From Birkenhead to El Ballet Azul: The Billy Higgins Story
Everton’s return to the USA for summer fixtures, after a gap of eight years, offers an intriguing link to the past. One of the Toffees’ opponents will be the Millonarios club of Bogotá, which, 71 years ago, was at the epicentre of a storm over footballers being lured from British clubs to a so-called ‘renegade league’. Everton was one of several clubs caught up in the affair, as players were sounded out about crossing the Atlantic in search of a more prosperous future.
Here is some context to the sensational turn of events. In the immediate post-war era, footballers with English Football League clubs were on a maximum wage of £12 per week. There with some moderate bonuses and long service was rewarded with periodic ‘benefit cheques’. Although well-paid, compared to the typical blue-collar worker, these men - at their playing peak - were far from rich and fully expected to be out of the game by their early 30s.