John Hodgson

John Hodgson came from a famous Blackburn family of swimmers. His father Richard was the first man in Blackburn to swim 60 yards in 60 seconds, while his brothers Dick and Fred were also distinguished swimmers, as were three of their sisters. Dick was also an excellent water polo player and went to four Olympics as either a player or referee. Strangely, Hodgson’s mother did not have her first swimming lesson until the age of 62.

John Hodgson started playing water polo with Manchester Osborne and then the Wigan, and Everton Swimming Clubs. He also uniquely played for three counties, Lancashire, Middlesex, and Surrey. In the final of the 1902 English National Championship Hodgson scored the opening goal that helped Wigan beat Leicester 5-2.

Hodgson later became a highly respected referee and took control of championship and international matches across Europe, including at the 1928 Olympics. He was also the Great Britain coach at the Berlin Games in 1936, and had also been in charge of the British team at the 1927 European Championships in Bologna.

As an administrator Hodgson was president of the Northern Counties ASA and was the first man to be appointed president of the Lancashire ASA on two occasions. He was appointed chairman of the International Water Polo Board in 1933 and in 1938, after a lifetime dedicated to the sport, became president of the Amateur Swimming Association. Hodgson worked in the circulation department of the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo for 32 years, and for over 25 years wrote a weekly swimming article in the Echo under the pen-name Leander.