Pickford was born in Lancashire[1] and was initially interested in rugby before, in 1878,[2] he was invited to attend a football match between Blackburn District and Bolton.

The players were not bunched together half the time in struggling heaps, but each man in his place, like chessmen, and the footcraft, passing and speed fascinated me.

[1] Pickford was employed by the Bournemouth Guardian as a bookkeeper before being asked to write reports on local football matches.

[1] He became a Vice-President of FIFA and a member of the International FA Board before becoming president of the Football Association in 1937, until his death the following year.

[8] In 1906,[9] he wrote "How to Referee", in which he set out the rules of the game[2] and gave advice such as: Don't forget that players are not machines, but are human, and possess a keen sense of injustice.

marked Pickford's contribution to the game, both locally and nationally, by naming their new headquarters in Winchester Road, Southampton after him.