Express & Star

Daughter of Albion legend Jeff Astle receives MBE honour from Prince William

Dawn Astle the daughter of West Bromwich Albion legend Jeff Astle has been made an MBE at a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

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Miss Astle was nominated in the King's New Year Honours list and was among those to be formally honoured at the investiture on Thursday for her tireless campaigning to raise awareness of the impact of heading footballs on health alongside Penny Watson, the wife of former Sunderland and England defender and FA Cup winner Dave. 

 Dawn Astle with the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle
Dawn Astle with the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle

She was presented with the honour for her work with the Jeff Astle Foundation. 

Jeff Astle in his playing days
Jeff Astle in his playing days

Her father died in 2002 at the age of 59, and after an inquest, a coroner recorded a verdict of death by industrial disease owing to his repeated heading of a ball.

A subsequent postmortem examination of Astle’s brain confirmed he had been suffering from the progressive disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition more commonly linked to boxers.

Dawn Astle at the Hawthorns
Dawn Astle at the Hawthorns

She said the "Justice for Jeff" campaign and the MBE were dedicated to the memory of her late father.