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Alan Sproates

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Alan Sproates
Personal information
Date of birth (1944-06-30) 30 June 1944 (age 80)
Place of birth Hetton-le-Hole, England
Date of death (2015-02-06)February 6, 2015
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
19??–1963 Sunderland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1963–1965 Swindon Town 3 (0)
1965–1974 Darlington 316 (17)
1973 → Miami Toros (loan) 9 (0)
1974–1975 Scunthorpe United 24 (0)
1975 USC Lion Adelaide Australia ? (?)
1978 Los Angeles Skyhawks ? (?)
1980–1981 San Francisco Fog ? (?)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alan Sproates (born 30 June 1944, died 6 February 2015 (age 70)[1]) was an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made nearly 350 appearances in the Football League, including more than 300 for Darlington,[2][3][4] and also played in the United States.[5][6]

Career

Sproates was born in Hetton-le-Hole, now part of the City of Sunderland.[7] He began his football career with Sunderland, but made no first-team appearances before he joined Swindon Town in 1963.[2] After two seasons in which he played only five first-team games, Sproates moved to Darlington in part-exchange for Jimmy Lawton.[8] He remained at the club until 1974, making 316 league appearances and helping the club to runners-up spot in the Fourth Division and promotion to the Third Division in the 1965–66 season.[8] He spent the summer of 1973 playing in the North American Soccer League for Miami Toros.[5] After a year with Scunthorpe United,[4] Sproates was signed by Ukrainian Sports Club Lion in Adelaide playing in the South Australian First Division. He was so impressive that he was voted the Best and Fairest player in the league winning the John Martin Medal.[9] Soon after he moved to the United States, where he coached football and played in the American Soccer League for Los Angeles Skyhawks[6] and for the San Francisco Fog during the 1980–81 Major Indoor Soccer League season.[10]

He lives with wife Bonnie in San Anselmo, California.[8][11]

Honours

Darlington

References

  1. ^ "Alan Sproates". Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Swindon Town : 1946/47 – 2007/08". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  3. ^ "Darlington : 1946/47 – 1988/89 & 1990/91 – 2007/08". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Scunthorpe United : 1950/51 – 2007/08". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  5. ^ a b "North American Soccer League Rosters Miami Toros". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  6. ^ a b "A Roundup of the Week May 1–7". Sports Illustrated. CNN. 15 May 1978. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  7. ^ "Leo plans to play at 80". The Northern Echo. 14 January 2003. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  8. ^ a b c "Alan Sproates – 1965–1974". Darlington F.C. 18 May 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  9. ^ "South Australia's Best and Fairest- Player of the Year Awards". http://www.ozfootball.net. Retrieved 10 September 2012. John Martin Medal – 1975 Alan Sproates USC Lion {{cite web}}: External link in |work= (help)
  10. ^ "North American Soccer League Players John Smillie". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 17 December 2009. Sproates appears in San Francisco Fog team photo at foot of page.
  11. ^ "California Fans Set To Help Quakers". The Northern Echo. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
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