​Clarence Herbert Berry: Rugby Star, Globetrotting Football Pioneer, and Evertonian | OneFootball

​Clarence Herbert Berry

Everton Heritage Society

With Rugby League and Rugby Union matches now being played at our Hill Dickinson Stadium, it is the perfect time to tell the story of Clarence Berry — a man who lived the ultimate sporting dream by starring at the highest level in both rugby and football. ​

Berry first made his name in the oval-ball game, making his debut for Warrington on 25 February 1905. In a tense home clash against Swinton, it was Berry’s second-half penalty kick that secured a crucial victory for his side.

He went on to make another six appearances that season but suffered the heartbreak of missing out on selection for the Rugby League Cup Final in Leeds. Warrington lifted the trophy for the very first time with a 6-0 victory over Hull Kingston Rovers without him.

​Over the next two seasons, Berry established himself as a mainstay, making over 40 first-team appearances. Yet, cup final selection eluded him once more in 1907, watching from the sidelines as Warrington defeated Oldham 17-3 at Broughton Rangers' Wheaters Field home in Salford.

Frustrated by the near misses, Berry decided on a radical career shift: he crossed sporting codes and approached Everton. ​It is highly likely that Berry was initially granted a trial with Everton's development XI.

His big chance to display his talents came on 25 February 1908 — exactly three years after his Warrington debut — when he kept goal at Goodison Park in a Lancashire Combination match against St Helens Town. Everton cruised to a 5-1 victory, and Berry was promptly offered a professional contract.

​However, breaking into the first team was no easy task. The Everton goal was firmly guarded by the dependable Irish international Billy Scott. Berry had to patiently wait for Scott to be called up for international duty before finally making his Football League debut on 13 February 1909, earning a 2-2 draw against Bury at Gigg Lane.

He deputized for Scott once more on 20 March 1909, when Chelsea visited Goodison Park, helping Everton secure their first-ever victory over the Londoners in a thrilling 3-2 win.

​Berry’s patience was rewarded when he was selected as Everton’s goalkeeper for the historic 1909 South American tour. At the invitation of the Argentine FA, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur were invited to play a series of matches in Argentina and Uruguay.

Football was rapidly growing in popularity across the continent, and it was believed that a tour by two powerful English professional clubs would turbocharge its development. Both clubs had just finished as runners-up in their respective First and Second Divisions before setting sail from Southampton in May.

​Well, Everton set sail on schedule aboard the RMS Araguaya. Spurs, in classic fashion, literally missed the boat and had to arrange a hasty lift to catch up with the Everton party in The Solent!

​Excitement in Argentina and Uruguay was feverish. Local fans wanted to measure their own emerging skills against England's best.

Since the first recorded game in South America in 1867, the sport had been dominated by British migrant workers and the local elite. However, a massive working-class football movement was brewing, with future giants like Boca Juniors, Racing Club, and River Plate all founded in the years just prior to the tour. ​

Despite this boom, power hadn\'t yet shifted from the elite Anglo-Argentine teams. The tourists primarily faced teams composed of amateur Britons, including the "crack" side of the era, Alumni, who had claimed eight of the previous ten Argentine championships. ​

Everton and Spurs faced each other in the opening match of the tour, drawing a crowd of over 10,000 — including the Argentine President and various government ministers. They witnessed a magnificent exhibition of football that ended in a 2-2 draw. ​The touring sides spent the next month taking on local selection teams from Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Rosario.

While the English professionals won every match against local opposition, one final showdown was booked between the two tourists to show the locals how the game was played at its absolute peak. For a fatigued Tottenham, it was their third game of the week, and it showed. Everton ran out dominant 4-0 winners, with Clarence Berry keeping a proud clean sheet. ​

Upon returning from the Rio de la Plata, Berry remained at Goodison Park until 1912. Opportunities remained scarce behind Billy Scott, and Berry made just one more Football League appearance — a 3-2 home win over Sheffield United on 10 February 1912.

​When his contract expired, Berry returned to his roots, signing for Lancashire Combination side St Helens Town. After one season, he brought his sporting career full circle, switching back to Rugby League for a final stint with Warrington. ​

Clarence Berry was a true trailblazer. By making the move to Goodison, he became the first man to successfully switch from Rugby League to Association Football, and in doing so, secured his place in history by playing in the very first professional football matches ever witnessed in the Americas.