Football legend, former England physio and Boro apprentice dies
SMITH DIES AGE 74, AFTER A STELLAR PHYSIO CAREER, SERVING ENGLAND DURING FOUR MAJOR TOURNAMENTS
THE Gazette was saddened to hear of the death of Alan Smith - England’s legendary physio who was Saltburn born and bred and a one-time Middlesbrough apprentice.
During an incredible career in physiotherapy, Smith served England at four major tournaments and was credited with ensuring the availability of Alan Shearer and David Beckham when the England stars were injury doubts ahead of their respective tournaments.
Smith started his physiotherapy career as a teenager when he potential career as a footballer was ended during his Middlesbrough apprenticeship. Fracturing his leg, Smith’s playing days were over at just 17, but determined to stay involved in the game, he was taken under the wing of another legendary sports physiotherapist Jimmy Headrige.
In 2021 Smith contributed to a Gazette article on Headrige and said: “I was only 17 and I had a lot to learn, but Jim was the biggest influence on my career I had so much learning to do but Jimmy guided me.
“To give you an example, he used to let me go into Ayresome Park and watch him treat the players. I was able to watch first-hand the work he did on rehabilitation and so on. It had a massive influence on me. With Jimmy’s help, I worked very hard to get back into the Football League and from there had an incredible career.”
Starting at Darlington, Smith would also work for Rotherham, Blackpool and Sheffield Wednesday as well as his 24-year stint with the English FA. He became a legend at Hillsborough where he served as head physio for 11 years.
Wednesdayites would make ambulance sounds as Smith’s enthusiasm would be encapsulated by the way in which he sprinted onto the pitch with his bag whenever a Wednesday player was down in need of treatment.
He was credited with saving Paul Warhurst’s life too, during a game between the Owls and Spora Luxembourg in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup. Following a head collision, Smith was quick to respond, unblocking the forward’s airway.
Smith’s legacy isn’t only for the work he did personally, however. Carrying on the mantle of his great mentor who Ron Atkinson described as ‘the physio who trained the physios,’ his book Soccer Injuries Prevention and First Aid was published in 1989 and is still used to this day as a required text for the FA Treatment and Management of Injuries course.
Smith wrote the book to help educate and prepare the many great volunteers up and down the country who coached grassroots football and wouldn’t otherwise have access to specialised teaching and training in physiotherapy. The book was dedicated ‘to the many thousand of people who freely give up their spare time to organise football.’
Reacting to the news of Smith’s death, England’s Twitter account posted: “We were deeply saddened to hear that Alan Smith, who worked with our England teams for 24 years, passed away aged 74. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all who knew him.”
In 2015, Alan received a lifetime achievement award from the Football Medical Association for his service to football. After retiring he set up a private physiotherapy clinic in Rotherham which he ran until his death. His was a remarkable career and a reminder of the vital role so many people play in ensuring football runs smoothly away from the players themselves who are always so widely recognised and acknowledged.
Our thoughts are with Alan’s friends and family at this difficult time. May he rest in peace.