Vivian Woodward: Biography, Facts and Career

Vivian John Woodward (3 June 1879 – 31 January 1954) was an English footballer who enjoyed the peak of his career from the turn of the 20th century to the outbreak of the First World War. He played for Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Internationally, Woodward captained Great Britain to gold medals at the 1908 Olympics in London and in Stockholm in 1912, and made a combined 59 international appearances for a combination of England, England Amateurs, and Great Britain. His combined record for England of 75 goals in 53 matches (1.42 goals a game) is still the highest international record of any player to have scored more than 50 goals for their country, whilst his record of 75 goals was the highest combined total of international goals scored by any English footballer until Harry Kane scored his 75th and 76th goals for England in October 2025. Woodward took part in ten British Home Championships, lifting the trophy eight times. In the 1903-04 Home Championship, Woodward was the top scorer with 4 goals, whilst in the 1908-09 tournament he was the joint top goalscorer with 3 goals. Woodward is the 5th highest all-time record goalscorer of the Home Championship with 14 goals in total. He served in the British Army during the First World War, and as a result missed out on Chelsea's run to their first-ever FA Cup final in 1915. Woodward's injuries during the war caused his retirement from football. He then served on Chelsea's Board between 1922 and 1930 as a director of the club.

Quick facts about Vivian Woodward

• Full name: Vivian Woodward
• Born: 1879-06-03
• Nationality: United Kingdom
• Known as: Athlete
• Wikidata ID: Q181512

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.