Alfred Schneidau came from a multi-national background. His father was born on the island of Guernsey, his mother was American and he also had German, French and Swedish ancestry. He first made his mark in the world of sport as a footballer and played in goal for a number of London teams including Fulham St. Andrews (now Fulham FC) in the days before they embraced professionalism. Sometime in the late 1890s, the former accountant Schneidau moved to Paris where he was involved in the building industry, and built a hotel on the shores of the beach Sainte-Cécile, near Calais. At the Olympic Games he opened the batting for the French team but scored only 8 and 1 in his two innings.
Despite his multi-cultural heritage, Schneidau entered the Olympic cricket match while playing for the French side, Union des Sociétés Français de Sports Athletiques, although in Britain he was a member of the combined team made up of players from the Union Club and the Standard Athletic Club that joined with the French side for the Olympic match.
France
Great Britain