Richard Mullock

Richard Mullock (3 May 1851 – 1920) was a Welsh sporting administrator and official, who is most notable for organising the first Welsh rugby union international game and was instrumental in the creation of the Welsh Football Union, which became the Welsh Rugby Union in 1934. Mullock came from an Anglo-Irish family; his family's firm in Wales, Henry Mullock & Son, was a printers based on Commercial Street in Newport, South Wales.

Early sporting ambitions Mullock had a history of connections with sports clubs around Newport and in 1874 became the secretary of the Newport Athletic Club. Little was gained from the meeting, but it did produce an agreed desire from the parties present to meet with the English Rugby Football Union to arrange a match between Wales and England.

The selection performance of the first Welsh team was contentious, with Mullock choosing a geographically varied team of educated men, most of whom most were linked to the older colleges. The original date of 8 January was postponed to 22 January, which in turn was cancelled due to frost. Mullock was concerned that the lack of a fixture date would lead towards the same accusations of incompetence levelled at the S.W.F.U., and accepted a date of 19 February even though it fell a day before a cup semi-final between Swansea and Llanelli. On the day of the match two of the players chosen to represent Wales failed to show for the game. The missing players later complained that there was little definite communication between Mullock and themselves. The S.W.F.U. failed to attend the meeting, which led to their dissolution as the WFU was accepted as the official representative union of the Welsh clubs.

Secretary of the Welsh Football Union The four major Welsh clubs, Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Llanelli were all in favour of the new direction Mullock was taking rugby in Wales and gave their support to the formation of the WFU. Swansea in particular were impressed with Mullock and commended him for his organisation of the Welsh team, despite the heavy defeat. At the meeting, with the support of Swansea, Mullock was installed as the first secretary of the Welsh Football Union, who in turn proposed Swansea's Cyril Chambers as president. By September 1882, Mullock was not only the WFU secretary and treasurer, but was installed as one of the four regional selectors for the Welsh national team, representing the Newport area.

Mullock, although enthusiastic as a sporting organiser was a poor accountant, and a bad choice for treasurer. At the end of the 1882–3 season, the Union had received roughly £96 in receipts, but had spent over £215, roughly a quarter of this amount spent on hotel bills attempting to impress RFU delegates. Henry called for Mullock to be 'deposed' from his position within the WFU.

At the 1890-1 WFU annual meeting, Swansea's William Gwynn, challenged Mullock's position and demanded that he step down on the grounds of financial mismanagement.

As rugby referee Mullock also officiated for rugby union matches, and was umpire in several international matches, including the 1884 Home Nations Championship clash between Scotland and Wales. His opposite partner on the line at the same game was JA Gardener, secretary of the Scottish Rugby Union and the referee was James MacLaren, President of the RFU.

In 1886 as part of the Home Nations Championship, Mullock was selected to referee an international game between England and Ireland. This followed on from the previous year when Horace Lyne had refereed the same fixture between the nations. England won both matches by a try, and the fact that two members of the WFU were seen to have 'had a hand' in Irish defeats caused an already strained relationship between Wales and Ireland to worsen. In both the 1885 and 1886 Championships, Ireland refused to play Wales.

Personal history Mullock was born in 1851 in Newport, South Wales to Henry Mullock and Henrietta Oliver. The family ran a printing company and published the local paper, The Newport Advertiser. Mullock was one of at least four siblings, including younger brother William and sisters Julia and Helen. Mullock married and had six children, though apart from a daughter, Dorothy, there is little information on his family.

In 1893 the affairs off Mullock became public as he strived to fight off bankruptcy orders, with the local courts deeming him £2,000 in debt. In 1902, Mullock was declared bankrupt and emigrated that year to Africa. He died in 1920.