Who Were The Hastie(s?) and James Glasgow.

In May, 1886, the first soccer club in Ipswich was formed:

"A meeting was held at Bundanba, on Monday night last, for the purpose of forming a football club. there was fair attendance, and Mr. W. Hastie occupied the chair. It was resolved to form a club, which will play the British Association game. Mr James Glasgow was appointed secretary; and the members present were deputed to act as a general committee until officers were permanently chosen for the year., Thirteen members were enrolled at the meeting, and it Is probable that a good many well-known players at Dinmore and Blackstone will join later on. It is intended to hold practice on the Bundanba reserve, on Saturday next, the kick-off taking place at 4 o'clock. It was decided to name the club the Bundanba Rovers."
The Queensland Times, May 13, 1886

The two prominent names in the story were the chair, W. Hastie, and secretary and player James Glasgow.

Pinning down this pair has proven difficult. If their identities could be confirmed, we may understand why soccer started in Ipswich in 1886. 

The problem with Hastie is he may be one of three Hasties involved in Ipswich soccer that year. 

In June 1886, Queenslanders, Ipswich's second club, was formed. The captain of the team was named Hastie. Could this be the mysterious W. Hastie? 

Not so, according to journalist Tom 'Old Sport' Barker in 1910, who stated the Queenslanders' captain was T. Hastie. 

(The newspaper man has not always proven to be the most reliable writer in matters historical, given he named several different start dates for Dinmore Bush Rats over the years. Neither was he living in Ipswich in 1886, only returning to the city in 1890. The 'T' could also be a typo, not unknown in the era's newspapers.) 

A search for a T. Hardie has proven fruitless. 

In July, a scratch match between members of Brisbane club Queens Park, St Andrews and Rangers, plus a handful of Bundanba Rovers and Queenslanders' players was played at North Ipswich Reserve. Two teams were selected by captains Fowler and Cairns. 

The match report stated Mr W.A. Hardie acted as umpire for Fowler's team. Was this the same W. Hardie which helped form Rovers? 

Part of our confusion stems from there being both a W. Hastie and W.A. Hastie in Ipswich at the time, both involved in the building trade. Both men arrived in Ipswich in the early years of Queensland soccer.

William Hastie was born in Gedborough, Scotland, around 1850, and arrived in Ipswich in 1883 as a joiner. He would go on to be the chairman of the Brassall Shire Council (today's northern suburbs of Ipswich), and later an alderman of Ipswich City Council. His obituary makes no mention of soccer, but neither does the name W. Hastie appear in the newspaper stories about Ipswich soccer after 1886. He died in 1932, an era where local obits praised past sporting abilities. His was empty of athletic achievements.

William Alexander Hastie was born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1854, and also arrived in Ipswich in 1883. He was a carpenter, contractor, and foreman. He also rowed, and ran a coffee shop (which may have been the famous Hams Room, where many club meetings took place). 

W. A. Hastie would leave Ipswich in 1893 to become one of the early residents of Mareeba, where he lived until he died. There is no mention of a Hastie hastening soccer in Mareeba, where the first game is though to have been played in 1895. His obit praises his musical ability. 

One or both Hastie may have been involved with Ipswich soccer in 1886 - it depends on how careful the Queensland Times differentiated between the two men in their stories. 

Alternatively, but not helpfully, W. Hastie may be someone else completely different. 

The last we hear of any Hastie was in in August 1886, when one states that Rovers were hoping for reinforcements , and that the club would be a strong next season.  

Instead, they seemingly disappeared.

James Glasgow was captain of Bundanba Rovers, as well as secretary. 

Yet, we know nothing about him. 

He starts a soccer club, plays some games, and disappears. 

The last we hear of him is via the newly formed Thistle club in 1887: 

"It was carried that the secretary write to Mr. Glasgow, of the Bundanba Rovers, asking him if that club mean to take tho field this season, if so, what date could they conveniently play a match with this club."
Brisbane Courier, June 7, 1887

Can it be Glasgow had already left Rovers, if not Ipswich, and the letter was not received? 

Could it be neither Rovers nor Queenslanders had the numbers to play?

Regardless, there are no known recorded senior soccer games in Ipswich in 1887. (We'll come back to kids' games another time.)

Searching for Glasgow, not surprisingly, finds a lot of noise - soccer in that city, plus many Jameses from Glasgow. 

The main J. Glasgow of the era mentioned in Queensland newspapers was one regularly listed as transitioning trains at Wallangarra coming to and from NSW. (Privacy in 1888, what privacy?)

There is seemingly no known Glasgows playing football in Queensland after 1886. 

Soccer seemingly died in Ipswich in 1887. The Queenslanders had already mentioned their players were being poached by a Brisbane club a year earlier. They only played 3 games. With the unknown Hastie hoping for reinforcements for Rovers, it seems playing stock were too low to maintain teams to add to their 6 games in 1886.

Alternatively, any 1887 games may have remained localised and deemed not worthy of mentioning in newspapers.

Neither Hastie not Glasgow are mentioned regarding soccer again. It seems these two (or more) men who had been strongly involved in setting up soccer in Ipswich disappeared from the game, and without them the it flagged until 1888.

Knowing more about Hastie(s) and Glasgow may give an insight into how soccer came to Ipswich, and a more general understanding of how the game initially spread in Australia in the 1880s and 90s.