Football legend Jimmy Hill passes away

Jimmy Hill – a man whose life was football – has died at the age of 87. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease seven years ago and he lived the last years of his life in a care home.

Hill had a big influence on the development of football over the second half of the twentieth century. A south Londoner, he began his sporting life as a Crystal Palace supporter. He was a professional player for Brentford and Fulham, where injury ended his playing career in 1961. Alongside his playing career, he was active in the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) – becoming its chair in 1957.

In those days, the players were almost at the bottom of the football ladder, paid a reasonable weekly wage which was not in line with what was obviously their key role in football. Clubs operated a “maximum wage”, keeping the players in their place. Under his leadership, the PFA succeeded in getting the maximum wage rule abolished – allowing footballers to negotiate their own wages and recognition of their vital role in football.

After his playing career, Hill went on to become manager of Coventry City, helping the Club move from an “also ran” third division game up to the first (now the Premier) division, for which he is fondly remembered locally. He also had a good business head, developing branded merchandise to bring the Club extra income (needed to pay the players’ ever increasing wages): though ending the maximum wage rule and introducing individual contracts was a positive development, it did bring many down sides, not least for the fans who had to fund the game, paying ticket prices and buying the merchandise.

However, Hill was probably best known as a broadcaster – appearing on TV as a football pundit for some 40 years. He began his career at London Weekend Television, part of the ITV network, where he experimented with how football was broadcast – before moving to the BBC. For years, he did not just appear on March of the Day, the BBC’s Saturday evening football show – he WAS Match of the Day, having been instrumental in developing the broadcasting concept of having a panel analysing the games they had seen that day. In the days when there were just three or four TV channels, millions of people spent their Saturday evenings listening to what Hill had to say about that day’s matches.

Hill was instantly recognisable: his large chin, which he covered with a well-trimmed beard, made him a gift for impressionists – and Hill was always one of the first to enjoy the imitations, which were anyway never malicious. His ubiquity, during his broadcasting career, bred a little contempt, but no one could doubt his commitment to the game and by the time he moved from the BBC to Sky Sports he did so as a national treasure. Cheers, Jimmy – we owe you a great deal.

ELN Sports Correspondent Emdad Rahman adds:
Jimmy Hill was a football pioneer. He was a visionary who was up there with the great thinkers of the game. Jimmy had the ability to form friendships with anyone who had the pleasure to meet him. He connected with those who heard his tones. Jimmy was a one off. The game has lost a legendary character.

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