| Olympic medalist | |||
 Vivian Woodward |
|||
| Medal record | |||
| Men's Football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | London 1908 | Team competition | |
| Gold | Stockholm 1912 | Team competition | |
Vivian John Woodward (3 June 1879 - 31 January 1954) was an English amateur football player. He began his career at Clacton Town Football Club and joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1901 making his England debut in 1903, scoring twice in a 4-0 defeat of Ireland. Between 1903 and 1911, he won 23 full caps and scored 29 goals, setting an English record that would last until the 1950s. He also played in three unofficial international matches against South Africa in 1910, scoring a further four goals. At the time, England only usually played three matches a season, for the British Home Championship, but two tours to central Europe in 1908 and 1909 netted Woodward 15 goals (over half his total). He also turned out 44 times for England Amateurs and scored 57 goals, most of them against inferior European teams. In one match against France in 1906, Woodward scored 8 goals in a 15-0 win according to The Times and Sporting Life match reports the following day. FIFA's official record of the match credits him with 4 goals. He also played for Chelsea, and was Great Britain captain at the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games, both of which Great Britain won.
Further reading
- Jacobs, Norman (1 August 2005). Vivian Woodward: Football's Gentleman. NPI Media Group. ISBN 0752434306.
