View source for Phil Woosnam

{{Short description|Welsh footballer and manager (1932–2019)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Phil Woosnam
| image = Phil Woosnam, NASL 1975 media guide page 4.png
| upright = 0.7
| caption = Woosnam circa 1975
| fullname = Phillip Abraham Woosnam
| height = 
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1932|12|22}}
| birth_place = [[Caersws]], Powys, Wales, UK
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|2013|7|19|1932|12|22}}
| death_place = [[Dunwoody, Georgia]], US
| position = [[Striker (football)|Striker]]
| youthyears1 = 
| youthclubs1 = [[University of Wales, Bangor|Bangor University]]
| years1 = 1952–1953
| years2 = 1953–1954
| years3 = 1954–1959
| years4 = 1959–1962
| years5 = 1962–1966
| years6 = 1967–1968
| clubs1 = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
| clubs2 = [[Sutton United F.C.|Sutton United]]
| clubs3 = [[Leyton Orient F.C.|Leyton Orient]]
| clubs4 = [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]]
| clubs5 = [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]
| clubs6 = [[Atlanta Chiefs]]
| caps1 = 1
| caps2 = 
| caps3 = 108
| caps4 = 138
| caps5 = 106
| caps6 = 21
| goals1 = 0
| goals2 = 
| goals3 = 19
| goals4 = 26
| goals5 = 24
| goals6 = 9
| nationalyears1 = 1959–1963
| nationalteam1 = [[Wales national football team|Wales]]
| nationalcaps1 = 17
| nationalgoals1 = 3
| manageryears1 = 1967–1968
| managerclubs1 = [[Atlanta Chiefs]]
| manageryears2 = 1968
| managerclubs2 = [[United States men's national soccer team|United States]]
}}

'''Phillip Abraham Woosnam''' (22 December 1932 – 19 July 2013) was a Welsh [[association football]] [[inside-right]] and manager. A native of [[Caersws]], Powys, Wales,<ref name="Who">{{cite book|title=Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players|last1=Davies|first1=Gareth|last2=Garland|first2=Ian|year=1991|publisher=Bridge Books|isbn=1-872424-11-2|pages=221–222}}</ref> Woosnam played for five clubs in England and one in the United States. He played international football for [[Wales national football team|Wales]]. He was described as a "gifted inside-forward with a pronounced football intelligence".<ref name=guard1/>

He was commissioner of the [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|North American Soccer League]] from 1969 to 1982, overseeing the league's expansion and boom years. He was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1997.

==Playing career==
Woosnam played football with Montgomeryshire Schoolboys and gained youth international honours with Wales, and gained eight amateur [[Cap (sport)|caps]], the first against England in 1951. While studying [[physics]], he captained [[University of Wales, Bangor|Bangor University]]'s football team at the Welsh Universities' Championship. Woosnam completed his national service with the [[Royal Artillery]]. He featured for the Army XI alongside [[Eddie Colman]] and [[Duncan Edwards]] of [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]].<ref name="guard1">{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/jul/26/phil-woosnam-west-ham-aston-villa-america | title=Phil Woosnam: From West Ham and Villa to realising the American dream | work=The Guardian| date=26 July 2013 | access-date=27 July 2013 | author=Williams, Richard}}</ref>

He played club football at [[Wrexham A.F.C.|Wrexham]], [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]], [[Caersws F.C.|Caersws]], [[Aberystwyth Town F.C.|Aberystwyth Town]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Parry|first=Peter|title=The Old Black and Green|year=1987|publisher=Aberystwyth Town FC|isbn= 0-9512172-0-8|page=106}}</ref> and with amateur club [[Sutton United F.C.|Sutton United]] before he joined [[Leyton Orient F.C.|Leyton Orient]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Phil Woosnam|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/philwoosnam.html|publisher=wwwneilbrown.newcastlefans.com|access-date=5 July 2012}}</ref> He made his senior international debut for [[Wales national football team|Wales]] against [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] in October 1958, having turned professional in January 1957.<ref>Lancashire Evening Post 31 January 1957</ref> He represented the [[London XI]] against [[Lausanne Sports]] while at [[Brisbane Road]]. He was named amateur footballer of the year in 1955.<ref name=guard1/>

In November 1958, Woosnam was signed by [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] for £30,000 and left his job as a physics teacher at Leyton County High School for Boys to turn professional. He made his debut against [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] that month and went on to make 138 league appearances for the club, scoring 26 goals. He made 15 cup appearances, scoring three goals. While at [[Boleyn Ground|Upton Park]], he added 15 full international caps to the one he had gained while at Orient. He also represented the [[The Football League XI|Football League]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Hogg|first=Tony|title=Who's Who of West Ham United|year=2005|publisher=Profile Sports Media|isbn=1-903135-50-8|pages=217–218}}</ref> and the Wales Amateurs.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.penmon.org/page85.htm| title=Welsh Amateur Internationals| website=penmon.org}}</ref>

Woosnam moved to [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] in 1962 for a £25,000 fee. He made his Villa debut on 1 December 1962 in a 5–0 home win against [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.11v11.com/players/phil-woosnam-25799/team/aston-villa/#clubmatches | title=Phil Woosnam | publisher=11v11.com | access-date=26 July 2013}}</ref> He went on to score 24 goals in 106 League games, and gained a further two international caps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/1462.html|title=Phil Woosnam profile at|work=Aston Villa Player Database|access-date=26 January 2010}}</ref>

==NASL commissioner==
Woosnam immigrated to the United States in 1966. Although hired as a coach, he played for the [[Atlanta Chiefs]] and scored the first goal in the first football game in the Atlanta [[Fulton County Stadium]].<ref name=death/> Woosnam became coach of the Atlanta Chiefs in 1968, and was named 'Coach of the Year' in 1968.<ref name=ba/> Woosnam became head coach of the [[United States men's national soccer team|United States national team]] in 1968.

Woosnam was commissioner of the [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|NASL]] from 1969 to 1982.<ref name=death/> He is credited as an important factor in the development of the NASL, and was a major figure in promoting the league and had secured TV contracts from [[CBS]] and [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]].<ref name="removal"/> He played a key role during 1970 in recruiting executives at [[Warner Communications]] to invest in an expansion team—the [[New York Cosmos (1970–85)|New York Cosmos]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131211163920/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1092471/3/index.htm "Nothing But Blue Skies Does Woosnam"], ''Sports Illustrated'', 30 May 1977.</ref> Woosnam oversaw the westward expansion of NASL in the early 1970s, establishing teams in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Seattle, and Vancouver. However, he also guided the league into several poor business decisions, such as over-expansion to 24 teams. Facing mounting financial losses, the owners voted to fire Woosnam in 1982.<ref name="removal">{{cite news|title=NASL Owners Vote To Remove Phil Woosnam|work=Sarasota Herald-Tribune|date=25 April 1982}}</ref>

Woosnam later became managing director of the marketing arm of [[US Soccer]], and helped bring the [[1994 FIFA World Cup|1994 World Cup]] to the US. He was inducted into the US [[National Soccer Hall of Fame]] and the Georgia Soccer Hall of Fame in 1997.<ref name=death/>

==Personal==
Woosnam, a cousin to golfer [[Ian Woosnam]] and a nephew of the English footballer, [[Max Woosnam]], became a naturalized American citizen.{{When|date=July 2013}}<ref name="Who"/>

==Death==
Phil Woosnam died on 19 July 2013 in [[Dunwoody, Georgia]]<ref name=ba>{{cite web|title=Goodbye Phil|url=http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/leagues/nasl2.php?article_id=34303|publisher=bigapplesoccer.com|access-date=20 July 2013|date=20 July 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207115337/http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/leagues/nasl2.php?article_id=34303|archive-date=7 December 2013}}</ref> from complications related to [[prostate cancer]] and [[Alzheimer's disease]], at the age of 80.<ref name=death>{{cite web|url=http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/chiefs-legend-woosnam-passes-away/nYxww|title=Chiefs legend Phil Woosnam passes away|publisher=ajc.com|date=20 July 2013|access-date=21 July 2013}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{NASL winning head coaches}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Phil Woosnam managerial positions
|list1=
{{Atlanta Chiefs managers}}
{{United States men's national soccer team managers}}
}}
{{National Soccer Hall of Fame members}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woosnam, Phil}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Powys]]
[[Category:People from Montgomeryshire]]
[[Category:Footballers from Powys]]
[[Category:American men's soccer players]]
[[Category:American soccer chairmen and investors]]
[[Category:Welsh football managers]]
[[Category:Welsh expatriate football managers]]
[[Category:Welsh men's footballers]]
[[Category:Welsh expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:Wales men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Wrexham A.F.C. players]]
[[Category:Manchester City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Sutton United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Leyton Orient F.C. players]]
[[Category:West Ham United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Aston Villa F.C. players]]
[[Category:Welsh emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Welsh expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:National Professional Soccer League (1967) players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States]]
[[Category:Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States]]
[[Category:Atlanta Chiefs players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) head coaches]]
[[Category:Caersws F.C. players]]
[[Category:United States men's national soccer team managers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Bangor University]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) commissioners]]
[[Category:Royal Artillery personnel]]
[[Category:London XI players]]
[[Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in the United States]]
[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:English Football League representative players]]
[[Category:Wales men's amateur international footballers]]
[[Category:National Soccer Hall of Fame members]]
[[Category:Atlanta Chiefs head coaches]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]