Harold Smith (football)
Encyclopedia
Harold Smith was a director and vice president of Ipswich Town Football Club
.
in 1916, Smith attended his first football match at Portman Road
as a seven-year-old boy in 1924 when he saw Ipswich Town play the "Aquaries", a club representing the Metropolitan Water Board in the Southern Amateur Football League
. He became a season ticket holder later that year. His family moved round the corner to Warrington Road and he attended the nearby Ipswich School
, which was a boys grammar school
at the time. He joined the Royal Air Force
at the outbreak of World War II
and served for the duration of the war before returning to Ipswich to establish a car showroom and workshops on Felixstowe Road. The business flourished and Smith's gregarious nature and commitment to customer care also served him well as chairman of Ipswich Chamber of Trade and as a member of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. He drew wry amusement when strangers mistook him for the London motor dealer Harold Smith who lost an oft-cited court case in 1965 for misrepresenting the mileage on a car (Bentley (Dick) Productions Ltd v Harold Smith (Motors) Ltd [1965] 2 All ER 65).
Smith was a passionate supporter of ITFC, attending almost every game including home reserve team and youth fixtures for over eighty years. In 1964 he accepted an invitation from John Cobbold to become a director of Ipswich Town Football Club, a position he held for 31 years until he became the Club's Vice President in 1995. He served as Suffolk
's representative on the Football Association
Council and was chairman of the FA's Disciplinary Committee for over a decade. Smith's wife Edna shared his enthusiasm for football in general, and ITFC in particular, but she rarely travlled with him to matches.
With ITFC's entry into the UEFA Cup
in the early 1970s Smith began travelling to continental Europe with his fellow directors and other supporters. The bonhomie of the club won it many friends and Smith was proud to have been involved in the recruitment of Dutch
stars Frans Thijssen and Arnold Mühren
, whom he considered to be among the most entertaining players he ever saw.
Smith's last visit to Portman Road was at the season opener just a few days before his death. He enjoyed a conversation with his old friend Bobby Robson
, recently appointed Club President, before the game.
—a hotel that provides disabled guests and care givers with holiday accommodation.
Ipswich Town F.C.
Ipswich Town Football Club are an English professional football team based in Ipswich, Suffolk. As of 2011, they play in the Football League Championship, having last appeared in the Premier League in 2001–02....
.
Biography
Born at 43 Anglesea Road, IpswichIpswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
in 1916, Smith attended his first football match at Portman Road
Portman Road
Portman Road is an association football stadium in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It has been the home ground of Ipswich Town F.C. since 1884. The stadium has also hosted a number of England youth international matches, and one senior England friendly international match, against Croatia in 2003...
as a seven-year-old boy in 1924 when he saw Ipswich Town play the "Aquaries", a club representing the Metropolitan Water Board in the Southern Amateur Football League
Southern Amateur Football League
The Southern Amateur League is an association football league affiliated to the Amateur Football Alliance . It is based in and around Greater London and caters for 11–a–side men's adult teams from clubs including former pupils' associations from schools and colleges, business house sports clubs...
. He became a season ticket holder later that year. His family moved round the corner to Warrington Road and he attended the nearby Ipswich School
Ipswich School
Ipswich School is a co-educational public school for girls and boys aged 3 to 18. Situated in Suffolk, England in the town of Ipswich, it was founded in its current form as The King's School, Ipswich by Thomas Wolsey in 1528....
, which was a boys grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
at the time. He joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and served for the duration of the war before returning to Ipswich to establish a car showroom and workshops on Felixstowe Road. The business flourished and Smith's gregarious nature and commitment to customer care also served him well as chairman of Ipswich Chamber of Trade and as a member of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce. He drew wry amusement when strangers mistook him for the London motor dealer Harold Smith who lost an oft-cited court case in 1965 for misrepresenting the mileage on a car (Bentley (Dick) Productions Ltd v Harold Smith (Motors) Ltd [1965] 2 All ER 65).
Smith was a passionate supporter of ITFC, attending almost every game including home reserve team and youth fixtures for over eighty years. In 1964 he accepted an invitation from John Cobbold to become a director of Ipswich Town Football Club, a position he held for 31 years until he became the Club's Vice President in 1995. He served as Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
's representative on the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
Council and was chairman of the FA's Disciplinary Committee for over a decade. Smith's wife Edna shared his enthusiasm for football in general, and ITFC in particular, but she rarely travlled with him to matches.
With ITFC's entry into the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
in the early 1970s Smith began travelling to continental Europe with his fellow directors and other supporters. The bonhomie of the club won it many friends and Smith was proud to have been involved in the recruitment of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
stars Frans Thijssen and Arnold Mühren
Arnold Mühren
Arnold Johannes Hyacinthus Mühren is a Dutch football manager and former midfielder. His older brother Gerrie, also a midfield player, won three European Cup titles with Ajax in the early 1970s...
, whom he considered to be among the most entertaining players he ever saw.
Smith's last visit to Portman Road was at the season opener just a few days before his death. He enjoyed a conversation with his old friend Bobby Robson
Bobby Robson
Sir Robert William "Bobby" Robson, CBE was an English footballer and manager, who coached seven European clubs and the England national team during his career....
, recently appointed Club President, before the game.
Legacy
On 15 January 2007 Ipswich Town Football Club announced that they had named a new trophy in Smith's honour. The Harold Smith Trophy for Most Promising Academy Player is awarded each season to the youngster showing greatest promise in the club's youth organisation. The club also gave two complimentary season tickets in Smith's name to the Park House Hotel, Sandringham, NorfolkSandringham, Norfolk
Sandringham is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated some south of the village of Dersingham, north of the town of King's Lynn and north-west of the city of Norwich....
—a hotel that provides disabled guests and care givers with holiday accommodation.