Phil Hoadley
English footballer (1952–2024)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philip Damien Hoadley (6 January 1952 – 5 May 2024) was an English footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League playing as a central defender for Crystal Palace, Orient and Norwich City.[3]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Philip Damien Hoadley | ||
| Date of birth | 6 January 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Battersea, London, England | ||
| Date of death | 5 May 2024 (aged 72) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Central defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1967–1968 | Crystal Palace | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1968–1972 | Crystal Palace | 73[2] | (1) |
| 1972–1978 | Orient | 255 | (9) |
| 1978–1982 | Norwich City | 77 | (0) |
| Total | 406 | (10) | |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Hoadley was born in Battersea, London. He began his career as an apprentice with Crystal Palace.[3] He made his first-team debut on 27 April 1968, as a substitute in the Second Division match away to Bolton Wanderers. At 16 years 112 days, he became Palace's then youngest player.[4] After appearing in 88 matches in all competitions for Crystal Palace,[5] he joined Orient, in September 1971,[2] whom he captained to the semi-finals of the 1977–78 FA Cup.[6] Having played nearly 300 games for Orient,[7] his transfer to Norwich City in 1978 was the first move under freedom of contract legislation with a tribunal setting his value at £110,000.[8][9] After three years with Norwich he moved to play in Hong Kong football in February 1982,[10] but was forced to retire from professional football following a knee injury.[8] He returned to England and became a publican.[10]
Later life and death
Following his professional football career Hoadley remained involved with amateur football in the Norfolk area and worked in a variety of jobs before returning to Norwich City in the 1990s as football in the community officer.[8] As of 2006[update], he was landlord of a community-run public house in his local village.[11]
Hoadley died on 5 May 2024, at the age of 72.[12]
