CATCH OF THE DAY

“Motty” to speak at Association AGM

John Motson, regarded by many as the voice of football, has kindly agreed to speak at the AGM of the Association just five days after commentating at what may be his last FA Cup Final and only a week before he prepares to leave for Switzerland and Austria and the finals of Euro 2008.

It speaks volumes for the reputation of the Association that Motty is willing to give up precious time in such a hectic programme to come and address our members. So please ensure we have a FULL turnout at Colney Heath FC on THURSDAY 22^nd MAY at 7.45pm.

 THE VOICE OF FOOTBALL

Bill Hamilton writes of a 40 year friendship with “Motty”

John Motson, popularly known as the Voice of Football, started his working life like myself as a junior reporter on a weekly paper. The only son of a Methodist minister, he was born in Salford and educated in Suffolk. He was just 18 when he joined the Barnet Press, later moving to the Sheffield Morning Telegraph where he first covered League football.

After a short spell with BBC Radio Sheffield, John switched to network radio in 1968 where on Radio 2 he soon made a name for himself as a commentator on football, tennis and boxing.

When I moved to Radio Sport at the BBC in London the following year, I was invited to share a flat with John in Finchley and was amazed at his encyclopedic knowledge of football and at his meticulous preparation for whichever game was next on his list. We even played an entire FA Cup competition, right from the 1^st Preliminary Round, on the subbuteo table and believe or not, Cardiff City were one of the finalists!

We worked for a very hard task master, a Scot by the name of Angus Mackay, who was responsible for the launch of Sports Report whose format today has not altered significantly from the days when Eammon Andrews first presented the programme.

Since then, of course, John has gone on to achieve great things in the highly competitive world of television sport. A veteran of over 2,000 matches, our beloved Motty has commentated on more than 50 major finals – FA Cup, World Cup and European Championships. His appearance at Wembley Stadium later this month will be his 29^th FA Cup Final (plus 5 replays!)

I will never forget his first major triumph for Match of the Day. He excused himself from attending my wedding in February 1972 so he could commentate at the Hereford United v Newcastle Cup tie. Little did either of us know it would turn out to be one of the biggest FA Cup shocks of all time. To make matters worse, most of the guests at the wedding were ardent Newcastle fans … their glum faces didn’t help married life get off to the best of starts!

John, probably the most famous model of the sheepskin coat (the first bought from a street trader in Hornchurch – not Micky Ewen we hope!) has had a long association with Hertfordshire. He has received numerous accolades and awards for his work, has narrated over 30 football videos and published a number of best selling books.

He is also extremely loyal to his friends and this season surprised me by arranging a dinner to celebrate my 50 years as a football referee and even persuaded David Elleray to come along to present the FA’s Gold Medal.

In 2001, John received the OBE from The Queen for outstanding services to broadcasting. If you get up early enough in the mornings, you might see him running along the country lanes to keep in tiptop condition. He’s run many half marathons including The Great North Run and other hobbies include the cinema and reading thrillers.

John also had a share in a couple of racehorses which unlike himself – unless I am mistaken – did not enjoy such a successful career.

Motty has made a considerable sacrifice to ensure he joins us at the AGM at Colney Heath on Thursday 22^nd May. Be sure to be there … it promises to be quite a night!