Alf Fields
{{short description|English footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Alf Fields
| image =
| caption =
| fullname =
| birth_date = 15 November 1918
| birth_place = Canning Town, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2011|11|14|1918|11|15|df=y}}
| death_place = England
| height =
| position = Centre half
| youthyears1 = 1936–1939
| youthclubs1 = Arsenal
| years1 = 1939–1952
| clubs1 = Arsenal
| caps1 = 19
| goals1 = 0
}}
Alf Fields BEM (15 November 1918 – 14 November 2011) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre half.
Career
Fields signed with Arsenal in 1936, turned professional in 1937, and made his debut in 1939.{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/225/alf-fields|title=Profile|accessdate=27 March 2011|publisher=Arsenal F.C.|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116210256/http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/225/alf-fields|archivedate=16 November 2011|df=dmy-all}} Between then and 1952, Fields made a total of 19 appearances in the Football League.{{cite web|url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/arsenal/arsenal.html|title=ARSENAL : 1946/47 – 2009/10|accessdate=27 March 2011|publisher=Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Transfer Database}} Arsenal won the old First Division in 1947–48, but he only made six league appearances all season.{{cite web
|url=http://www.11v11.com/teams/arsenal/tab/players/season/1948/comp/200
|title=1947–48 competition statistics
|publisher=11v11.com
|accessdate=28 November 2013}} After retiring as a player, Fields spent time as a coach at Arsenal, before eventually retiring in November 1983.
Fields played himself in the 1939 film The Arsenal Stadium Mystery.{{IMDb name|3083587}}
During World War II, Fields served in North Africa and Italy, earning the British Empire Medal.{{cite web|url=http://spartacus-educational.com/2WWfootball.htm |title=Football and the Second World War |accessdate=27 March 2011 |publisher=Spartacus Educational}}
As the time of his death, Fields was Arsenal's oldest surviving player.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/highbury-memories-476516.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111022035/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/highbury-memories-476516.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 November 2012|title=Highbury memories|accessdate=27 March 2011|date=3 May 2006|author=Matt Denver, Glenn Moore and Phil Shaw|newspaper=The Independent}} He died on 14 November 2011, one day before his 93rd birthday.{{cite web|url=http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/alf-fields-1918-2011|title=Alf Fields: 1918–2011|publisher=Arsenal F.C.}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fields, Alf}}
Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Newham
Category:People from Canning Town
Category:English men's footballers
Category:English Football League players
Category:British Army personnel of World War II
Category:Recipients of the British Empire Medal
Category:Men's association football central defenders
Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Newham
Category:British Army soldiers
Category:20th-century English sportsmen
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