Herbert Chapman is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time-and arguably the greatest says historian John Stocks, a trustee of the charity, Sheffield Home of Football, which has erected 11 blue plaques in the city over the last two years.
Only his fellow Yorkshireman, Brian Clough, can match his achievement of winning top-flight titles with separate clubs. Herbert did it twice at both Huddersfield and Arsenal.
Chapman was born in Kiveton, (Now called Kiveton Park & Wales) in Rotherham, a village that has produced 30 first class professional footballers, fine cricketers and a world super-bike champion, James Toseland. Like Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Sir Bobby Robson and Jock Stein, he was part of a coal mining community and worked at the pit as a young man.
Herbert Chapman’s vision and attention to detail delivered new levels of physical fitness on the pitch and administrative innovations such as floodlighting, white footballs, and electronic scoreboards-the holistic approach even stretched to the renaming of a local tube station as Arsenal.
A spokesperson for Sheffield Home of Football, said: "We are pleased to be unveiling our 12th blue plaque in association with Kiveton Park & Wales History Society, whose secretary, Jon Spacie is Herbert Chapman’s great, great, nephew. We’d like to thank the blue plaque sponsor, Steve Hann, a London based lifelong Arsenal fan who got in touch with the charity, offering his support for this memorial."
The plaque, installed at Kiveton Park and Wales CDT & Community Sports Park, follows on from new football facilities in the village carrying Chapman's name.
Kiveton Park and Wales History Society has more details of Champman's remarkable career.
Images: Sheffield Home of Football
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