| Phil Hoadley | |
| Full Name: | Philip Damien Hoadley |
| Birth Date: | 6 January 1952 |
| Birth Place: | Battersea, London, England |
| Height: | 5ft 11in[1] |
| Position: | Central defender |
| Youthyears1: | 1967–1968 |
| Youthclubs1: | Crystal Palace |
| Years1: | 1968–1972 |
| Caps1: | 73 |
| Goals1: | 1 |
| Years2: | 1972–1978 |
| Caps2: | 255 |
| Goals2: | 9 |
| Years3: | 1978–1982 |
| Clubs3: | Norwich City |
| Caps3: | 77 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Totalcaps: | 406 |
| Totalgoals: | 10 |
Philip Damien Hoadley (6 January 1952 – 5 May 2024) was an English footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League playing as a central defender for Crystal Palace, Orient and Norwich City.[2]
Hoadley was born in Battersea, London. He began his career as an apprentice with Crystal Palace.[2] He made his first-team debut on 27 April 1968, as a substitute in the Second Division match away to Bolton Wanderers. At 16 years 112 days, he became Palace's then youngest player.[3] After appearing in 88 matches in all competitions for Crystal Palace,[4] he joined Orient, in September 1971,[5] whom he captained to the semi-finals of the 1977–78 FA Cup.[6] Having played nearly 300 games for Orient,[7] his transfer to Norwich City in 1978 was the first move under freedom of contract legislation with a tribunal setting his value at £110,000.[8] [9] After three years with Norwich he moved to play in Hong Kong football in February 1982,[10] but was forced to retire from professional football following a knee injury.[8] He returned to England and became a publican.[10]
Following his professional football career Hoadley remained involved with amateur football in the Norfolk area and worked in a variety of jobs before returning to Norwich City in the 1990s as football in the community officer.[8], he was landlord of a community-run public house in his local village.[11]
Hoadley died on 5 May 2024, at the age of 72.[12]