This team, often known simply as Alumni, was an Argentine football club active during the early years of the sport in that country.  The club only existed for about 15 years, but in that period it secured 10 league titles, 7 international cups and 5 national cups. The club was initially known as English High School and won its first title in 1900, starting a huge run of success. At the end of that season, the Buenos Aires Herald newspaper awarded a trophy to the most popular team in Argentina. In order to decide which team this was, it conducted a survey among its readers in which they had to send a voucher indicating who they supported. The winner was English High School with 6, 942 votes followed by Quilmes with half as many.

 

The Argentine football associated forbade teams from using high school names in 1901, so the clubs name changed to Alumni AC.  Under this new name, the club would go on to win 3 consecutive championships. The first was in 1901 in which Alumni won all of its games, along with an international competition named the Tie Cup in which clubs from Buenos Aires, Rosario and Montevideo participated. In 1902, Alumni was undefeated again, taking out another championship. They won it again in 1903 suffering a single loss to Belgrano AC, 1-0. In that tournament, Alumni scored 40 goals and enjoyed several huge victories. They also won a second Tie Cup with a 3-2 defeat of Rosario Athletic. Things went downhill in 1905 when Alumni only won half of their matches and finished second to Belgrano Athletic, but they were back on track the following year winning another championship thanks to the additions of goalkeeper Jose Buruca Laforia and forward Carlos Lett who became the top goal scorer of the tournament, netting 12 times. Highlights included 7-1 and 11-1 thrashings of Lomas and a 14-0 destruction of Reformer AC. They also defeated their rivals Quilmes in the final of the first domestic cup, the Copa de Honor Munincipalidad de Buenos Aires that year. The Argentine tournament changed format in 1906, and Alumni won its 6th title in addition to a second domestic cup and the Copa de Honor Cousenier. This means they won every single tournament they contested that year.

 

They became the first Argentine club to defeat a foreign team when they beat a South African select XI 1-0 in front of 10,000 spectators including the president of Argentina. Another league title came in 1907 with a record 43 goals in 20 matches, plus another domestic cup and yet another Tie Cup. Alumni didn’t win the Primera Division title in 1908, but they did collect a third consecutive domestic cup and another Tie Cup. Then in 1909 they claimed the league title with 74 goals, another domestic cup (the Copa Jockey Club) and a fourth consecutive Tie Cup. Their final title was won in 1910 and Alumni played their last season in 1911. The club was dissolved in 1912 due to a shortage of players (they wouldn’t allow any from outside the English High School) and due to the fact they were haemorrhaging money. Many of their players moved to Quilmes who coincidentally won the league that year.

Achievements: Argentine Primera Division – Champions x10
Copa de Honor Maunincipalidad de Buenos Aires -  Winners x2
Copa de Competencia Jockey Club – Winners x3
Tie Cup – Winners x6
Copa de Honor Cousenier – Winners x1

Star player: Jorge Brown DoB 3 April 1880, San Vicente, Argentina

Brown, an Argentine of Scottish origin, was one of the most important figures in the early development of football in Argentina. He first player for the English High School reserve team before playing for Palermo. In 1900, he returned to EHS, and was part of the team that won the 1900 Argentine league championship. He remained loyal to the club throughout its short history and with them he dominated Argentine football, winning 9 of the 12 championships between 1900 and 1911, when the club was dissolved. He was then one of the players who moved on to Quilmes, where he stayed until 1914. His Argentina national team debut was in 1902 against Uruguay. He scored in the game and captained the side from 1908 to 1913. After retiring from football in 1914, he played cricket for Buenos Aires Cricket Club until 1927, when he became their president. Browns four brothers also played for both Alumni and Argentina.