Ivor Allchurch
Encyclopedia
Ivor John Allchurch MBE
(16 October 1929 – 10 July 1997) was a Welsh
international footballer. His brother was Len Allchurch
.
Known as 'The Golden Boy' of Welsh football, Allchurch played for Swansea Town
, Newcastle United
and Cardiff City
, where he amassed 691 games scoring 249 goals. His record of 68 caps for Wales stood until 1986, when it was exceeded by Joey Jones
' total of 72 caps. He also held the record number of goals scored for Wales, 23, which was eventually broken by Ian Rush
. His talents were more widely recognised after his performance for Wales during the 1958 World Cup, in which he helped them to reach the quarter finals.
, and was first spotted playing football at Cwm Level, in the Plasmarl
area of Swansea, were he lived at the time. Joe Sykes, a scout and former player of Swansea Town
, who was there to watch another player, felt that in Allchurch he had 'unearthed a gem of great quality'. After gaining Allchurch's father's permission, Mr Sykes, as he was known by the players, took Ivor to meet the then manager of Swansea Town, Haydn Green.
in 1947, although he did not make his league debut until the 1950–51 season because of National Service
. He went on to make 445 appearances and score 164 goals.
He joined Newcastle United F.C.
in 1958 for a fee in the region of £28,000. In August 1962, he moved on to Cardiff City
, scoring on his debut in a 4–4 draw with his former club Newcastle United. He went on to finish as the club's top scorer in the 1963–64 and 1964–65 seasons and later returned for a second spell at Swansea, at the age of 35. He was released by Swansea at the end of the 1967–68 season and signed for Worcester City
. He later had a spell as player-manager of Haverfordwest County and ended his career at Pontardawe Athletic at the age of 50. Allchurch played 691 league games and scored 249 goals in his professional career.
He made his international debut against England
in 1951 and played his final game for his country against Chile
in 1966. In all, Allchurch scored 23 goals for Wales
(a record until 1986) in 68 appearances (also a record until 1986). He was also a member of the Welsh squad that played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup
in Sweden
.
, Allchurch was a talented footballer, able to move past players with ease. His overall game was unhurried, consisting of pinpoint passes. He had a strong left-foot shot that could also be very accurate, scoring most of his goals from outside of the box. On and off the pitch Allchurch has been described as 'a gentleman', with a quiet unassuming manner.
Allchurch died in 1997, aged 67, at his home in his much loved City of Swansea. His funeral service, held at the city's Morriston
crematorium, was attended by hundreds of people including many famous footballers.
– "Ivor never needed a number on his back for identification. His polish, his class could not be missed. He vies with the greatest of all time, yet he has a modesty that becomes him"
Sir Bobby Charlton
: "He was a great player, with footballing presence and charisma"
Bobby Moore
:"One of the best inside-forwards I have ever played against"
of him, which was raised by Swansea City supporters.
There is now a statue in honour of him outside 's Liberty Stadium
. His brother, Len
, was also a footballer.
In 1966, he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to football. He is also a member of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(16 October 1929 – 10 July 1997) was a Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
international footballer. His brother was Len Allchurch
Len Allchurch
Leonard "Len" Allchurch is a Welsh former professional footballer. He was born in Swansea and is the brother of the late Ivor Allchurch.-Club career:...
.
Known as 'The Golden Boy' of Welsh football, Allchurch played for Swansea Town
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
, Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
and Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, where he amassed 691 games scoring 249 goals. His record of 68 caps for Wales stood until 1986, when it was exceeded by Joey Jones
Joey Jones
For other persons named Joey Jones, see Joey Jones.For other similarly named people, see Joseph Jones or Joe Jones.Joseph Patrick "Joey" Jones is a former Wales international football full-back who played for Liverpool for three seasons, including the 1977 season, in which they chased "the...
' total of 72 caps. He also held the record number of goals scored for Wales, 23, which was eventually broken by Ian Rush
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush, MBE, is a retired football player from Flint, Wales. He is best remembered as a player for Liverpool, where he was among the top strikers in the English game in the 1980s and 1990s. He also had spells playing at Chester City, Juventus, Leeds United, Newcastle United, Sheffield...
. His talents were more widely recognised after his performance for Wales during the 1958 World Cup, in which he helped them to reach the quarter finals.
Early life
Allchurch was born in SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, and was first spotted playing football at Cwm Level, in the Plasmarl
Plasmarl
Plasmarl, or Plas-Marl, is a suburban district and historically a village of the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It falls within the old copper quarter of Landore electoral ward.-Location:...
area of Swansea, were he lived at the time. Joe Sykes, a scout and former player of Swansea Town
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
, who was there to watch another player, felt that in Allchurch he had 'unearthed a gem of great quality'. After gaining Allchurch's father's permission, Mr Sykes, as he was known by the players, took Ivor to meet the then manager of Swansea Town, Haydn Green.
Playing career
Allchurch started his career at Swansea TownSwansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
in 1947, although he did not make his league debut until the 1950–51 season because of National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
. He went on to make 445 appearances and score 164 goals.
He joined Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in 1958 for a fee in the region of £28,000. In August 1962, he moved on to Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, scoring on his debut in a 4–4 draw with his former club Newcastle United. He went on to finish as the club's top scorer in the 1963–64 and 1964–65 seasons and later returned for a second spell at Swansea, at the age of 35. He was released by Swansea at the end of the 1967–68 season and signed for Worcester City
Worcester City F.C.
Worcester City Football Club is an English football club based in Worcester, Worcestershire. The club are currently members of the Conference North and play at St George's Lane.-History:...
. He later had a spell as player-manager of Haverfordwest County and ended his career at Pontardawe Athletic at the age of 50. Allchurch played 691 league games and scored 249 goals in his professional career.
He made his international debut against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in 1951 and played his final game for his country against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
in 1966. In all, Allchurch scored 23 goals for Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
(a record until 1986) in 68 appearances (also a record until 1986). He was also a member of the Welsh squad that played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup
1958 FIFA World Cup
The 1958 FIFA World Cup, the sixth staging of the World Cup, was hosted by Sweden from 8 June to 29 June. The tournament was won by Brazil, who beat Sweden 5–2 in the final for their first title. To date, this marks the only occasion that a World Cup staged in Europe was not won by a European...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Playing style and character
A similar player to Northern Ireland's Peter DohertyPeter Doherty (footballer)
Peter Dermot Doherty was a Northern Ireland international footballer and manager who played for Manchester City.An inside left, he was one of the top players of his time, winning a league title with Manchester City, an F.A. Cup final with Derby County in which he scored, and gained 16 caps for...
, Allchurch was a talented footballer, able to move past players with ease. His overall game was unhurried, consisting of pinpoint passes. He had a strong left-foot shot that could also be very accurate, scoring most of his goals from outside of the box. On and off the pitch Allchurch has been described as 'a gentleman', with a quiet unassuming manner.
Allchurch died in 1997, aged 67, at his home in his much loved City of Swansea. His funeral service, held at the city's Morriston
Morriston
Morriston is a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. Morriston is sometimes referred to as a distinct town , however Morriston never had a town charter, and is now part of the continuous urban area around Swansea, the centre of which lies three...
crematorium, was attended by hundreds of people including many famous footballers.
Quotes about Allchurch
Sir Matt BusbyMatt Busby
Sir Alexander Matthew "Matt" Busby, CBE, KCSG was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–1971 season...
– "Ivor never needed a number on his back for identification. His polish, his class could not be missed. He vies with the greatest of all time, yet he has a modesty that becomes him"
Sir Bobby Charlton
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert "Bobby" Charlton CBE is an English former professional football player, a member of the England team who won the World Cup and Ballon d'Or for European Footballer of the Year in 1966...
: "He was a great player, with footballing presence and charisma"
Bobby Moore
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
:"One of the best inside-forwards I have ever played against"
Recognition of achievements
To celebrate Allchurch's achievements for his local club, it was originally decided that money should be raised for a bustBust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of him, which was raised by Swansea City supporters.
There is now a statue in honour of him outside 's Liberty Stadium
Liberty Stadium, Swansea
The Liberty Stadium is a purpose-built sports stadium and conferencing venue in the Landore area of Swansea, Wales. The stadium is all-seated, with a capacity of 20,532 making it the largest purpose-built venue in Swansea and the third largest stadium in Wales after the Millennium Stadium and the...
. His brother, Len
Len Allchurch
Leonard "Len" Allchurch is a Welsh former professional footballer. He was born in Swansea and is the brother of the late Ivor Allchurch.-Club career:...
, was also a footballer.
In 1966, he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his services to football. He is also a member of the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
The Welsh Sports Hall of Fame is a charitable organization created to commemorate the sporting achievements and preserve the artifacts of Welsh athletes. It was established in 1980 from the memorabilia collection of Welsh radio announcer G. V. Wynne-Jones...
.