(Left to right) Horder Centre Trustee Chris Stebbing, George Cohen, Trustee Robyn Leigh and Head of HR and Public Relations Manager Glenda Rogers.
FOOTBALL star George Cohen MBE, who played in the legendary 1966 World Cup winning England side, has praised orthopaedic centre of excellence The Horder Centre as “wonderful”.
Ex Fulham player George was guest of honor at an exclusive charity day for invited guests of the Centre in Crowborough, which treats people of all ages with arthritis and other orthopaedic conditions.
The former full back himself suffered arthritis in his knee following a cartilage injury which eventually ended his career in 1969 at the age of just 29. He went on to have a knee replacement operation.
George agreed to speak at the event, entertaining people with fascinating stories from the 1966 World Cup campaign and talking about his injury and the treatment available for footballers in his day.
He joined attendees for a tour of the Centre, currently undergoing a major development programme which has seen a state-of-the-art physiotherapy gym created together with a new reception, out-patients area, consulting rooms, extra en-suite patient rooms and a coffee shop.
George Cohen speaks to guests at the Horder Centre
Speaking at The Horder Centre, a charity which treats thousands of patients every year, he said: “It really is wonderful to see the Centre looking so great. The Centre has a lovely feel to it and it is excellent to know that so many people are now being treated here.”
On the use of physiotherapy within the world of sport – a service the Horder Centre offers – he said: “In my day, physio machines used to turn up at the club but no one told us how they worked. I recall one had a strap that was turned up so high we shot up in the air.
“Now physios are incredibly well trained and qualified and there is no doubt physio is helping to extend football and other sporting careers.”
George, who lives in East Sussex, was awarded the MBE in 2000 for his services to football in 1966 along with fellow World Cup teammates Nobby Stiles, Roger Hunt, Alan Ball and Ray Wilson.
Glenda Rogers, HR and Public Relations Manager at the Horder Centre, said: “We are extremely grateful to George for attending the charity day and entertaining us with his fascinating memories of life as a World Cup footballer in that golden 1966 era. The event allowed us to give an invited audience of friends and supporters of the Centre a first-hand look at how the Centre has developed in recent years to become a centre of excellence for orthopaedic care.”
