West Bromwich Albion honour legend Jeff Astle with charity partnership

The club has announced that the Jeff Astle Foundation will be its Official Charity Partner for the 2023/24 season with the home kit for the new campaign, which be released on Wednesday, dedicated to Astle and #FitForAKin9.

The club will make a donation to the foundation for every home shirt sold and will support the charity’s various initiatives throughout the season.

Jeff Astle was a hero of the terraces during a captivating decade at The Hawthorns from 1964 to 1974, with his 174 goals in 361 appearances making him the club’s fourth highest goal-scorer.

The stand-out moment in a glittering career came at Wembley in 1968 when he scored the only goal of the FA Cup final victory over Everton, also joining an exclusive club of players to have scored in every round of the famous competition.

Jeff, who also claimed five England caps, enjoyed a yet-to-be-repeated relationship with the club’s supporters, which was never more prevalent than in the emotional response to his tragic passing at the age of 59 in January 2002.

His death from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive, degenerative brain disease found in individuals (usually athletes) with a history of head injury, often as a result of multiple concussions, led his family to campaign for greater research into the impact of repetitive heading for footballers.

On April 11, 2015, a date forever remembered as Astle Day by all at The Hawthorns, the family launched the Jeff Astle Foundation, which serves as a lasting legacy to Jeff, raising awareness of brain injury in all forms of sport, as well as offering much-needed support to those affected.

The charity has since gone from strength to strength and patrons include high profile former England internationals Gary Neville and Alan Shearer.

Jeff’s daughter and charity director, Dawn Astle, said: “We are honoured and overwhelmed to be named the club’s Official Charity Partner for the 2023/24 season.

“Dad loved this club and its supporters and to have next season’s home kit dedicated to him and the charity instils our family with a pride that is difficult to comprehend.

"We are so, so thankful to the club for providing us with this opportunity to continue to celebrate dad’s legacy, raising awareness and funds for the charity in the process.

“As a family we have been fortunate enough to have been involved in the kit’s design and we are confident the club’s supporters will love it as much as we do.

"It’s a special kit for a really important cause, and every shirt sold will help us to continue our work with those affected by brain injuries in sport.”

Albion managing director, Mark Miles, said: “We are delighted to be supporting The Jeff Astle Foundation for the coming season.”

“The profile of the charity, and its achievements to date, are a direct consequence of one family’s dedicated quest to ensure the safety of everyone who plays the beautiful game.

“We wholeheartedly support the charity’s aim to raise awareness of brain injury in all forms of sport, including football, and hope the partnership helps further build the profile of their incredible work.”