[1] In 1883 William Mackay began practicing as a doctor for the Rio Tinto mining company in Minas de Riotinto Huelva, Andalusia, Spain.
[3] William's experiences of working as a doctor at the hospital, and in private practice, formed the basis of the MD thesis he submitted to the University of Edinburgh in 1889 with the title Surgery in Spain.
[2] In June 1884, inspired by the company's football team, Río Tinto FC, Mackay created the Sociedad de Juego de Pelota (Spanish: Ball Game Society), which organized football games along with other typical British sports.
[6] On 1 March 1888, Dr. Mackay sent a letter to Dr. Ildefonso Mártinez to invite the Spanish doctor to join Club de Recreo in order to play football and cricket games against the mariners of a merchant ship called Jane Cory, but most important than the invitation was its historical significance, as it made the first reference to a Recreation Club.
[4][5] Mackay and Ross founded a sports club for Rio Tinto Company workers, which was originally named Huelva Recreation Club and it was originally intended to provide physical recreation for the Rio Tinto mineworkers in order to improve their health.
[1] In "The Arches of the Years," Dr. Halliday Sutherland (his nephew) described him as "a tall, red-haired Scotsman, with blue eyes and a red moustache.