Rev. T. A.S. White: "Spiel und Sport"

The German original of this article from "Spiel und Sport" 14 July 1894 was kindly supplied by Dr. Hans-Peter Hock and the translation to English undertaken by a good friend, Richard Frapwell.

The Reverend T. Archibald S. White

In the person of the Reverend Thomas Archibald Starnes White, current president of the South German Football Union and of the Baden Baden Football Club, we have the very model of an amiable supporter of youth causes and a pioneer of sporting activities. Mr White was born on September 1st 1843 in Wateringbury, Kent, England and was one of the founders of the Kentish Star Cricket Club which counted, amongst others, the famous English cricketer Lord Harris as a member.

During his time at St Paul’s School in London Mr White played long-stop in the school’s first cricket team, which played all its matches at the Oval in Kennington. 

In Christ Church College, Oxford he won many cups as a rower in the boat races on the Isis.

In the years from 1868 to 1871 Mr White acted as a preacher in the West End of London and then took over as vicar of the church serving the English colony in Baden. — And yet in spite of the demanding profession to which Mr White had devoted himself, his old attachment to sport was not neglected.

In 1872 he founded a football club which was composed of pupils from an English school near Baden. Unfortunately this club did not last long. The boarding school and with it the sport of football closed down because of a shortage of pupils. Further efforts to found a new club during the following years were unsuccessful, because so few young people came forward. For more than 20 years Mr White fulfilled the office of vicar showing the greatest devotion to duty; at the same time he was not averse to taking advantage of the many sporting opportunities, such as ice-skating, lawn tennis and angling, which were available in Baden. When, in recent years, the playing of football started to become popular in Germany thanks to the formation of various clubs it was once again Mr White who issued an appeal to the young men of Baden and indeed this time with great success. Soon the Football Club which he had founded could count itself fortunate to have such a prudent and charming leader at its head. On the 3rd June 1893, on the day of the setting up of the South German Football Union he was elected as its provisional chairman and on the 6th October he had the honour of being unanimously appointed as its president.

Just a few years ago the ever active Mr White founded the Lawn Tennis Club in Baden and was elected as its first president. Baron Robert von Fichard acted as treasurer and provided his chairman with invaluable assistance. Count Marcel von Zeppelin-Aschhausen, whose recent death is so deeply mourned, took on the duties of club secretary, and it is to these three gentlemen that we owe the greatest thanks and respect for having given a lasting home to the beautiful summer game in Baden and the surrounding area.

Long may Mr White remain a wise and experienced helmsman of his club, which under his leadership continues to flourish and prosper.

( Article from "Spiel und Sport", 14 July, 1894. Translated from the German by Richard Frapwell, March 2025 )

For the main article on Thomas A. S. White see https://sites.google.com/site/wateringburylocalhistory/topics/people/thomas-archibald-starnes-white-1843-1911