   william mcgregor ( 1846 â  1911) was an association football administrator in the victorian era who is regarded as the founder of the football league, the first organised association football league in the world. after moving from perthshire to birmingham to set up business as a draper, mcgregor became involved with local football club aston villa, which he helped to establish as one of the leading teams in england. he served the club for over 20 years in various capacities, including president, director and chairman. in 1888, frustrated by the regular cancellation of villa's matches, mcgregor organised a meeting of representatives of england's leading clubs, which led to the formation of the football league, giving member clubs a guaranteed fixture list each season. this was instrumental in the transition of football from an amateur pastime to a professional business. mcgregor served as both chairman and president of the football league and was also chairman of the football association (the fa). he was recognised by the fa for his service to the game shortly before his death in 1911, and was posthumously honoured by the local football authorities and aston villa. ==personal life== born in braco in perthshire, scotland, mcgregor first became interested in football after watching a match between locals and visiting artisans at ardoch.{{cite book|title=league football and the men who made it|first
1846_births 1911_deaths Anglo-Scots Aston_Villa_F.C._directors_and_chairmen English_Football_Hall_of_Fame_inductees English_football_chairmen_and_investors Founders_of_association_football_institutions Presidents_of_The_Football_League Scottish_businesspeople Sportspeople_from_Perth_and_Kinross