caption death_date death_place birth_place image_size birth_date image article_title name occupation
william -rrb- with his 1888 -- 89 double-winning preston north end sudell team -lrb- back row , third from left 1911 cape town , south africa preston , england 250px 1851 prestonnorthend1888.jpg william sudell
 major william sudell mill manager , chairman of preston north end
william sudell

major william sudell -lrb- 1851 -- 1911 -rrb- was an english association football player and administrator , who was the first chairman of preston north end .
he joined the preston nelson sports club on 3 august 1867 , aged 16 .
initially a player of several sports , by his mid-twenties he had become chairman of the club .
in 1880 the club decided to play football exclusively , and from the following year sudell managed the team .
to aid the performances of his team , sudell recruited several scottish players , giving them nominal jobs in the cotton mill he managed .
after a dispute arising from payments to players resulted in preston 's withdrawal from the 1884 fa cup , sudell became an outspoken proponent of professionalism .
his actions resulted in the acceptance of professionalism by the football association -lrb- fa -rrb- , and led to preston becoming the leading team of the early professional era .
under sudell 's leadership , preston north end became founder members of the football league , and won a league and cup double , going unbeaten for the entire season .
sudell 's career as a football administrator ended in disgrace , when in 1895 he was found guilty of fraudulently redirecting funds from the mill to the football club .
sudell was sentenced to three years ' imprisonment .
upon his release , he emigrated to south africa , where he died in 1911 .
