Alan Spavin is an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 former football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

er. A product of Preston North End's

Preston North End F.C.

Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...

 youth system, he featured in over 400 league games for the side.

After starring in the 1960 FA Youth Cup Final

FA Youth Cup Final Squads

Squads for the finals of the FA Youth Cup.Note: 1–11 line-ups refer to the first leg. Any players brought in for the second leg are listed among the substitutes.-1999–2000: Arsenal vs Coventry City :...

 side he broke through to the first team at the start of the 1960/61

1960-61 in English football

The 1960–61 season was the 81st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season was a historic one for domestic football in England, as Tottenham Hotspur F.C. became the first club in the twentieth century to "do the Double" by winning both the League and the FA Cup competitions...

 season, scoring against Arsenal

Arsenal F.C.

Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...

 on his debut on 30 August 1960 as an eighteen-year-old. He established himself as a first team regular over the following two seasons and won an FA Cup runners-up medal in 1963-64

1963-64 in English football

The 1963–1964 season was the 84th season of competitive football in England, from August 1963 to May 1964:-Overview:* Liverpool won the League Championship.* West Ham United won the FA Cup.* Leicester City won the League Cup.-Diary of the season:...

 as Preston lost the final 3-2 to West Ham United

West Ham United F.C.

West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...

. He was named the club's Player of the Year

Preston North End Player of the Year Award Winners

Winners of the official Preston North End F.C. Player of the Year Award since its inception in 1967–68:...

 as Preston won the Third Division

Football League Third Division

The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...

 championship in 1970-71

1970-71 in English football

The 1970–71 season was the 91st season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Arsenal won the league championship at the end of a season which would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. Arsenal secured the league title at White Hart Lane, the home of bitter rivals...

.

He moved to America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in May 1974 to play for Washington Diplomats

Washington Diplomats

The Washington Diplomats were an American soccer club based in Washington, D.C.. Throughout their existence, the club played their home games at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium...

. He then joined Morecambe

Morecambe F.C.

Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park...

 in August 1975, followed by a spell with Dundalk

Dundalk F.C.

Dundalk Football Club is a professional Irish football club based in Dundalk, County Louth. The club currently play in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. Founded in 1903, they are the second most successful team, in terms of trophies won, in the history of the League of Ireland. The...

 from February to April 1976 where he helped them win the League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

 Championship.

He played two more seasons for Washington Diplomats before returning to Deepdale

Deepdale

Deepdale is a stadium in the Deepdale area of Preston, England, the home of Preston North End F.C. and, up to 2010, England's National Football Museum. Preston North End are one of the founder members of the Football League.- History :...

 in November 1977 for a spell as player/coach. In total he played 486 games for Preston (including 13 as substitute) and scored 32 goals. He hung up his boots after a brief spell with Telford United

Telford United F.C.

Telford United F.C. was an English football club based in Telford, Shropshire.The club existed under various names for a total of 132 years from its formation in 1872. The club was founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979 and played at this level for 25 years before being wound up in...

 during the 1980-81 season.
Alan returned to the States where he and the late Alan Kelly, Sr.

Alan Kelly, Sr.

Alan Kelly was an Irish international football goalkeeper who played for Bray Wanderers and Drumcondra in his home country, and most notably for Preston North End in England...

, the former PNE goalkeeper ran an indoor soccer school "The Corner Kick" in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Eventually they sold the business and Alan Spavin now lives in Ormond Beach, Florida.