Obituary: Martin Westby, writer

Martin Westby, who has died at 63, was a football writer who did much to chronicle the recent and distant history of the game in Sheffield.

By The Newsroom

Published 10th Oct 2020, 09:35 BST

The author of two books on the subject, he also conceived a walking tour of the city which mapped on a phone app the sites at which the sport had developed locally.

A native of the city and a Sheffield United supporter, he was a trustee of the campaign launched earlier this year to recognise Sheffield as the birthplace of football, in recognition of England’s oldest football association having been founded there in 1867, and the presence of the world’s oldest ground at Sandygate, where Hallam FC once played.

In April, Mr Westby discovered the long-lost Sheffield and Hallamshire FA County Cup for sale on the internet, and purchased it for the campaign.

He is survived by his wife, Judith, and three siblings.

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