George Eastham
American baseball had Curt Flood, who dared to attack the reserve clause, unsuccessfully; and Andy Messersmith, who provided the death blow to it.
English soccer had George Eastham, who killed its maximum wage.
George Edward Eastham was born on September 23, 1936 in Blackpool, Lancashire, England. His father, George Richard Eastham, played as a forward for hometown team Blackpool F.C., and also for Manchester-area team Bolton Wanderers. George Richard's brother Harry Eastham, also played forward for Blackpool, but spent most of his career on Merseyside, playing for Liverpool F.C. and Tranmere Rovers. The younger George became a forward, and starred for North-East club Newcastle United, starting in 1956.
Jimmy Hill had starred as a midfielder at West London team Fulham F.C., and later became Chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, the players' union. At the time of the case, Hill was the manager of Midlands team Coventry City. Despite now managing a team, he recognized that the players and the managers had a common "enemy" in the team owners.
Jimmy Hill
The maximum wage was £20 per week -- with inflation, equivalent to about £357 in 2024, or, with the current exchange rate, about $449. That's not even enough to rent your own apartment, not in the suburbs of New York or London, let alone in either city.
And Eastham fell out with Newcastle management, and wanted to be sold, but they didn't want to sell. As with baseball's reserve clause, English soccer's version, known as "retain-and-transfer," bound a player to a team for life unless the club wanted to sell, and NUFC didn't. They didn't care if he was happy: The wanted him available and compliant.
Like Curt Flood would in baseball a decade later, Eastham compared it to slavery:
Most people called it the "slavery contract." We had virtually no rights at all. It was often the case that the guy on the terrace not only earned more than us – though there's nothing wrong with that – he had more freedom of movement than us. People in business or teaching were able to hand in their notice and move on. We weren't. That was wrong.
Eastham went on strike at the end of the 1959-60 season, moving south to work for an old family friend, selling cork in Guildford, Surrey, a venture which earned him more money than his Newcastle contract paid. Finally, in October 1960, Newcastle relented, and sold Eastham to North London team Arsenal F.C. for £47,500, an enormous sum for the time.
But Eastham had only gotten one thing he wanted, and considered the rest, freedom of movement and the abolition of the maximum wage, worth fighting for. Hill convinced the PFA to provide £15,000 to pay for Eastham's legal fees, and he took NUFC to the High Court.
In Eastham v. Newcastle United, Eastham argued that retain-and-transfer was an unfair restraint of trade, and that Newcastle owed him £400 in unpaid wages and £650 in unpaid bonuses. The judge, Richard Wilberforce, later a Baron, ruled that, since Eastham had gone on strike, he was not entitled to the money. So Eastham did not gain personally, other than getting the transfer he wanted, which he already had.
But Mr Justice Wilberforce ruled that the retain-and-transfer system was unreasonable, and struck it down. Eastham had won. This makes him English soccer's Curt Flood and its Andy Messersmith.
Eastham starred for Arsenal for 6 years, although it was a down period for the team. He, Joe Baker, Geoff Strong and Alan Skirton formed a great attack, but they had a poor defense. It would take a complete rebuilding process for Arsenal to become a power again. Indeed, having lost back-to-back League Cup Finals in 1968 and 1969, fans began to point out that, "Arsenal haven't won a trophy since the Coronation." It was true. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned a month after Arsenal won the 1953 Football League title, and their next trophy was the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, before winning the League and the FA Cup, "The Double," in 1971.
Eastham was the only Arsenal player named to the England team that won the 1966 World Cup on home soil, although he didn't play in the tournament. He did play for England in the 1962 World Cup. After the '66 edition, he was sold to Staffordshire club Stoke City, and, along with fellow '66 England hero Gordon Banks in goal, helped the club win their only major trophy in their 161-year history, the 1972 League Cup.
He later moved to South Africa, set up a sportswear business, and defied the apartheid government by teaching the game to black kids. He even brought his father George with him to coach, and he did so until his death in 2000. George the son became the chairman of the South African Arsenal Supporters' Club.
He died yesterday, December 20, 2024, at the age of 88. News reports of his death have made no mention of survivors, including a wife or children.
His death means there are only 3 surviving players from the England team that won the 1966 World Cup. Geoff Hurst is the only one who played in the Final. The other two, Terry Paine and Ian Callaghan, like Eastham himself, were on the team, but did not play in the tournament at all.
Hill went into broadcasting, working on ITV's The Big Match from its 1968 premiere until 1973, moving to the BBC for Match of the Day until 1988. He died in 2015.
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