Herbert Alfred Potts (30 January 1878 â before 1939) was an English footballer who played for Belgian clubs Antwerp and Beerschot AC between 1898 and 1905.
Herbert Potts and his older brother Walter were strikers for Antwerp FC at the end of the 19th century, making his debut against FC Liégeois on 30 October 1898, which ended in a 2âÂÂ4 loss. In the 1899âÂÂ1900 Belgian First Division, they narrowly missed out on reaching the national final after losing a tie-breaker playoff to Racing de Bruxelles 0âÂÂ1. Following this, the majority of the players and the Potts brothers left the club to join the newly founded Beerschot AC under the chairmanship of Max Elsen and later in the season Paul Havenith. He was named the captain of the football team, and started in the club's first official match on 21 October 1900, which ended in a 10âÂÂ2 victory over FC Brugeois. In his first season the club, Beerschot became vice-champions of Belgium, falling just one point short of the winners Racing.
Their runner-up finish allowed them to compete in the 1901 edition of the Challenge International du Nord in Tourcoing, where Potts helped his club win its first-ever piece of silverware after beating Léopold Club de Bruxelles 2âÂÂ0 in the final on 12 May.
Potts was the topscorer in the Belgian First Division in the 1900âÂÂ01 and 1901âÂÂ02 seasons, with 26 and 16 goals respectively, with the former tally possible being a record at the time until Gustave Vanderstappen broke it with 30 goals in the 1903âÂÂ04 season. He stayed loyal to Beerschot until 1905, when he retired at the age of 27.
Potts featured in four unofficial matches with the Belgium national team between 1901 and 1904, in which he represented Belgium in friendly cup duels against the Netherlands. In his debut at the 1901 Coupe Vanden Abeele on 28 April 1901, he scored 7 of his side's 8 goals, the eight coming from his brother Walter. In total, he scored 12 goals in those 4 caps, resulting in a strike rate of 3 goals per game.
After retiring, he returned to England and worked in the import business.