OBITUARY: George Eastham was one of England’s boys of 1966 and ended football ‘slavery’ – today’s players owe a debt of gratitude to former Arsenal, Newcastle and Stoke star
- Eastham, a member of England’s 1966 World Cup team, has died aged 88
- He was involved in a landmark 1963 case that improved players’ freedom of movement
- LISTEN NOW: It all starts! Are Tottenham managers treated differently to other managers?
Big moments – that’s what every footballer wants: to be part of glory and leave fingerprints on the days that matter.
How George Eastham did that. With his short blond hair and slender shoulders, he was a wonderful player for Newcastle and Arsenal, one of the boys of that golden summer of 1966 who scored the goal at Wembley in 1972 that gave Stoke City their greatest moment.
A bag of tricks, Eastham will forever be associated with magic, but it says everything about his remarkable career that winning the World Cup and the League Cup are not the most important achievements in a career that spanned three decades.
It is no exaggeration to say that every footballer who has kicked a ball professionally since 1963 owes a debt of gratitude to Eastham, who died on Saturday aged 88. He had a lot of big moments on the field, but none were bigger than his moment. in the Supreme Court.
He sparked a major overhaul of the transfer system before Jean-Marc Bosman, often regarded as the game’s revolutionary figure, was a twinkle in his father’s eye. An activist for change, Eastham had the determination to take on the authorities and the courage to see things through.
His legacy was defined by the fallout from a falling out with Newcastle in 1959. Eastham disputed that the house his club had provided him with a place to live in and that the second job they had offered him was unsatisfactory. There was a rule at the time that meant clubs paid a maximum wage of £20.
George Eastham caused a major overhaul of the transfer system by attempting to join Arsenal
Eastham went to the High Court in 1960 to push through a transfer from Newcastle to Arsenal
Eastham, who has died aged 88, was a bag of tricks and had a remarkable career
Eastham refused to sign another contract and, although there was interest from Tottenham, wanted to move to Arsenal. Newcastle refused to let him go as they could keep his registration and not have to pay wages if a player asked to leave. Eastham had no intention of accepting it.
He went on strike and moved to London, where he sold cork and was paid more for it than for Newcastle; they eventually relented and sold him to Arsenal in October 1960, but Eastham felt there was a case worth fighting and took it all the way to the Supreme Court.
“I didn’t really expect this to happen,” Eastham said in an interview with 6Towns Radio in 2016. “The PFA asked me if I wanted to continue with the business after I went to Arsenal because I think they the last few cents we were dealing with all the attorneys’ fees and whatnot.
“But I said, ‘Yes, keep going.’ The payments from Newcastle stopped as soon as I went to London. “No game, no pay!” they said. It took a few years, but eventually they decided it was a restraint of trade. That’s it.’
Newcastle were understood to owe Eastham £400 in unpaid wages and £650 in bonuses; The judge, Mr Justice Wilberforce, ruled that the retain-and-transfer system was a restraint of trade. And so change came.
When Eastham returned to Newcastle for a match with Arsenal and scored the equalizer in a 3–3 draw, he was pelted with apples, as he recalled: ‘I saw all these fruit vans on the way to the match. I soon found out what they were for as I rounded the first corner! I picked one up and ate it!’
Eastham was part of the England squad at the 1966 World Cup, but did not play
He was a man with spirit – he lived in South Africa later in life and fought against apartheid – but he was also a man with talent. Born in Blackpool, he started his career with Ards in Northern Ireland and made his debut alongside his father, George senior, who was himself a notable player.
Arsenal provided him with the platform to gain recognition in England; he won 19 caps and was selected for the 1966 World Cup squad, but never kicked a ball during the tournament. That summer he moved again, this time to the Potteries, where he is remembered with great affection.
His name is commemorated on a lane next to the Bet365 Stadium and rightly so, as his strike against Chelsea in 1972 took them to nirvana. Eastham was awarded an OBE in 1974 for his services to football. He did more for the game than many will ever know.
