Gordon Rahere Hoare (18 April 1884 – 27 October 1973)[2] was an English amateur footballer who was a member of the Great Britain team that won the gold medal at the 1912 Summer Olympics.[3] In club football, he played in the Football League for Woolwich Arsenal, Glossop and Fulham.[4]

Gordon Hoare
Personal information
Full name Gordon Rahere Hoare
Date of birth 18 April 1884
Place of birth Blackheath, England
Date of death 27 October 1973(1973-10-27) (aged 89)
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1907–1909 Arsenal 11 (5)
1909–1910 Glossop
1910–1911 Arsenal 23 (8)
1912–1913 Glossop
1913–191? QPR 25 (6)
191?–1920 Fulham
International career
1909–1913 England Amateurs 14 (11)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
Olympic medal record
Men's football
Representing  Great Britain
Gold medal – first place 1912 Stockholm Team competition

Club career edit

Born in Blackheath, Hoare started out with junior sides such as West Norwood, Woolwich Polytechnic, and Bromley before joining Woolwich Arsenal in 1907.[5] He made his League debut in a First Division match against Sheffield Wednesday on 20 April 1908, the last day of the 1907–08 season.[6] Although he played 11 League matches in 1908–09, scoring five goals, he was unhappy at the lack of regular first-team football and moved to Glossop in December 1909.[7] From 1909 through to 1911 he also turned out occasionally for Kent League side Northfleet United.[5]

He lasted a year at Glossop before returning to Woolwich Arsenal in December 1910.[8] He scored seven times in 16 games for Arsenal in the 1910–11 season,[6] but was once again dropped at the start of the following season, unable to oust Jackie Chalmers and Charles Randall from the front line. He rejoined Glossop in February 1912; in total, he played 34 times for Arsenal, scoring 13 goals.[7]

After his second spell at Glossop, Hoare went on to play for Queens Park and Fulham, finally retiring in 1920.[4] He died in 1973, aged 89.[2]

International career edit

 
The Great Britain national football team at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Standing: Dines, Brebner, Berry, Walden, Woodward, Hoare, Sharpe, Knight. Sitting: McWirther, Burn, Littlewort.

Hoare was capped multiple times for the England amateur team between 1909 and 1913, netting 11 goals, including 5 braces against Germany, France (2) and Denmark (2). He was a member of the team that represented Great Britain at the 1912 Summer Olympics: he played in all three matches and netted two goals, both of which in the final against Denmark as Great Britain won 4–2, thus contributing decisively to his side's triumph in Stockholm.[2] He also scored a further 5 goals for the amateur team in unofficial matches, a brace against in a 5–1 win over Wales in 1911, a brace in a 2–3 loss to Ireland in 1912 and the winner (2–1) against a Bruges XI on 6 April 1912, bringing his tally to 16 goals.[9]

International goals edit

England Amateurs score listed first, score column indicates score after each Hoare goal.
List of international goals scored by Gordon Hoare[9]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref
1 13 March 1909 Oxford ground, Oxford, England   Germany
?
9–0 Friendly
2
?
3 23 March 1911 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, Stade de Paris, France   France
2–0
3–0
4
3–0
5 25 May 1911 Spitalacker-Platz, Bern, Switzerland    Switzerland
2–0
4–1
6 21 October 1911 Park Royal Stadium, London, England   Denmark
1–0
3–0
7
3–0
8 4 July 1912 Stockholms Olympiastadion, Stockholm, Sweden   Denmark
2–1
4–2 1912 Summer Olympics Final
9
3–1
10 27 February 1912 Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, Colombes, France   France
2–0
4–2 Friendly
11
3–0

Personal life edit

Hoare served as a lieutenant in the Army Service Corps during the First World War.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ "The coming of the big ball: the Second Division: Glossop". Athletic News. Manchester. 18 August 1913. p. 5 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ^ a b c "Olympic Sports: Gordon Hoare". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Gordon Hoare". Olympedia. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Nottingham: SoccerData. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-899468-67-6.
  5. ^ a b c "Gordon Hoare". Football and the First World War. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b "Gordon Rahere Hoare". 11v11.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony (ed.). Arsenal Who's Who. London: Independent UK Sports. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-899429-03-5.
  8. ^ "Gordon Hoare". www.arsenal.com. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  9. ^ a b c "England Matches - The Amateurs 1906-1939". englandfootballonline.com. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  10. ^ "England v Germany, 16 March 1909". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  11. ^ "France v England, 23 March 1911". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Switzerland v England, 25 May 1911". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  13. ^ "England v Denmark, 21 October 1911". www.11v11.com. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Great Britain v Denmark, 4 July 1912". www.fifa.com. Retrieved 30 July 2022.