Henry Stapley was originally a schoolteacher and worked in various parts of the country where his footballing skills were welcome by the local clubs. In 1904 he took up an appointment at Woodford College and became captain of Woodford Town. He joined West Ham United midway through the 1905-06 season, where he spent two and a half seasons and scored a total of 41 goals in 75 league and cup matches. In 1908 Stapley accepted an invitation to join Glossop where their patron, Sir Samuel Hillwood, Bt., was spending considerable sums of money in an effort to revive the ailing Derbyshire Club. Stapley’s brother Will, who won amateur international honors as a centre-half, also went to Glossop but it was Harry who immediately became the favorite of the crowd as he continued to show the same high scoring capabilities which had been the feature of his game at West ham. With 67 goals in 135 appearances he was Glossop’s leading scorer each season from 1908 to 1912. Although he won 12 amateur caps he was never selected for a full international despite the fact that during his four seasons as Glossop’s leading scorer, England called on eight different centre-forwards. Further proof of his scoring ability came at the 1908 Olympics when he scored all four goals in Britain’s second round win over Holland and, with a total of six goals, was Britain’s leading scorer in the Olympic tournament. However, Stapley’s main duties at Glossop were as private tutor and personal football and cricket coach to the sons of Sir Samuel Hillwood. Stapley was clearly particular successful as a cricket coach as the sound grounding he gave them, later polished by George Hirst at Eton, resulted in all three of the boys winning cricket blues at Oxford or Cambridge. As the years passed, Stapley was increasingly taken into Sir Samuel’s confidence and served as a private secretary after his election as the Member of Parliament for the High Peak constituency. He also served as his employer’s nominee on the Board of Directors of various local companies. Henry Stapley died on his 54th birthday.
Great Britain