Alan Sproates

Alan Sproates (30 June 1944 – 5 February 2015) was an English professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made nearly 350 appearances in the Football League, including more than 300 for Darlington, and also played in Australia and the United States.

Alan Sproates
Personal information
Date of birth (1944-06-30)30 June 1944
Place of birth Hetton-le-Hole, England
Date of death 5 February 2015(2015-02-05) (aged 70)[1]
Place of death California, United States
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Playing position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
19??–1961 Sunderland
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1961–1963 Sunderland 0 (0)
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)
1978 Los Angeles Skyhawks
1980–1981 San Francisco Fog
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Sproates was born in 1944 in Hetton-le-Hole, which was then in County Durham.[3] He began his football career with Sunderland, where he turned professional in 1961, but made no first-team appearances before he joined Swindon Town in 1963.[3] After two seasons in which he played only five first-team games,[4] Sproates moved to Darlington in part-exchange for Jimmy Lawton.[5] He remained at the club until 1974, making 316 league appearances and helping the club reach runners-up spot in the Fourth Division and promotion to the Third Division in the 1965–66 season.[5] He spent the summer of 1973 playing in the North American Soccer League for Miami Toros.[2]

After a year with Scunthorpe United,[6] 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.[7] Soon after he moved to the United States, where he coached football and played in the American Soccer League for Los Angeles Skyhawks[8] and for the San Francisco Fog during the 1980–81 Major Indoor Soccer League season.[2]

Sproates and his wife, Bonnie, lived in San Rafael and San Anselmo, in Marin County, California.[1][9] He died in California in 2015 at the age of 70.[1][3]

Honours

Darlington

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References
  1. Mara, Janis (1 March 2015). "In San Rafael, friends and family honor late soccer pro Sproates". Marin Independent Journal. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. "Alan Sproates". NASL Jerseys. Dave Morrison. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. "Alan Sproates". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  4. "Alan Sproates". Swindon-Town-FC.co.uk. Richard Banyard. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  5. "Alan Sproates – 1965–1974". Darlington F.C. 18 May 2007. Archived from the original on 18 November 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  6. "Alan Sproates". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  7. Georgaras, Peter. "South Australia's Best and Fairest Player of the Year Awards". OzFootball. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  8. "A Roundup of the Week May 1–7". Sports Illustrated. CNN. 15 May 1978. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
  9. "California fans set to help Quakers". The Northern Echo. Darlington. 28 January 2004. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
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