Edgar Chadwick - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

After hanging up his boots in 1908, he moved to the continent where he coached in Germany (briefly) before moving to the Netherlands where he coached various club sides including The Hague and Haarlem sides.

In 1908, Chadwick was approached to become coach of the Dutch national team. The experts are in disagreement as to whether Chadwick, or his predecessor Cees van Hasselt, should be considered as the first manager of the Dutch national team although it is generally considered that Van Hasselt was more a willing amateur than a proper coach.

Chadwick was appointed manager of the Netherlands in order to prepare the team for the 1908 Summer Olympics held in London. As Hungary had pulled out of the tournament, the Netherlands had a bye into the semi-finals where they met Great Britain. This match ended in a 4-0 defeat (with all 4 goals coming from Harold Stapley who later spent 6 seasons with Glossop North End); and the Netherlands then played Sweden for the bronze medal, winning 2–0, as a result of which the Dutch gained their first international success.

Chadwick managed the Dutch national team for 24 games (generally friendlies against Belgium) winning 14. Gradually, the performances improved during his period as manager. In 1909 they met the England amateur side and were defeated 9–1 (with 6 goals from Vivian Woodward who was an amateur who spent 6 seasons with Chelsea), but against Belgium, Germany and Sweden good results were obtained.

During the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm (where eleven teams participated in the football tournament, against only six in 1908) the Dutch defeated Sweden and Austria, but lost in the semi-final 4–1 to Denmark. In the play-off for the bronze medal Finland were crushed 9-0 with Jan Vos scoring five goals.

The greatest success of Chadwick’s career as Dutch manager came on 24 March 1913, in a friendly against the English amateurs, which resulted in a 2–1 victory. Both Dutch goals came from Huug de Groot. After the match Vivian Woodward generously conceded: "The best team won."

Chadwick led the Dutch national team once more, in November 1913, when the English gained their revenge with a 2–1 victory.

He was also the coach of Vitesse and Sparta Rotterdam, with whom he won the 1915 Netherlands championship.

After World War I, he returned to Blackburn and reverted to his original trade as a baker. In December 1923, he applied for the manager’s job at Blackpool, but after being on a short-list of two, he lost out to Frank Buckley.