JW Harrison, Melbourne's First Named Soccer Writer

JW Harrison: Mark Boric and I have been wondering what happened to him and why his reports dried up in the Winner. Sadly, I've found the answer. He died on June 3 1918. As Mark suggests that means he only covered one full season of genuinely competitive Melbourne soccer, in 1914. Moreover his coverage of second tier was not as broad as it might have been. His reporting of the top tier in that year was nonetheless exemplary, writing substantial articles that always conveyed passion and commitment for the great game.

This obituary was contained in the Weekly Times of June 8, 1918.

Mr J. W. Harrison, a prominent member of the Victorian Typographical Society, and for the last seven years amember of the reading staff of "The Herald" and "The Weekly Times," died on June 3. For some years he was onthe executive of the Typographical Society, and last year he was elected president. He was an authority on theEnglish "soccer" game, and contributed junior football notes to "The Winner" under his own name. Mr Harrison leaves a wife and young family, who live at 850 Brunswick street, Fitzroy.

As Paul Mavroudis points out, he was a printer, a unionist and a member of the soccerati -- a man after my own heart.