Jeffrey Albert Bourne (19 June 1948 – 31 July 2014) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a striker. Born in Linton, Derbyshire, he spent most of his early career in the lower English divisions before moving to the United States where he played six seasons in the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

, two in the second division American Soccer League. He led the ASL in scoring in 1983.

England

Bourne began his career with non-league club Burton Albion before signing with Derby County in February 1971. He saw limited time with the first team, playing mostly with the reserves until January 1974. He finished the 1973–1974 season with nine goals as Derby County finished third in the standings. He found himself back with the reserves the next season, with occasional stretches of first team. In 1975, he was part of the team that won the First Division, contributing 17 appearances and 2 goals. In 1976, Derby County loaned Bourne to the

Dallas Tornado The Dallas Tornado was a soccer team based in Dallas, Texas that played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1967 to 1981. Of the twelve teams that comprised the U.S. in 1967, the Tornado franchise played the longest–15 seasons. T ...

of the

(NASL). When it became apparent that Bourne would never be more than a sporadic player with the club, Derby County sold his contract to Crystal Palace F.C. for £30,000 in March 1977. At the time that Bourne joined Crystal Palace the team was in a free fall. They had slipped from the top division to the third in two seasons and appeared in danger of falling further. Crystal Palace had just sold Paul Hammond to the

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tie ...

of the NASL. They then used the cash to purchase Bourne. Bourne made an immediate impact, scoring nine goals in fifteen games and helping Crystal Palace return to the Second Division. Despite his contribution, Bourne was considered a poor long-term investment and he was sent to the

in the spring of 1978.

United States

Bourne first played in the United States when he came to the

of the

on loan from Derby County in 1976. He scored fifteen goals in twenty-two games earning second-team All Star honors. In 1978, Dallas purchased his contract from Crystal Palace. In 1979, the Tornado traded Bourne to the

Atlanta Chiefs The Atlanta Chiefs were an American professional soccer team based in Atlanta, Georgia. The team competed in the National Professional Soccer League (1967), National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) in 1967 and the North American Soccer League ...

for the first round in the 1979 College Draft. Bourne scored eighteen goals in twenty-nine games for the Chiefs in 1979, but his production dropped to five goals in twenty games in 1980. As a result, the Chiefs sent Bourne to the Seattle Sounders where he finished the season with two goals in eight games. That winter, Bourne was one of the top players during the NASL indoor season, scoring twenty-one goals in seventeen games. Bourne played the 1981 season, his last in the NASL, with Seattle. In the fall of 1981, he signed with the Wichita Wings of the Major Indoor Soccer League. In the 1981–1982 season, he twenty goals. In 1982, he signed on loan from the Wings to the

Oklahoma City Slickers The Oklahoma City Slickers was the name given to two different American association football, soccer clubs based in Oklahoma City. The first team competed in the second American Soccer League (1933–83), American Soccer League in 1982 and 1983. ...

of the American Soccer League. The Slickers went to the championship series where it fell to the Detroit Express. Bourne then returned to the Wings for the 1982-1983 indoor season. The Slickers attempted to acquire him for the 1983 ASL season, but the Wings asking price was too high and Bourne signed with the Dallas Americans. He led the league in scoring with seventeen goals. He returned to the Wings and was the league's second-leading scorer when he suffered a season-ending injury in April 1984. There are also indications that he may have played in the

United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...

in 1984.

Death

Bourne died on 31 July 2014 from

motor neurone disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

, having only been diagnosed with the disease nine weeks previously.

References

External links

Derby County profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourne, Jeff 1948 births 2014 deaths American Soccer League (1933–1983) players Atlanta Chiefs players Burton Albion F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Sheffield United F.C. players Dallas Americans players Dallas Tornado players English men's footballers English expatriate men's footballers Men's association football forwards English Football League players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) players Oklahoma City Slickers (ASL) players Wichita Wings (MISL) players People from South Derbyshire District Footballers from Derbyshire English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States 20th-century English sportsmen