BLUES LEGEND - FRANK ADAMS
Posted on: Fri 17 Apr 2009
By Alan Hutchinson
Frank Adams is a name synonymous with Wycombe Wanderers as a player, administrator and patron, whose affiliation to the club lasted more than seventy years.
He was born in Downley, an area of High Wycombe, on 5th September 1891 and left school at the age of twelve to become an apprentice photographer. His work in photography meant he was not able to play football at the weekend so he began his career playing in the local Wednesday League.
However, a change of employment meant he had weekends free and he was invited for a trial at Loakes Park during the 1910-11 season; he was 18. Frank made a good impression right from the start with a string of performances for the reserve side. He made his first team debut against Maidenhead United in the last Great Western Suburban League fixture of the season, appearing at inside left he helped the Blues to a 3-2 win at York Road.
The following season saw him gain a regular place in the first team, mainly at inside-right. During the close season he was approached by Shepherds Bush, they played at Loftus Road(now QPR's ground) and were members of the Isthmian League, and he left Wycombe to join them at the start of the 1912-13 season.
It proved to be a good move and after an excellent season Frank went on a tour of Germany before going onto Spain. Despite doing really well for his new club Wycombe were always tugging at his heartstrings and after a meeting with George Miles (Chairman) and Bernard Hooper (Secretary) he was persuaded to re-join the Blues for the start of the 1913-14 season. He was elected team captain with off the field involvement in the club, a position held until his retirement from playing in1929 at the age of 37.
A NEW DAWN
At the recommencement of football in September 1919 following the First World War Frank had switched to centre half and remained there for the rest of his career. He led the club to two consecutive Spartan League Championships immediately after the First World War, four Berks & Bucks Senior Cup wins and scored 104 goals in 331 appearances.
He also led the combined County side, Berks & Bucks, to their first Minor Counties Championship in season 1923-24. The team also included four other Wanderers players, Jim Kipping (goalkeeper), Alec Weaver (inside forward), Reg Boreham (centre forward) and Fred Gates (left half).
Frank represented the Isthmian League both at home and on overseas tours, he also made overseas tours with Middlesex Wanderers, the F.A. Amateur X1 and he captained the Berks & Bucks County side for five seasons . The one big award, an England Amateur International cap, eluded him despite being selected for several squads. Frank also enjoyed Athletics and was a keen tennis player and won a number of tournaments at the High Wycombe club.
THE TWO WORLD WARS
With the approach of 1914 came war and Frank joined the Territorial Army with the 1st Bucks Battalion. His transfer in 1916 to the Royal Flying Corps opened up new opportunities in his duties for aerial photography. After hostilities he was able to demonstrate his flair for organising football matches while serving with the Army of Occupation in Germany. He played a number of games for the R.A.F. and once scored the only goal of the match against Bilbao Athletic before the King and Queen of Spain.
During the Second World War Frank was a Physical Fitness Officer and the position took him from Normandy to Warsaw. Attached to 2nd Tactical Air force he set off for Normandy in August 1944 with a Dakota full of everything from footballs to mini pianos. Football was the number one priority with the powers that be and so, with the co-operation of Sir Stanley Rous, the first game was played in Paris the September of 1944.
There was a huge turn out for the game and it set in place a chain of events that remained with the forces during the push from France toward Germany. The first match was a forerunner of a whole series of matches including, Army, R.A.F. and Combined Services teams plus leading continental clubs. With the recapture of Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Poland, contacts were made with those various Football Associations and reunion matches took place.
As Secretary of the Combined Services Team Frank Adams was at the forefront of all the matches played from Normandy to Warsaw.
PUSH TO JOIN ISTHMIANS
While still playing for the Wanderers Frank was very instrumental in pushing for plans to join the Isthmian League. With his experience at Shepherds Bush he was aware of the benefits to the club and the players if Wycombe could be accepted into the top flight of Amateur football.
After winning the Spartan League Championship for the second successive season confirmation came that Wycombe Wanderers had been elected for the start of the 1921-22 season. This was a major turning point in the future development of the Wanderers, they were now rubbing shoulders with clubs that were considered to be part of the greatest bastion for Amateurs in the South of England by the Professional game and International selectors.
Upon retirement in 1929 he became an administrator and served on the Wanderers committee, and in 1947 was elected to the Football Association. The work carried out during the Second World War had come to the notice of the F.A. and they were keen to take him on board. His connection with Sir Stanley Rous and Walter Winterbottom meant he had powerful allies at the top of the English game. He served on several committees including the International Selection Committee, the F.A. Challenge Cup and F.A. Youth Cup, positions he held right up until his death.
WANDERERS WIN AMATEUR CUP
Frank was very instrumental in helping the Wanderers to win the F.A. Amateur Cup in 1931. He would talk to the players in the dressing room before each game and his jovial and organised approach to playing gave them confidence. He came close to repeating this in 1950 when the team reached the semi-final but he was prevented from going into the dressing room at Brentford, the F.A. felt as a Life Member he should refrain from showing any favouritism. The Blues lost a hard fought semi-final at Griffin Park to Bishop Auckland 2-1.
The 1966 World Cup Finals played in England saw Frank involved at the top level working with the International Selection Committee. He attended all of England's games at Wembley and his memorabilia from those days can be seen in the collection. At the end of the tournament England were winners and those members of the F.A. Council were presented with a miniature of the Jules Rimet Trophy.
FRANK AND THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
Frank was a close friend of Walter Winterbottom, the England manager of the 1950's, and Sir Stanley Rouse, President of FIFA, he made a number of tours abroad as an England Representative. Tours in the 1950's to Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe), Australia, South Africa and West Indies were all successful in promoting the game in areas of the World where the game was growing.
His connection with the F.A. was also paramount in helping Wanderers bring top coaches to Loakes Park. Sid Cann was the first to be recommended by Frank and held the post as head coach for ten years with the Wanderers. He brought the Isthmian League Championship to the club for the first time in 1955-56 then retained it the following season. He reached the Final of the Amateur Cup in 1957, again to be beaten by the Bishops. Lost to them in the semi-final of the Amateur Cup at Doncaster in 1955 and won the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup four times.
NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL COMES OF AGE
Season 1973-74 saw the last outing for the F.A. Amateur Cup Competition and the organisation of top-flight Amateur football, the game was now to be known as Non-League Football. This had come about after accusations were made about top Amateur players being paid by clubs they played for. This new system allowed players to be paid above board in what would be semi-professional football taking the lead.
As a true Corinthian Frank Adams came up with the idea of replacing the Amateur Cup to enable smaller clubs the chance of playing in a Wembley Final. So he presented the F.A. Vase, personally donating the new Trophy to the Football Association for competition commencing with season 1974-75. Inscribed on the back of the Vase is: Presented by Frank Adams, Life Member of the Football Association and Patron of Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
A WONDERFUL GIFT
Frank was a well-known local businessman/entrepreneur with a photographic studio and sports outfitters in the Oxford Road. In 1945 he opened discussions with Lord Carrington to purchase the freehold on Loakes Park. The club had been playing there since September 1895 on a rental paid to the Carrington Estate.
A deal was finally brokered in 1946 and on 19th April 1947 Frank Adams handed the deeds of Loakes Park to the club for their lifetime. The ceremony took place on the pitch prior to the start of the Isthmian League match between the Wanderers and Corinthian-Casuals. In his speech he said, "If future generations obtain the same enjoyment out of Loakes Park as it has given me, then this gift will have been worthwhile".
Frank was immediately appointed Patron of the club and worked closely with the committee and trustees. The only condition of the hand-over was the ground be held in trust for the purpose of playing amateur football as long as WWFC were in existence.
ADAMS PARK
The role of the trustees was a passive one until 1968 when the Health Authority wanted discussions with the club to expand Wycombe Hospital and develop the site of Laokes Park. The biggest stumbling block was a new home for the football club. Many sites were visited, 14 in all, spanning a period of close to twenty years, most of which were rejected by the Planning Officer until Hillbottom Road, Sands was considered.
When Frank died in September 1981 at the age of 90 his son Jack became Patron of the club, a position he held until his death in 2000. Although Frank did not live to see the next chapter of his beloved club his son Jack did wonderful work in allowing the original conditions of 1947 charter to be legally negotiated.
After years of delay and disagreement the Club Trustees negotiated a deal with the developers to enable Wycombe Wanderers to build a new stadium. It was Christmas Eve 1985 when club Chairman Brian Lee signed the option to sell Loakes Park and move to Hillbottom Road. The new ground would be called Adams Park - named after their benefactor Frank Adams. For without his generous gift of the Loakes Park ground there would not have been a new stadium.
In May 1990 Loakes Park staged the farewell game and club began season 1990-91 at Adams Park where they remain to this day.
Frank Adams is a name synonymous with Wycombe Wanderers as a player, administrator and patron, whose affiliation to the club lasted more than seventy years.
He was born in Downley, an area of High Wycombe, on 5th September 1891 and left school at the age of twelve to become an apprentice photographer. His work in photography meant he was not able to play football at the weekend so he began his career playing in the local Wednesday League.
However, a change of employment meant he had weekends free and he was invited for a trial at Loakes Park during the 1910-11 season; he was 18. Frank made a good impression right from the start with a string of performances for the reserve side. He made his first team debut against Maidenhead United in the last Great Western Suburban League fixture of the season, appearing at inside left he helped the Blues to a 3-2 win at York Road.
The following season saw him gain a regular place in the first team, mainly at inside-right. During the close season he was approached by Shepherds Bush, they played at Loftus Road(now QPR's ground) and were members of the Isthmian League, and he left Wycombe to join them at the start of the 1912-13 season.
It proved to be a good move and after an excellent season Frank went on a tour of Germany before going onto Spain. Despite doing really well for his new club Wycombe were always tugging at his heartstrings and after a meeting with George Miles (Chairman) and Bernard Hooper (Secretary) he was persuaded to re-join the Blues for the start of the 1913-14 season. He was elected team captain with off the field involvement in the club, a position held until his retirement from playing in1929 at the age of 37.
A NEW DAWN
At the recommencement of football in September 1919 following the First World War Frank had switched to centre half and remained there for the rest of his career. He led the club to two consecutive Spartan League Championships immediately after the First World War, four Berks & Bucks Senior Cup wins and scored 104 goals in 331 appearances.
He also led the combined County side, Berks & Bucks, to their first Minor Counties Championship in season 1923-24. The team also included four other Wanderers players, Jim Kipping (goalkeeper), Alec Weaver (inside forward), Reg Boreham (centre forward) and Fred Gates (left half).
Frank represented the Isthmian League both at home and on overseas tours, he also made overseas tours with Middlesex Wanderers, the F.A. Amateur X1 and he captained the Berks & Bucks County side for five seasons . The one big award, an England Amateur International cap, eluded him despite being selected for several squads. Frank also enjoyed Athletics and was a keen tennis player and won a number of tournaments at the High Wycombe club.
THE TWO WORLD WARS
With the approach of 1914 came war and Frank joined the Territorial Army with the 1st Bucks Battalion. His transfer in 1916 to the Royal Flying Corps opened up new opportunities in his duties for aerial photography. After hostilities he was able to demonstrate his flair for organising football matches while serving with the Army of Occupation in Germany. He played a number of games for the R.A.F. and once scored the only goal of the match against Bilbao Athletic before the King and Queen of Spain.
During the Second World War Frank was a Physical Fitness Officer and the position took him from Normandy to Warsaw. Attached to 2nd Tactical Air force he set off for Normandy in August 1944 with a Dakota full of everything from footballs to mini pianos. Football was the number one priority with the powers that be and so, with the co-operation of Sir Stanley Rous, the first game was played in Paris the September of 1944.
There was a huge turn out for the game and it set in place a chain of events that remained with the forces during the push from France toward Germany. The first match was a forerunner of a whole series of matches including, Army, R.A.F. and Combined Services teams plus leading continental clubs. With the recapture of Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Poland, contacts were made with those various Football Associations and reunion matches took place.
As Secretary of the Combined Services Team Frank Adams was at the forefront of all the matches played from Normandy to Warsaw.
PUSH TO JOIN ISTHMIANS
While still playing for the Wanderers Frank was very instrumental in pushing for plans to join the Isthmian League. With his experience at Shepherds Bush he was aware of the benefits to the club and the players if Wycombe could be accepted into the top flight of Amateur football.
After winning the Spartan League Championship for the second successive season confirmation came that Wycombe Wanderers had been elected for the start of the 1921-22 season. This was a major turning point in the future development of the Wanderers, they were now rubbing shoulders with clubs that were considered to be part of the greatest bastion for Amateurs in the South of England by the Professional game and International selectors.
Upon retirement in 1929 he became an administrator and served on the Wanderers committee, and in 1947 was elected to the Football Association. The work carried out during the Second World War had come to the notice of the F.A. and they were keen to take him on board. His connection with Sir Stanley Rous and Walter Winterbottom meant he had powerful allies at the top of the English game. He served on several committees including the International Selection Committee, the F.A. Challenge Cup and F.A. Youth Cup, positions he held right up until his death.
WANDERERS WIN AMATEUR CUP
Frank was very instrumental in helping the Wanderers to win the F.A. Amateur Cup in 1931. He would talk to the players in the dressing room before each game and his jovial and organised approach to playing gave them confidence. He came close to repeating this in 1950 when the team reached the semi-final but he was prevented from going into the dressing room at Brentford, the F.A. felt as a Life Member he should refrain from showing any favouritism. The Blues lost a hard fought semi-final at Griffin Park to Bishop Auckland 2-1.
The 1966 World Cup Finals played in England saw Frank involved at the top level working with the International Selection Committee. He attended all of England's games at Wembley and his memorabilia from those days can be seen in the collection. At the end of the tournament England were winners and those members of the F.A. Council were presented with a miniature of the Jules Rimet Trophy.
FRANK AND THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
Frank was a close friend of Walter Winterbottom, the England manager of the 1950's, and Sir Stanley Rouse, President of FIFA, he made a number of tours abroad as an England Representative. Tours in the 1950's to Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe), Australia, South Africa and West Indies were all successful in promoting the game in areas of the World where the game was growing.
His connection with the F.A. was also paramount in helping Wanderers bring top coaches to Loakes Park. Sid Cann was the first to be recommended by Frank and held the post as head coach for ten years with the Wanderers. He brought the Isthmian League Championship to the club for the first time in 1955-56 then retained it the following season. He reached the Final of the Amateur Cup in 1957, again to be beaten by the Bishops. Lost to them in the semi-final of the Amateur Cup at Doncaster in 1955 and won the Berks & Bucks Senior Cup four times.
NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL COMES OF AGE
Season 1973-74 saw the last outing for the F.A. Amateur Cup Competition and the organisation of top-flight Amateur football, the game was now to be known as Non-League Football. This had come about after accusations were made about top Amateur players being paid by clubs they played for. This new system allowed players to be paid above board in what would be semi-professional football taking the lead.
As a true Corinthian Frank Adams came up with the idea of replacing the Amateur Cup to enable smaller clubs the chance of playing in a Wembley Final. So he presented the F.A. Vase, personally donating the new Trophy to the Football Association for competition commencing with season 1974-75. Inscribed on the back of the Vase is: Presented by Frank Adams, Life Member of the Football Association and Patron of Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
A WONDERFUL GIFT
Frank was a well-known local businessman/entrepreneur with a photographic studio and sports outfitters in the Oxford Road. In 1945 he opened discussions with Lord Carrington to purchase the freehold on Loakes Park. The club had been playing there since September 1895 on a rental paid to the Carrington Estate.
A deal was finally brokered in 1946 and on 19th April 1947 Frank Adams handed the deeds of Loakes Park to the club for their lifetime. The ceremony took place on the pitch prior to the start of the Isthmian League match between the Wanderers and Corinthian-Casuals. In his speech he said, "If future generations obtain the same enjoyment out of Loakes Park as it has given me, then this gift will have been worthwhile".
Frank was immediately appointed Patron of the club and worked closely with the committee and trustees. The only condition of the hand-over was the ground be held in trust for the purpose of playing amateur football as long as WWFC were in existence.
ADAMS PARK
The role of the trustees was a passive one until 1968 when the Health Authority wanted discussions with the club to expand Wycombe Hospital and develop the site of Laokes Park. The biggest stumbling block was a new home for the football club. Many sites were visited, 14 in all, spanning a period of close to twenty years, most of which were rejected by the Planning Officer until Hillbottom Road, Sands was considered.
When Frank died in September 1981 at the age of 90 his son Jack became Patron of the club, a position he held until his death in 2000. Although Frank did not live to see the next chapter of his beloved club his son Jack did wonderful work in allowing the original conditions of 1947 charter to be legally negotiated.
After years of delay and disagreement the Club Trustees negotiated a deal with the developers to enable Wycombe Wanderers to build a new stadium. It was Christmas Eve 1985 when club Chairman Brian Lee signed the option to sell Loakes Park and move to Hillbottom Road. The new ground would be called Adams Park - named after their benefactor Frank Adams. For without his generous gift of the Loakes Park ground there would not have been a new stadium.
In May 1990 Loakes Park staged the farewell game and club began season 1990-91 at Adams Park where they remain to this day.
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