Myra Stephens was a dynamic driving force behind the scenes of Eastbourne Borough

For nearly 40 years one of local football’s most efficient and best-loved administrators, Myra Stephens has died at the age of 85.
Myra StephensMyra Stephens
Myra Stephens

Myra’s long involvement with Eastbourne soccer got underway back in 1974 - cooking sausages and burgers on a gas stove at the Saffrons.

She went on to become secretary, match secretary and fixtures secretary at Eastbourne Town and United and Langney Sports/Eastbourne Borough.

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Her spell at the Saffrons was brief following the breakdown of merger talks between Town and United in 1975.

She subsequently moved with her late husband Jim to the Oval where she as secretary and Jim as chairman proved a dynamic driving force behind the scenes during the era of the ‘Boon Babes’ who reached the last eight of the FA Vase in 1978 as well as finishing in fourth place in the Isthmian League.

When things started to go downhill at the Oval, Myra was invited to transfer her administrative skills to Priory Lane where, from 1994, she was to become a vital cog behind the scenes in the Sports’ golden years of Garry Wilson and Nick Greenwood. The club eventually secured promotion to the Conference Premier League.

Myra finally retired from admin duties after a lifetime of service, although she continued to provide those much-needed half-time cuppas for guests and newspaper reporters for which we were always grateful.

She was a true volunteer who knew the non-league soccer rulebook inside out, giving total commitment to the club she was serving and never asking for a penny piece in return.

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