The Football Association has today announced that its search to find living descendants of the eight men that created the sport 150 years ago has been hugely successful, uncovering relatives in places such as Washington DC (USA), Chicago (USA), Auckland (New Zealand), Rossendale (Lancashire, UK) as well as London. A total of 16 relatives of the Founding Fathers of football will attend a special ceremony at Wembley Stadium on the 21st October where a Blue Plaque will be unveiled that pays tribute to the historical significance of their work in creating a game that is now enjoyed by billions of people around the world. The event is the start of a week of celebrations for The FA's 150th birthday, which will culminate in a Gala Dinner on the anniversary date itself this Saturday (26 October). Hailing from across England, surprisingly little was known about Ebenezer Cobb Morley, Arthur Pember, Charles William Alcock, Francis Maule Campbell, John Forster Alcock, Herbert Thomas Steward, George Twizell Wawn and James Turner -- the men that gathered to form The FA and draft the original 13 laws of association football. From that point, football has grown imeasureably and The FA now helps to support seven million people playing the game at grassroots level across the country, right the way through to the elite level. Following a four month search led by cultural historian Dr. Jane Clayton from the International Football Institute, University of Central Lancashire, and with the help of the general public, living descendants for six of the founding fathers have been identified. Jane Sleight, the great-great-granddaughter of Arthur Pember, and Tom Steward, a relation of Herbert Thomas Steward, are the two relatives living furthest from where The FA was formed in 1863, hailing from Washington DC, USA, and Auckland, New Zealand, respectively. In the UK, it was discovered that the family tree of Arthur Pember also crossed with that of another figure of huge historical and cultural significance, Charles Darwin. In 1925, Pember's great-niece married Charles Galton Darwin, the grandson of Charles Darwin and thus the current Darwin dynasty is also related to one of football's Founding Fathers. A number of George Twizell Wawn's family have been located in Rossendale, Lancashire and Oxford whilst John Forster Alcock and Francis Maule Campbell have descendants living in London, Cambridge, Oxford and Peterborough. Following the research it has been discovered that the family tree of Ebenezer Cobb Morley ended upon his death in 1924 as neither he, nor his siblings, had any children. The search for information on James Turner and further descendants for the other six Founding Fathers continues with The FA and Dr. Jane Clayton investigating leads across the UK as well as in Japan, Denmark and Canada. Dr. Jane Clayton from the International Football Institute, University of Central Lancashire, said: "For the search to have been so successful is incredibly pleasing as, from a historical perspective, we now know a lot more about a number of the men that created the most popular sport in the world one hundred and fifty years ago. "The research carried out to date has been extensive but the work continues in the hope of discovering more descendants across the world." Alex Horne, General Secretaty of The FA, said: "In terms of historical significance, the eight Founding Fathers of football should be placed alongside other great pioneers of this nation. The game has become a focal point of the lives of nearly every household in England since it was formed, so to now understand more about the history of these men is incredibly important. "The FA is delighted that in its 150th year we have been able to identify living descendants and honour their forefathers at what is now the home of English football, Wembley." Broadcaster Mike Read, Honorary Chairman of The British Plaque Trust, and a lifelong Bury FC fan has been in discussion with The FA about the commemoration for several months. He said: "The Founding Fathers of football helped give the world a sport which down the generations has inspired many billions. We wanted to ensure that the momentous moment was marked in the appropriate manner." To find out more about the search for living descendants of the Founding Fathers, please visit http://www.thefa.com/foundingfathers and if you have any information that can assist, please email foundingfathers@thefa.com The Founding Fathers of football are: 1. Ebenezer Cobb Morley (1831-1924) 2. Arthur Pember (1835-1886) 3. Charles William Alcock (1842-1907) 4. Francis Maule Campbell (1843-1920) 5. John Forster Alcock (1841-1910) 6. Herbert Thomas Steward (1839-1915) 7. George Twizell Wawn (1840-1914) 8. James Turner (dates unknown)

• published: 21 Oct 2013
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