Richard Mullock - Secretary of The Welsh Football Union

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 had spent over £215, roughly a quarter of this amount spent on hotel bills attempting to impress RFU delegates. It was Mullock's poor fiscal abilities that would later remove him from his posts within the WFU. In 1891 at Llanelli's AGM, the club secretary, Gavin Henry, stated that after the 1891 Home Nations match at Stradey Park, where Wales faced Ireland, Mullock had taken the gate receipts without paying Llanelli's costs. Henry wrote several letters to Mullock but did not receive a response, resulting in Henry meeting the costs himself. 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. While Tom Williams of Neath complained that Mullock, as treasurer, had not provided a balance sheet for members since 1884. Gwynn called for Mullock to be replaced as Secretary by Walter E. Rees; but Rees withdrew after W.D. Phillips and Horace Lyne argued Mullock's case, reminding the members how Mullock financed the Union in its early years. Mullock retained his position as Secretary but stood down as Treasurer in favour of William Wilkins.

The next season saw the end of Mullock as WFU Secretary; when an incident involving a Swansea player in a game at Exeter, resulted in a request by the RFU for the player concerned to write a letter of apology. Many WFU members felt that Mullock had grovelled towards the RFU during the affair and in September 1892, Mullock was no longer Secretary.