# Nicholas Lane Jackson

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English sports administrator (1849–1937)

Nicholas Lane Jackson.
Original caption: THE FOUNDER OF THE CORINTHIANS:
 MR. N. L. JACKSON.
 (Photo: [Elliott &. Fry](/source/Elliott_%26_Fry), Baker Street. W)

**Nicholas Lane Jackson** (1 November 1849 – 26 October 1937),[1][2] known as **N. L. Jackson** and "**Pa**" **Jackson**, was an English sports administrator and author.

## Early life

Jackson was born in [Hackney](/source/Hackney%2C_London), London in 1849 to his father, also named Nicholas Lane Jackson, and mother Mary. The elder Jackson was a cattle salesman who had moved to the capital from Devon.[3] In 1869, the younger Jackson married Mary Ann Williams. By 1871, the young married couple were living in [Isleworth](/source/Isleworth) with two infant children and a servant, with Jackson's occupation listed as "land steward".[4]

## Sports

### Football

In 1877, Jackson founded [Finchley F.C.](/source/Finchley_F.C.) (initially known as "Finchley Petrels"), also captaining the club.[5] He soon started officiating matches, for example serving as [umpire](/source/Assistant_referee) alongside [C. W. Alcock](/source/C._W._Alcock) in an F. A. Cup tie between Old Etonians and Minerva in January 1879.[6]

In 1880, he was elected to the committee of the [Football Association](/source/Football_Association) (FA).[7] Between 1881 and 1883, he served as assistant secretary to the FA, working alongside Alcock.[8] According to one source, although Alcock was the nominal secretary, "the burden of the work [was] borne by Jackson".[9]

Jackson also founded [Corinthian FC](/source/Corinthian_FC) (1882) and the [London Football Association](/source/London_Football_Association) (1882).

#### Professionalism

In January 1884, Jackson investigated allegations that [Preston North End](/source/Preston_North_End) had offered financial inducements to attract Scottish players.[10] As a result of Jackson's investigation, an FA committee voted to disqualify the Preston club from [that season's FA Cup](/source/1883%E2%80%9384_FA_Cup).[11] At the FA's meeting in February 1884, Jackson successfully proposed that "this meeting considers the existence of veiled professionalism and the importation of players are serious evils calling for prompt attention" and called for the creation of a committee to study the matter.[12] Jackson led the resulting committee, whose hardline anti-professionalism recommendations were adopted by the FA for the 1884–85 season.[13]

In March 1885, when the question was once again considered by FA, Jackson supported a motion that "it is expedient to legalise professionalism".[14] He served on the committee whose recommendations led to the FA allowing professionalism, with certain restrictions, in July of that year.[15]

### Tennis

Jackson contributed to the founding of the [Lawn Tennis Association](/source/Lawn_Tennis_Association) (1888).[1] He was one of the most important referees at early tennis tournaments.[16]

### Golf

Jackson founded golf clubs at [Le Touquet](/source/Le_Touquet), [Cabourg](/source/Cabourg), and [Stoke Poges](/source/Stoke_Park%2C_Buckinghamshire#The_Club) (the last being the first country club in England).[1] He continued to play the game into old age, allegedly having a handicap of 9 at the age of 82.[17]

### Other sports

Jackson gave his name to the "Lane-Jackson Championship", an important [curling](/source/Curling) title in [Switzerland](/source/Switzerland).[16][18] He invented a sport known as "ringoal", in which players used two sticks to throw a ring, which had to be caught by an opponent.[19]

## Author

Jackson was a prolific author. He founded the tennis journal *Pastime* (1883) and the cricket periodical *Cricket Field* (1892), both of which were later purchased by *[The Field](/source/The_Field_(magazine))*. His *Association Football* (1899) is an important source for the early history of that sport. He also edited reference works for football and rugby. His autobiography *Sporting Days and Sporting Ways* was published in 1932.

## Death

Jackson died in 1937 at the age of 87. He is said to have boasted that he weighed the same at the age of 80 as he did at 18 (10 stone 8.5 pounds). He also claimed to have never smoked or drunk alcohol.[2]

## Works

- Alcock, C. W.; Jackson, N. L. (n.d.). *The National Football Calendar for 1881*. London.

- Jackson, N. L. (ed.), *Pastime: the Lawn-Tennis Journal* (from 1883)

- Jackson, Nick Lane (1887). *The Athlete's Guide* (second ed.). London: Simpkin, Marshall & co.

- Jackson, N. L. (1892). *The Association Football Handbook 1892-3*. London: Pastime.

- Jackson, N. L. (n.d.). *The Association Football Handbook, 1894-5, 1895-6*. London.

- Jackson, N. L. *The Rugby Union Football handbook 1895/96*. London: Cox.

- Jackson, N. L. (1899). *Association Football*. London: [George Newnes Ltd](/source/George_Newnes_Ltd).

- Jackson, N. L. (n.d.) [1931]. *Always Fit and Well*. London: George Newnes.

- Jackson, N. L. (1932). *Sporting Days and Sporting Ways*. London: Hurst & Blackett.

## Notes

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-odnb_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-odnb_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-odnb_1-2) Matthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, Brian (2004). *Oxford Dictionary of National Biography*. Vol. 29. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 512.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-death_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-death_2-1) "Death of Grand Old Sportsman". *Gloucestershire Echo*: 8. 26 October 1937.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** "[Census record](https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBC%2F1851%2F4304018%2F00229&parentid=GBC%2F1851%2F0004204922)" (30 March 1851). 1851 England, Wales & Scotland Census:Shaftesbury Street, Shoreditch, London & Middlesex, England, p. 17. Public Record Office.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** "[Census record](https://search.findmypast.co.uk/record?id=GBC%2F1871%2F1312%2F0260&parentid=GBC%2F1871%2F0003208457)" (2 April 1871). 1871 England, Wales & Scotland Census: Wellington Road Denmark Villa, Isleworth, Brentford, Middlesex, p. 17. Public Record Office.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** "Finchley Football Club". *Hendon and Finchley Times*: 5. 3 May 1879.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** "Association Challenge Cup: Old Etonians v Minerva". *Sporting Gazette*: 22. 18 January 1881.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["The Football Association"](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Football_Association_(Athletic_News)_1880-03-03.png). *The Athletic News*. **v** (244): 7. 3 March 1880.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** "The Football Association". *Nottingham Evening Post*: 2. 1 September 1881.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** "The Football Association". *Sheffield Daily Telegraph*: 7. 6 October 1883.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** "Preston North End and Professionalism". *York Herald*: 8. 17 January 1884.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** "The Football Association and the Preston North End Club". *Blackburn Standard*: 3. 2 February 1884.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** "The Football Association: The Professional Difficulty". *Sheffield and Rotherham Independent*: 4. 29 February 1884.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** "The Football Association and Professionalism". *Sportsman*: 4. 26 June 1884.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** "The Football Association and Professionalism". *Birmingham Daily Post*: 8. 24 March 1885.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** "Football Association". *Sporting Life*: 4. 21 July 1885.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-whoswho_16-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-whoswho_16-1) [*Who's Who 1938*](https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.85014/page/n1993/mode/2up). London: A. and C. Black. n.d. [1938]. pp. 1930–1931.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** "Golfer of 82 Years". *Daily Mail*. Hull: 4. 27 August 1931.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** "Golf Notes". *Western Mail*: 3. 18 January 1927.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Seymour, Andrew (20 March 1936). "Forgotten Games". *Midland Daily Telegraph*: 11.

## External links

Media related to [Nicholas Lane Jackson](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Nicholas_Lane_Jackson) at Wikimedia Commons

v t e The Football Association Founder members Barnes Blackheath Blackheath Proprietary School Civil Service Crusaders Crystal Palace Kensington School Leytonstone Forest No Names Club Perceval House Surbiton Presidents Arthur Pember Ebenezer Morley Francis Marindin Arthur Kinnaird Charles Clegg William Pickford The Earl of Athlone HRH The Duke of Edinburgh HRH The Duke of Gloucester The Earl of Harewood HRH The Duke of Kent HRH The Duke of York HRH The Prince of Wales Chairmen Charles Clegg A. G. Hines M. Frowde Amos Brook Hirst Arthur Drewry Graham Doggart Joe Mears Andrew Stephen Harold Warris Thompson Bert Millichip Keith Wiseman Geoff Thompson Lord Triesman David Bernstein Greg Dyke Greg Clarke Debbie Hewitt Secretaries Ebenezer Morley Robert Willis Robert Graham Charles W. Alcock Frederick Wall Stanley Rous Denis Follows Ted Croker Chief Executives Graham Kelly Adam Crozier Mark Palios David Davies Brian Barwick Ian Watmore Martin Glenn Treasurers Francis Campbell James Turner Robert Graham Alfred Stair Charles W. Alcock Arthur Kinnaird C. E. Hart Daniel Woolfall Arthur Kingscott Harry Huband L. C. Tyte Denis Follows Sidney Donaldson

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