Football But No Flowers For Commentator Motson’s Funeral

John Motson was a household name for decades as a football commentator, with his passing last month at the age of 77 being widely mourned.

His funeral date has been announced as March 24th, the Racing Post reported, with the service taking place at the Crownhill Crematorium in Milton Keynes.  

The details reported were fairly scant, with the paper breaking news of the funeral because Motson’s other great sporting love was racing and he part-owned a horse.

However, one notable element was that no flowers were requested. This is the kind of detail that can often be planned for a funeral ahead of time, often with the wishes of the deceased being expressed in their later days.

This may well have been the case for Motson, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2014. Indeed, a theme of the event will be that donations will be accepted for Bobby Moore Fund and Bowel Cancer UK. 

While there may be no floral elements present, other details accompanying the funeral order of service are sure to include some notable sporting aspects focused on football and racing, with a 50-year career at the BBC offering a copious back catalogue of famous commentary moments and quotes to remember.

However, as much as his famous description of a goal scored by Ronnie Radford for then non-league Hereford in the 1972 FA Cup, or his quote after Wimbledon beat Liverpool in the 1988 final that “the crazy gang have beaten the culture club”, perhaps the most famous sight was less of Motson speaking, but shivering in his famous sheepskin coat in a blizzard after a game was postponed.

Indeed, it may be that one of the personalised elements will involve a lot of sheepskin coats at the ceremony. The commentator had several made by Savile Row tailors and one of them is in the National Football Museum in Manchester.