Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Alan Hardaker
Alan Hardaker OBE (29 July 1912 − 4 March 1980) was an English football administrator for the Football League, a wartime Royal Navy officer, and previously an amateur footballer. He was born in Hull, Yorkshire and was the second son to John and Emma Hardaker. He was younger brother of Ernest Hardaker.
Hardaker's education began at Constable Street Elementary School in Hull, and from there he was awarded a scholarship to Riley High School, leaving in 1928 with qualifications in typing and shorthand. He initially went into the family removals and haulage business, until he was sacked in 1929 by his own father for playing dominoes instead of working. He was able to use his qualifications to find immediate employment as an office junior in the Town Clerk's department at the Hull Guildhall.
He met Irene Mundy when he was 17 and she was a year younger. They married eight years later in North Ferriby church. They would go on to have four daughters and many grandchildren.
He had first taken up playing football at the high school, and so joined Municipal Sports, the Guildhall team. He was sent off on one occasion during his time with them, for retaliation. Playing in the centre forward position, he scored 100 goals in three seasons, although he claimed that most of these were only possible due to the quality of those playing alongside him.
After moving on to East Riding County League champions Beverley White Star (now defunct), he was invited by Hull City to play for their reserve side against Bradford Park Avenue Reserves. He had been converted to full back by this time, and that was the position he took up for the Hull City Reserves. From then on, he played for one or other of the teams on a regular basis for the next three seasons.
In 1935, he captained the East Riding County FA representative team when they won the Northern Counties Amateur Championship.
He was offered professional terms in 1936 by manager Jack Hill, which he turned down, as by the age of 23 he had progressed to become Lord Mayor's secretary at the Guildhall. After then playing eleven games for the Reserves in the Midland League, and coinciding with a change in team management, he was released by the club. He went on to play for Bridlington Central United (later known as Bridlington Town) of the East Riding Amateur League, and then moved to the Yorkshire Amateur Football Club in the Yorkshire League.
Both his sporting career and his professional life were interrupted by the imminent outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, and in his official capacity as Lord Mayor's secretary he was asked to help start the Humber Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in readiness for hostilities. He joined them on 12 June 1939, as a Paymaster Lieutenant initially assigned to the light cruiser HMS Calcutta moored in Hull docks. However, after the war began, he was transferred to HMS Newcastle, based at Scapa Flow and saw service on the "Northern Patrol", which protected convoys of Allied ships from German vessels sent to attack.
Hub AI
Alan Hardaker AI simulator
(@Alan Hardaker_simulator)
Alan Hardaker
Alan Hardaker OBE (29 July 1912 − 4 March 1980) was an English football administrator for the Football League, a wartime Royal Navy officer, and previously an amateur footballer. He was born in Hull, Yorkshire and was the second son to John and Emma Hardaker. He was younger brother of Ernest Hardaker.
Hardaker's education began at Constable Street Elementary School in Hull, and from there he was awarded a scholarship to Riley High School, leaving in 1928 with qualifications in typing and shorthand. He initially went into the family removals and haulage business, until he was sacked in 1929 by his own father for playing dominoes instead of working. He was able to use his qualifications to find immediate employment as an office junior in the Town Clerk's department at the Hull Guildhall.
He met Irene Mundy when he was 17 and she was a year younger. They married eight years later in North Ferriby church. They would go on to have four daughters and many grandchildren.
He had first taken up playing football at the high school, and so joined Municipal Sports, the Guildhall team. He was sent off on one occasion during his time with them, for retaliation. Playing in the centre forward position, he scored 100 goals in three seasons, although he claimed that most of these were only possible due to the quality of those playing alongside him.
After moving on to East Riding County League champions Beverley White Star (now defunct), he was invited by Hull City to play for their reserve side against Bradford Park Avenue Reserves. He had been converted to full back by this time, and that was the position he took up for the Hull City Reserves. From then on, he played for one or other of the teams on a regular basis for the next three seasons.
In 1935, he captained the East Riding County FA representative team when they won the Northern Counties Amateur Championship.
He was offered professional terms in 1936 by manager Jack Hill, which he turned down, as by the age of 23 he had progressed to become Lord Mayor's secretary at the Guildhall. After then playing eleven games for the Reserves in the Midland League, and coinciding with a change in team management, he was released by the club. He went on to play for Bridlington Central United (later known as Bridlington Town) of the East Riding Amateur League, and then moved to the Yorkshire Amateur Football Club in the Yorkshire League.
Both his sporting career and his professional life were interrupted by the imminent outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, and in his official capacity as Lord Mayor's secretary he was asked to help start the Humber Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) in readiness for hostilities. He joined them on 12 June 1939, as a Paymaster Lieutenant initially assigned to the light cruiser HMS Calcutta moored in Hull docks. However, after the war began, he was transferred to HMS Newcastle, based at Scapa Flow and saw service on the "Northern Patrol", which protected convoys of Allied ships from German vessels sent to attack.