Ivor Powell
Encyclopedia
Ivor Verdun Powell MBE
(born 5 July 1916) is a Welsh
former footballer who gained eight Welsh
caps
and later became a manager
. He was born in Gilfach, Bargoed
.
He was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of Fame
in 2004 alongside snooker
player Terry Griffiths
and cricketer Tony Lewis
. He also entered the Guinness Book of World Records
as the oldest working football coach on his 90th birthday after 55 years as a coach. He retired on 26 May 2010, aged 93.
, alongside his father and six brothers. His playing career began with South Wales
League side Bargoed Thursdays. In August 1936 he was invited to London to have a trial with Queens Park Rangers
. This was unsuccessful but Ivor stayed in London and got a job. He started playing for the reserve team of Barnet
and in May 1937 played in a friendly game v QPR. Ivor was the outstanding player in the game, which Barnet won 8-1, and this time Queens Park Rangers
took real interest. Joining QPR on professional terms in September 1937, he made 110 league appearances for Rangers. This total would have been much higher if it were not for the interruption of World War II
. During the war he guested for Bradford City
and Blackpool
whilst working as an RAF
physical trainer. It was at Blackpool that he struck up a friendship with Stanley Matthews
, who later became Ivor's best man at his wedding to Joan Browell in 1943.
On 15 December 1948 the tough tackler commanded a £17,500 transfer fee. This was a record for a half back and for both the buying and selling clubs when he moved to Aston Villa
. He made another 79 games for Villa before he became a player-manager at Port Vale
in July 1951.
and was also a war-time international. In one game he was replaced by Englishman
Stan Mortensen
in a game between England
and Wales when his injury left the Welsh side without an available substitute.
, his contract was terminated in November 1951. Roy Sproson
later said that "everything seemed to go wrong for him at Vale" and that "he used to treat players like kids".
He moved to Barry Town
before being appointed the new Bradford City
manager, again as player-manager, before the start of the 1952–53 season.
His first season at Valley Parade
was disappointing as they slipped to 16th in Third Division North
. The following season they came fifth but were 16 points shy of the promotion
places. During that season he missed the first penalty
of his career in a home fixture with Workington
.
The following season he was carried off with knee ligament damage against Wrexham. The injury ended his playing career. City's form also struggled and Powell left in February 1955 after a run of seven straight defeats and just two wins from 19 games without his presence on the field. City were forced to apply for re-election at the end of the campaign.
's Leeds United
- (he also had a coaching spell at PAOK in Greece) - before he returned to management with Carlisle United
in May 1960, succeeding Andy Beattie
. He led the Cumbrians to their first promotion when they finished fourth in Division Four
in 1961–62. He left the following season, with the club struggling in the league and were knocked out of the FA Cup
by Southern League
side Gravesend & Northfleet. He became manager of Bath City
in 1964 and then a member of the coaching staff at Team Bath
(University of Bath
) where he worked for over 30 years. At the age of 93, Powell announced his retirement as the "world's oldest football coach" in May 2010.
in 2004. In 2006 while assistant coach for Team Bath
at the University of Bath
he celebrated his 90th birthday and entered the Guinness Book of World Records
as the oldest working football coach. He later became the club President. He completed 53 years as an FA accredited coach.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
(MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for his services to sport and was presented with his award by the Queen
on 25 June 2008, a few days short of his 92nd birthday. He described receiving the award as "an honour and a privilege."
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...
(born 5 July 1916) is 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...
former footballer who gained eight Welsh
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...
caps
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
and later became a manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
. He was born in Gilfach, Bargoed
Bargoed
Bargoed is a town in the Rhymney Valley, Wales, one of the South Wales Valleys. It lies on the Rhymney River in the county borough of Caerphilly and straddles ancient boundary of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. 'Greater Bargoed', as defined by the local authority Caerphilly County Borough Council,...
.
He was inducted to 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...
in 2004 alongside snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
player Terry Griffiths
Terry Griffiths
Terrence "Terry" Griffiths OBE is a retired Welsh snooker player and current snooker coach and pundit. He won the World Championship in 1979 at the first attempt, and reached the 1988 final. He also won the Masters in 1980 and the UK Championship in 1982, making him one of seven players to have...
and cricketer Tony Lewis
Tony Lewis
Anthony Robert Lewis CBE is a former Welsh cricketer, who went on to become the face of BBC Television cricket coverage in the 1990s, and become president of the MCC. Lewis attended Christ's College, Cambridge and played for Cambridge University. He also played county cricket for Glamorgan, and...
. He also entered the Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the oldest working football coach on his 90th birthday after 55 years as a coach. He retired on 26 May 2010, aged 93.
Club career
Powell started his working life down the minesMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, alongside his father and six brothers. His playing career began with South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
League side Bargoed Thursdays. In August 1936 he was invited to London to have a trial with Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
. This was unsuccessful but Ivor stayed in London and got a job. He started playing for the reserve team of Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
and in May 1937 played in a friendly game v QPR. Ivor was the outstanding player in the game, which Barnet won 8-1, and this time Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
took real interest. Joining QPR on professional terms in September 1937, he made 110 league appearances for Rangers. This total would have been much higher if it were not for the interruption 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...
. During the war he guested for Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
and Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
whilst working as an RAF
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...
physical trainer. It was at Blackpool that he struck up a friendship with Stanley Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
, who later became Ivor's best man at his wedding to Joan Browell in 1943.
On 15 December 1948 the tough tackler commanded a £17,500 transfer fee. This was a record for a half back and for both the buying and selling clubs when he moved to Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
. He made another 79 games for Villa before he became a player-manager at Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in July 1951.
International career
Powell also made eight international caps for WalesWales 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...
and was also a war-time international. In one game he was replaced by Englishman
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Stan Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
in a game between 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...
and Wales when his injury left the Welsh side without an available substitute.
Management career
At Port Vale as player-manager he played just the six times, restricted on the field by a knee injury. As a manager he tried to 'rule by fear' and was not well liked by the players, with the club bottom of the Third Division SouthFootball League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
, his contract was terminated in November 1951. Roy Sproson
Roy Sproson
Roy Sproson was an English footballer and football manager for Port Vale. A one-club man, he holds the all-time appearance record for Vale, making 837 starts for Vale between 1950 and 1972. This includes a run of 128 consecutive appearances between April 1954 and March 1957...
later said that "everything seemed to go wrong for him at Vale" and that "he used to treat players like kids".
He moved to Barry Town
Barry Town F.C.
Barry Town FC are a football team based in Barry. They dominated the League of Wales during the 1990s, but finished bottom in 2003-04 and were relegated...
before being appointed the new Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
manager, again as player-manager, before the start of the 1952–53 season.
His first season at Valley Parade
Valley Parade
Valley Parade, also known as the Coral Windows Stadium through sponsorship rights, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. It was built in 1886, and was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they changed code from rugby football to association...
was disappointing as they slipped to 16th in Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
. The following season they came fifth but were 16 points shy of the promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
places. During that season he missed the first penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
of his career in a home fixture with Workington
Workington A.F.C.
Workington A.F.C. is an English football club from Workington, Cumbria. They are in the Conference North, and play their home matches at Borough Park, which has a capacity of 3,101 . The club play in red, and are known locally as the Reds...
.
The following season he was carried off with knee ligament damage against Wrexham. The injury ended his playing career. City's form also struggled and Powell left in February 1955 after a run of seven straight defeats and just two wins from 19 games without his presence on the field. City were forced to apply for re-election at the end of the campaign.
Coaching career
Powell became a trainer-coach at Don RevieDon Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
's Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
- (he also had a coaching spell at PAOK in Greece) - before he returned to management with Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
in May 1960, succeeding Andy Beattie
Andy Beattie
Andrew "Andy" Beattie was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He was the first manager of the Scottish national team.- Playing days :...
. He led the Cumbrians to their first promotion when they finished fourth in Division Four
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
in 1961–62. He left the following season, with the club struggling in the league and were knocked out of the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
by Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
side Gravesend & Northfleet. He became manager of Bath City
Bath City F.C.
Bath City Football Club are a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset. They play in the Conference National league after gaining promotion from the Conference South via the play-offs in May 2010...
in 1964 and then a member of the coaching staff at Team Bath
Team Bath F.C.
Team Bath was an English association football club affiliated with the University of Bath in the city of Bath, Somerset at the turn of the 21st century. The club was formed to allow the players to combine professional football with higher education...
(University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
) where he worked for over 30 years. At the age of 93, Powell announced his retirement as the "world's oldest football coach" in May 2010.
Legacy
He was inducted to the Welsh Sports Hall of FameWelsh 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...
in 2004. In 2006 while assistant coach for Team Bath
Team Bath F.C.
Team Bath was an English association football club affiliated with the University of Bath in the city of Bath, Somerset at the turn of the 21st century. The club was formed to allow the players to combine professional football with higher education...
at the University of Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
he celebrated his 90th birthday and entered the Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
as the oldest working football coach. He later became the club President. He completed 53 years as an FA accredited coach.
He was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire
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...
(MBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for his services to sport and was presented with his award by the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
on 25 June 2008, a few days short of his 92nd birthday. He described receiving the award as "an honour and a privilege."