Ham United, then of the Southern League,[2] on 28 September 1905. He continued to play for Woodford Town after his signing.[3]

Stapley made his West Ham debut against Portsmouth on 23 December 1905 and scored the only goal of the game. He spent three seasons at Upton Park and was the Irons' top scorer in all three, even though his job as a schoolteacher prevented him from travelling to certain midweek away games.[2] In total, he scored 41 goals in 75 appearances.[4]

He joined Second Division club Glossop in 1908 and continued his scoring record, ending as the club's top-scorer for seven consecutive seasons.[2] He played 188 League games for Glossop, scoring 93 goals.[5]

International career

Stapley made 11 appearances for the England amateur team and averaged two goals a game.[6]

In 1908, he was a member of the Great Britain team which won the gold medal in the football tournament. He scored two goals in the first-round match, a 12–1 drubbing of Sweden, and scored all four in the semi-final against the Netherlands. He also appeared in the final against Denmark.[1][7]

Outside football

Stapley tutored the sons of Glossop chairman Samuel Hill-Wood in football and cricket and saw three of his students attain blues in cricket at Oxford and Cambridge. He was later private secretary to Hill-Wood after his election as Member of Parliament for High Peak.[2]

His brother, William Stapley, also played League football for Glossop.[2]

Notes
  1. Recorded as Harold S. Stapley in some sources

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Harry Stapley". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  2. Hogg, Tony (2005). Who's Who of West Ham United. Profile Sports Media. pp. 192–193. ISBN 1-903135-50-8.
  3. "Harry Stapley". englandfootballonline.com. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  4. "Harry Stapley". westhamstats.info. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  5. Joyce, Michael (2012) [2002]. Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 275. ISBN 978-1-905891-61-0.
  6. "Harold S Stapley". 11v11.com. Association of Football Statisticians. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  7. The Fourth Olympiad - London 1908 - Official Report (PDF). British Olympic Association. May 1909. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
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