Duncan Hooper

The Murder that Changed English Football (allegedly)

True Crime EN ↓ 5 episodes

In 1923 Aston Villa were the world's most successful football team. They were flying high in league and cup when a unique tragedy struck. This story explores a pivotal moment in the formation of modern Britain through the personalities of two men: former miner turned professional sportsman Tommy Ball, and wounded war hero George Stagg, the man who killed him.

Author

Duncan Hooper

Episodes

The Evidence Trail 23.11.2025 57:15

A large parcel from the National Archives gave author Colin Brown a treasure trove of information about the 1923 killing of Aston Villa footballer Tommy Ball. By bollowing the threads he was able to dispel myths that have persisted for more than a century and get closer to the truth of what really happened one chilly Sunday night in north Birmingham. In this episode he explains his own family'...

The Old Soldier 22.10.2025 15:23

George Stagg had fought for the British Empire in Sudan alongside Winston Churchill and Douglas Haig; he'd been seriously injured in the trenches of World War I after walking out on his job and wife to serve his country. He was an upstanding citizen, a former policeman, so what led him to shoot dead his own neighbour Tommy Ball? The final episode of The Murder that Changed English Football (al...

By Far the Greatest Team 21.10.2025 22:28

When former Durham miner Tommy Ball joined Aston Villa in 1920 they were the most successful football club in history with six league trophies and five FA Cups. Their manager, George Ramsey's record would only be matched almost a century later by Alex Ferguson. This episode is about football and justice in the 1920s. Tommy Ball rises into the Aston Villa first team and has international option...

The Gun and the Gate 19.10.2025 17:22

Doubts begin to emerge about the testimony of Beatrice Ball, who claims her neighbour George Stagg shot her footballer husband Tommy before turning the gun on her. Episode 2 of The Murder that Changed English Football looks at the evidence collected against Stagg, including a former wartime rifle and a blood spattered gate, which are the only unbiased witnesses to his fatal confrontation with the...

The Footballers' Widow 18.10.2025 19:13

On November 11, 1923 Aston Villa footballer Tommy Ball was shot dead outside his back garden. The killing remains officially the only time a top-level English player has been murdered. Ball's wife Beatrice heard the shots and was a key witness in the subsequent trials. And yet her account of what happened does not add up. This episode explores the events leading up the killing and its immediat...