Clarence Reginald Harvey Pratt "Reg" Pratt (20 June 1905 - 27 March 1984) was a businessman and chairman of English football club West Ham United from 1950 until 1979.[3]
Owner of a wood-yard in Wanstead, London, Pratt took over the chairmanship of West Ham in 1950 after the death of Will Cearns.[3][4] Pratt had been a board member since 1941. One of his first jobs was to oversee the transition of managers from Charlie Paynter to Ted Fenton. Pratt moved Fenton into The Boleyn Ground several months before the anticipated end of Paynter's managership, to prepare him for the job. It was with Pratt's approval that Fenton, with Wally St Pier, set-up the youth teams and training methods which led to The Academy of Football and the establishment of training facilities at Chadwell Heath.[5][6] In 1961 Pratt was responsible for the removal of Fenton and the appointment of Ron Greenwood.[7] He retired from the chairmanship in May 1979, aged 74, after 29 years in the post becoming club president and handing over to Len Cearns.[8][9][3][10] He died 27 March 1984.[11]
References
- ^ England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2006
- ^ "West Ham United Chairman 1935-1992 'The Cearns Family Era'". West Ham Till I Die. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Year by Year". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ "Harry Redknapp: all Premier League managers will eventually be foreign". www.telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Northcutt, John (1993). West Ham United - A complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 46. ISBN 1-873626-44-4.
- ^ "Malcolm Allison 1927 - 2010". www.whufc.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Blows, Kirk (2000). The essential history of West Ham United. Swindon: Headline Book Publishing. p. 100. ISBN 0-7472-7036-8.
- ^ "West Ham United". www.cearnsbooks.co.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
- ^ Blows, Kirk (2000). The essential history of West Ham United. Swindon: Headline Book Publishing. p. 155. ISBN 0-7472-7036-8.
- ^ Atwal, Kay (27 June 2011). "WW1 memoir gives window on history". www.newhamrecorder.co.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
- ^ West Ham handbook 1996-97 p137
External links
- Reg Pratt interview at itnsource.com
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This page was last edited on 7 May 2024, at 18:53