British Clube (Mexico)
British
Football Club Cludad de Mexico was founded in 1902 by an English immigrant,
Percy Clifford. His dream of becoming one of the best players in Mexico had
become. He had previously been a member of the sports club, Club Reforma, but
had decided to create his own football club, with the financial backing from
Club Britanico, a sports club from Mexico City that had been founded in 1899.
Clifford was given a pitch to play on, which was situated in Mexico City, in
front of the Club Britanico headquarters. He was given equipment and kits for
his team too. The club would wear a dark maroon short, with white shorts and
black socks. They were known to be well kitted out as well, always looking
their best before a match as the club’s ethos, and probably Clifford’s was that
sport and eloquence should coincide with each other. In my research, there was
an indication that this was done to show the other football clubs and locals,
that they were better than them, but that can never be proven. However, there
was one British stereotype that did in fact happen while the British Club
played their matches, or when they took their halftime break. The players could
be seeing spending their halftime drinking tea at tables, whilst being
surrounded by beautiful women.
Back to the
football, the club played in the Primera Fuerza, which was considered the
national league in Mexico at the time (Although there were other regional
leagues) that had been founded in 1902, by five clubs. Clifford’s British Club
was one of them, alongside his former club Reforma AC, Pachuca AC, Orizabi AC
and Mexico Criket Club. Orizabi were to win the first title in 1902, with
British Club finishing 3rd. The 1903 season saw the club finish 3rd
again, but a new champion was crowned, Mexico Cricket Club. The 1904-05 season
saw some changes to it. In a weird turn of events, the first two champions of
the Primera Fuerza, Orizabi and Mexico Cricket Club both dissolved and dropped
out. They were replaced by Puebla AC and San Pedro Golf Club, whom of which
acquired most of Mexico Crickey Clubs players. That season Pachuca won its
first title, with British Club finishing second and only losing out to Pachuca
on goal difference.
The 1905-06
season saw San Pedro Golf Club change its name to Mexican Country Club. Reforma
went on to win their first title that season, while British Club finished 4th.
The 1906-07 season was once again won by Reforma, with British Club once again
finishing runners-up.
It wouldn’t be
until the 1907-08 tournament when British Club won it first, albeit one of the
clubs in the leagues, Puebla AC, had pulled out midway has they could not
afford the travel expenses. The subsequently dissolved and never returned.
Mexico City FC joined that season as Mexico Country Club had a split, meaning
they to dropped out of the league that year. The British Club side that won it
that year consisted if only British men, with Percy being one of them. A man
named John Hogg, whose brother also played for the club, Horace Hogg, finished
top goal scorer for the club that year, with four goals in eight games. Percy
himself would finish top goal scorer in two other seasons for the club, which
would indicate he was a striker or a forward of some sorts back then, when
positions on the field had not been established.
The 1908-09
edition was somewhat a bit of anticlimactic, with only three clubs
participating in it after Mexico City FC dissolved after only one season. Reforma
were crowned champions that season and the league was expanded to four clubs
the following season when Popo Park FC joined. Once gain Reforma AC were
crowned champions, but it was off the field where things were changing for
British Club. It was decided that going into the next season, that British Club
and Popo Park FC would merge and compete as one football club, as they saw this
as the best chance of competing with Reforma. The plan didn’t work, and Reforma
won the Championship again, whilst the merger split and left Popo Park FC
dissolved in the process. In the meantime, another club had joined that season,
Club Mexico.
But the 1911-12
season would prove to British Club’s last, as they finished bottom of the
four-club league. In fact, the club didn’t even finish off the season and
withdrew midway. And so was the end of British Club, who only ever won one
title in Mexico. Percy Clifford’s dream of becoming one of the best players in
Mexican football was probably never achieved, however, he is one of the men who
is accredited as being a pioneer of Mexican football, and I would suggest that
may have meant more to him.
A short and
sweet story about how an English immigrant brought football to Central America.
Whilst he himself may never have lit the place ablaze, he did get the ball
rolling in regards football in Mexico and can be thanked by all the clubs who
play today in Liga MX that he and his idea of playing the beautiful game was
brought forward and progressed throughout the years. It is a fact that the game
of football has grown worldwide thanks to British men like Percy Clifford and
their love for the game. We often criticize how the British empire went about
building their empire, taking over countries and pushing upon those natives
their own culture, language and sports, and rightly so. However, if they didn’t
do this, I doubt football would be as big a game as it is today. Would there be
a World Cup? Would there even be any major football leagues out of Britain? I
can’t imagine a world where football is the most popular sport, not can imagine
a world where Cricket is. Whilst British Club may not be the most intriguing or
the most successful club I have written about, it encapsulates one thing. Thank
goodness for people like Percy Clifford. Also, the British do love a good cup
of tea, even at a football match, apparently.