Family of Jeff Astle launch foundation to raise awareness of brain injury in sport

eff Astle was nicknamed 'the hero' by fans for his goalscoring between 1964 and 1974 Credit: PA

The family of former West Bromwich Albion and Notts County legend Jeff Astle are to launch a new foundation aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of brain injury in sport. The former striker died in 2002 at just 59 from a brain condition normally related to boxing.

Jeff was known for his outstanding footballing careers at Notts County and West Bromwich Albion and was the scorer of the winning goal in the 1968 FA Cup final (1 of only 7 players in the history of the FA Cup to score in every round) and a member of the 1970 World Cup squad.

He was the first British professional footballer confirmed to have died from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) - a progressive, degenerative brain disease found in individuals with a history of head injury, often as a result of multiple concussions.

In his case, it was the repeated, low level brain trauma believed to have been caused from the repeated heading of footballs.

Jeff's widow, Laraine, and her daughters Dawn and Claire, have campaigned to raise more awareness of the issue.

Jeff Astle with his wife Laraine before his death in 2002 Credit: BPM

Due to be officially launched at the Premier League clash between West Bromwich Albion and Leicester City tomorrow, the Jeff Astle Foundation aims to increase awareness of brain injury in sport, as well as providing support for the families affected and promoting independent research into CTE.

Jeff Astle’s family will be attending the match, which will see the West Brom team don a replica of the famous 1968 Wembley strip that Jeff wore when scoring his memorable winning goal.

The foundation has already secured support from a number of high-profile patrons, including Gary Neville, Frank Skinner and Gordon Banks OBE.

You can read more about the Jeff Astle Foundation here.