David France

David Harry France OBE (born 30 June 1948) is a renowned author, football historian, and philanthropist whose life has been intertwined with the fortunes of Everton Football Club. Born in Widnes, Lancashire (now Cheshire), he pursued an extensive education across the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, earning a BSc, MSc, MBA and PhD before moving to North America in 1978 where he worked in the nuclear and space sectors and later rose to an executive position in a major oil‑&‑gas corporation. After retiring from corporate life in 1990 he redirected his energy toward consulting, charitable work and, most importantly, the preservation of Everton’s heritage. France’s passion for the club earned him the nickname “Dr Everton” and he was appointed Life President of the Everton Shareholders’ Association, a position that allowed him to champion a series of groundbreaking initiatives: Gwladys Street’s Hall of Fame, the Everton Former‑Players’ Foundation, the EFC Heritage Society, the Founding Fathers of Merseyside Football and the David France Collection, now known as the Everton Collection. Over the past two decades he has traveled more than two million miles, often from his Texas base, to raise funds, catalogue memorabilia and engage supporters worldwide. In 2009 a public poll placed him second only to former manager David Moyes as the Everton figure most trusted by fans. His literary output includes nineteen meticulously researched books, many co‑authored with David Prentice, Becky Tallentire, Barry Hewitt and Peter King, with profits donated to Merseyside charities. In recognition of his services to football, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012 New Year Honours and received Liverpool’s prestigious Citizen of Honour award in 2011. Today, the Everton Collection—housing rare programmes, ledgers, photographs and artefacts dating back to the club’s 19th‑century origins—remains on public display at the Liverpool Record Office, a testament to France’s lifelong commitment to preserving the cultural memory of English football.