Tony Whelan
Encyclopedia
Anthony M. "Tony" Whelan (icon; born 20 November 1952) is a former Manchester United
footballer who currently works as the club's assistant academy director, responsible for the Under-9 to Under-16 player development programme.
, and grew up as a Manchester City
fan in Wythenshawe
, South Manchester. He attended St Anthonys Sec Modern in Blackley, North Manchester for a short while then after the family moved to Partington, Whelan attended St Paul's Secondary Modern School in Urmston
, where he captained his school team, as well as the local schoolboy representative team, Stretford Boys. Whilst playing for Stretford Boys, Whelan was spotted by Manchester United scout Joe Armstrong and invited to sign associated schoolboy forms in 1967.
He signed apprentice professional forms upon leaving school in July 1968 and advanced through the various junior teams featuring in the FA Youth Cup team that reached the semi-finals in both 1969 and 1970. They also won the prestigious FC Blue Stars Youth Tournament in Zurich, Switzerland in May 1969. He signed as a full professional in December 1969 and, in May 1970, aged just 17, he was selected to go on the first team's three week tour of Bermuda
, Canada
and the United States
, where he played against Eintracht Frankfurt and the Bermuda national football team
. The remainder of his tenure with the club was spent on the fringes of the first team, playing for the Reserves, for whom he was the leading scorer in 1971–72.
when his mother received a phone call from Manchester City
manager Malcolm Allison
. He was offered a month-long trial with the club, and within three weeks he had been offered a professional contract and was making his debut against West Ham United
, starting up front with Francis Lee
on 17 March 1973. However, Whelan only made five more appearances for City over the next sixteen months before departing for Rochdale in July 1974. In his first season with Rochdale, Whelan was voted as the club's Player of the Year. In the second season he became, jointly with Clive Charles of Cardiff City, the first black player to receive a PFA divisional award being named by his fellow pros in their all-star team. He scored 20 goals in 130 first team outings for Rochdale.
brought Whelan across the pond to play for the American Soccer League
's expansion Los Angeles Skyhawks
. Whelan quickly became a fan favorite and earned the nickname "Wheels" for his speed and as a play on his last name. Splitting his time between midfield and forward, Whelan was the third leading scorer on the team as they won the ASL championship.
Whelan was also selected for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "All Strikers Team" (1 December 1983) which included such luminaries as George Best
, Gerd Müller
, Teófilo Cubillas
and Brian Kidd
. Whelan was transferred to the Atlanta Chiefs
for the 1980 and 1981 seasons and helped them win divisional titles, both indoor and outdoor, in 1981. During his time in America, he played in over 170 matches in the NASL.
Whelan was also the recipient of the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in two nationally televised games in 1978.
before they folded at the end of the season.
Over the years, Whelan has gained several coaching qualifications, as well as a Bachelors degree in humanities from the Open University, and a Masters degree in sociology from Manchester Metropolitan University. He also wrote the foreword to The First Black Footballer: Arthur Wharton 1865-1930 An Absence of Memory (1998) and is the author of The Birth of the Babes: Manchester United Youth Policy 1950-1957, which explores the impact of youth development and the building of the Busby Babes side at Manchester United.
In March 2008, The Voice included him on a list of the 30 most influential black people in English football in recognition of his work developing elite young players. In October 2008, he received an award at the House of Lords from Kick It Out acknowledging his inclusion in the list.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
footballer who currently works as the club's assistant academy director, responsible for the Under-9 to Under-16 player development programme.
Early career
Whelan was born in Salford, LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, and grew up as a Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
fan in Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe is a district in the south of the city of Manchester, England.Formerly part of the administrative county of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s to resolve the problem of its inner...
, South Manchester. He attended St Anthonys Sec Modern in Blackley, North Manchester for a short while then after the family moved to Partington, Whelan attended St Paul's Secondary Modern School in Urmston
Urmston
Urmston is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of around 41,000. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies about six miles to the southwest of Manchester city centre. The southern boundary is marked by the River Mersey and the...
, where he captained his school team, as well as the local schoolboy representative team, Stretford Boys. Whilst playing for Stretford Boys, Whelan was spotted by Manchester United scout Joe Armstrong and invited to sign associated schoolboy forms in 1967.
He signed apprentice professional forms upon leaving school in July 1968 and advanced through the various junior teams featuring in the FA Youth Cup team that reached the semi-finals in both 1969 and 1970. They also won the prestigious FC Blue Stars Youth Tournament in Zurich, Switzerland in May 1969. He signed as a full professional in December 1969 and, in May 1970, aged just 17, he was selected to go on the first team's three week tour of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where he played against Eintracht Frankfurt and the Bermuda national football team
Bermuda national football team
The Bermuda national football team is the national team of Bermuda and is controlled by the Bermuda Football Association. A member of CONCACAF, it is not among its strongest teams....
. The remainder of his tenure with the club was spent on the fringes of the first team, playing for the Reserves, for whom he was the leading scorer in 1971–72.
Manchester City and Rochdale
In February 1973, Whelan was on the verge of signing for Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
when his mother received a phone call from Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
manager Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Alexander Allison was an English football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Mal", he was one of English football's most flamboyant and intriguing characters because of his panache, fedora and cigar, controversies off the pitch and outspoken nature.Allison's managerial potential become...
. He was offered a month-long trial with the club, and within three weeks he had been offered a professional contract and was making his debut against 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...
, starting up front with Francis Lee
Francis Lee
Francis Henry Lee is a former professional footballer, who played in the 1960s and 1970s, including 27 appearances for the England national team. Lee played for Bolton Wanderers, Manchester City, and Derby County...
on 17 March 1973. However, Whelan only made five more appearances for City over the next sixteen months before departing for Rochdale in July 1974. In his first season with Rochdale, Whelan was voted as the club's Player of the Year. In the second season he became, jointly with Clive Charles of Cardiff City, the first black player to receive a PFA divisional award being named by his fellow pros in their all-star team. He scored 20 goals in 130 first team outings for Rochdale.
Los Angeles Skyhawks
In 1976, coach Ron NewmanRon Newman (footballer)
Ronald Vernon Newman is a former association football player and coach. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame....
brought Whelan across the pond to play for the American Soccer League
American Soccer League
The American Soccer League has been a name used by three different professional soccer leagues in the United States. The first American Soccer League was established in 1921 by the merger of teams from the National Association Football League and the Southern New England Soccer League. For...
's expansion Los Angeles Skyhawks
Los Angeles Skyhawks
The Los Angeles Skyhawks was a professional soccer club based in Los Angeles, California that was a member of the American Soccer League. Founded as part of the American Soccer League's expansion to the west coast in 1976, they were the first professional sports team to be based in the San Fernando...
. Whelan quickly became a fan favorite and earned the nickname "Wheels" for his speed and as a play on his last name. Splitting his time between midfield and forward, Whelan was the third leading scorer on the team as they won the ASL championship.
North American Soccer League
After a brief stint back in England, Whelan went back to the United States in April 1977 to play for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers from 1977 to 1979, and from 1982 to 1983, during which time they won the Eastern Division title and reached the American Conference final in 1978. During his two spells with the club, he played over a hundred games and had the dual role of Director of Youth Development from 1982 to 1983. He also received the honorary citizenship of Plantation, Florida for services to the youth of the community (1978).Whelan was also selected for the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "All Strikers Team" (1 December 1983) which included such luminaries as George Best
George Best
George Best was a professional footballer from Northern Ireland, who played for Manchester United and the Northern Ireland national team. He was a winger whose game combined pace, acceleration, balance, two-footedness, goalscoring and the ability to beat defenders...
, Gerd Müller
Gerd Müller
Gerhard "Gerd" Müller is a former German football player and one of the most prolific goalscorers of all time.With national records of 68 goals in 62 international appearances, 365 goals in 427 Bundesliga games and the international record of 66 goals in 74 European Club games, he was one of the...
, Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Cubillas
Teófilo Juan Cubillas Arizaga is a Peruvian former footballer. He was selected as Peru's greatest ever player in an IFFHS poll, in which he was also included in the world's Top 50...
and Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd is an English football coach and former player, who is currently Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City....
. Whelan was transferred to the Atlanta Chiefs
Atlanta Chiefs
The Atlanta Chiefs were a soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia that played in the NPSL and NASL from 1967 to 1972. Their home fields were Atlanta Stadium and Tara Stadium . The club was the brainchild of Dick Cecil, then Vice President of the Atlanta Braves baseball franchise who were the Chiefs'...
for the 1980 and 1981 seasons and helped them win divisional titles, both indoor and outdoor, in 1981. During his time in America, he played in over 170 matches in the NASL.
Whelan was also the recipient of the Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in two nationally televised games in 1978.
Major Indoor Soccer League
Following the demise of the Atlanta Chiefs franchise in 1981, Whelan spent the 1981–82 season in the MISL playing for the Philadelphia FeverPhiladelphia Fever
.The Philadelphia Fever were an indoor soccer team based out of Philadelphia that played in the original Major Indoor Soccer League from 1978 to 1982. Their home arena was the Spectrum)...
before they folded at the end of the season.
Coaching career
Upon returning to England in November 1983, Whelan continued to coach young players part-time on Manchester City's Community Football Programme between 1987 and 1990. In September 1990, he was invited by Brian Kidd to join Manchester United's Centre of Excellence as a coach, and joined the full-time staff in September 1998 when the Academy was established. His time as a player included, Whelan has been involved with the club for over 20 years.Over the years, Whelan has gained several coaching qualifications, as well as a Bachelors degree in humanities from the Open University, and a Masters degree in sociology from Manchester Metropolitan University. He also wrote the foreword to The First Black Footballer: Arthur Wharton 1865-1930 An Absence of Memory (1998) and is the author of The Birth of the Babes: Manchester United Youth Policy 1950-1957, which explores the impact of youth development and the building of the Busby Babes side at Manchester United.
In March 2008, The Voice included him on a list of the 30 most influential black people in English football in recognition of his work developing elite young players. In October 2008, he received an award at the House of Lords from Kick It Out acknowledging his inclusion in the list.