Harry Hinton (footballer)

Harry Carvelery Hinton (8 January 1857 – 16 April 1948[1]) was an industrialist of British origin and a football pioneer who is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the amateur beginnings of football in Portugal, organizing the first-ever football game in the country in 1875. He also owned the Fábrica do Torreão.[2]

Harry Hinton
Born
Harry Carvelery Hinton

(1857-01-08)8 January 1857
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Died16 April 1948(1948-04-16) (aged 91)
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
NationalityEnglish
Occupations
Known forIntroducing association football to Portugal

Early life

Harry Hinton was born in 1857, as the son of William Hinton (1817–1904).[2] He studied in London, but he would spend the summers in Camacha, where his main hobby was playing a sport practically unknown in Portugal at the time called football, and according to the chronicles, it was Hinton who in the summer of 1875, brought the first ball of football from England to the island.[3] The 18-year-old Hinton then organized the first-ever football match in Portugal at the Largo da Achada,[4][5][6] which was played by British only. However, he might have taught young Madeirans how to play the game as well.[3] At the time, in Funchal, people from the seaside had already disputed some football games with the crew of English ships who would dock at the port of Funchal.[3]

Death

Hinton died on 16 April 1948 at the age of 91.[2]

He was awarded the Order of Christ and the Agricultural and the Industrial Order of Merit.[2]

Legacy

Today there is a small football field in Largo da Achada in homage to the place which provided the launch pad for football in Portugal by Hinton.[4]

References
  1. "Harry Carvelery Hinton 1857-1948 - Ancestry". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  2. "164th Birth anniversary of Harry Hinton". cultura.madeira.gov.pt. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  3. "Futebol português: os primeiros pontapés" [Portuguese football: the first kicks]. www.portuguesetribune.com (in Portuguese). 12 October 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  4. "The first football match in Portugal". www.visitmadeira.com. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  5. "Madeira Football". www.ocean-retreat.com. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
  6. "O nascimento do futebol luso" [The birth of Portuguese football]. www.zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 30 November 2022.
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