Ivor Broadis : A compelling story
Ivor Broadis may not be a familiar name to the normal football fan. Someone who has been following football in general and English football in particular would surely remember Ivor. In his adopted hometown of Carlisle, the capital of the ceremonial Cumbria area in North West England, he is a legend. His legendary status is not just because he was a great player, but for doing something no one has ever done before in football. Although he played for many clubs—he had Carlisle United in his heart, and it is that what he did for them that makes him an icon.
Ivor was born in London in 1922, and after having played as an amateur at Tottenham, he was spotted by Carlisle United.
In 1946, Carlisle offered him the position of player-manager. Broadis remains the youngest player/manager in English football to this day. In a career spanning almost two decades, he played for Carlisle United, Sunderland, Manchester City, and Newcastle United. He had 14 caps with England and scored eight goals for England at international level.
Broadis without a doubt lived a life of real meaning. He played top-flight football for almost two decades and played for some of the best teams in the English League. He was also part of the 1st ever England team to play in the World Cup quarter-finals, a level England have surpassed only once away from home. In 1954, England played the legendary Hungarian team, nicknamed the Magical Magyars. The Magyars with Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis, Zoltán Czibor, Nándor Hidegkuti and József Bozsik in the ranks pummeled England 7-1. The only goals scored by England were by Broadis.
After the thrashing they got at the hands of the Hungarians, and having spent the whole match chasing shadows, Broadis famously quipped “It’s the first time I’ve ever come off the pitch with a sunburned tongue!”
The perfect transfer market sale
While all these are events that are part of a professional footballer’s career story, the act that made him stand out was off the field.
In 1949, three years into his stint with Carlisle, the club got hit by what almost every club in the early years of football feared, a financial crisis. There was uncertainty in the air and Broadis was aware of the fragility of the situation. The club’s survival depended on its ability to raise money. There must be some player sales to keep the club from sinking. Carlisle United’s best player at that moment was Broadis.
After having thought long about it, Broadis did something that had never happened before. In a selfless act Broadis the manager, decided to sell Broadis the player. It was a toss between the ambitions of the player and the club’s need for money.
He had weighed the options and sold himself to another club to save Carlisle. Bizarre it sounded, but then it was the best thing he could do.
The Carlisle board accepted what was a princely sum of 18000 pounds for their player-manager. While there were many clubs chasing it was Sunderland that got him.
Carlisle United survived, and Broadis went on to play for many great clubs and England. He returned to Carlisle for his last stints in football. He settled down in the Cumbria region where he passed away in 2019 at the age of 96. A legend for the people , one who lived life lived to the full.
Talk about love for a club.
Great story.. well articulated..