Geoff Hurst’s wife and children maintain a low-profile lifestyle. They live their lives away from media attention so they can enjoy it while maintaining their privacy. They are Geoff’s best achievements that he is most proud of.
Renowned English footballer, Geoff Hurst, was in the news in August 2023 for slamming the royal family for missing out on the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup played by England and Spain. Geoff, renowned for scoring England’s first hat trick in the world cup in 1966, has always supported international world cup games over club league games.
According to him, if there is anything he would like to achieve, it would be to give the English national squad preference over the league.
“I would like to see the national squad given preference over the league. Having experienced the full impact of a World Cup win on the country as a whole, I think the emphasis should be on the international competitions. A win lifts the spirits of our nation.”
Although England’s lioness lost the cup to Spain in Australia due to Olga Carmona’s first-half strike, Geoff claimed that at least a royal family member should have been present since they were in the men’s match.
Who is Geoff Hurst?
Geoff Hurst is the famous English footballer who scored the country’s first hat-trick in the 1966 world cup. It took 50 years for his record to be broken by Gary Lineker during the group stage of the 1986 World Cup held in Mexico.
The record of scoring a hat trick for England during a world cup final held by Geooff is still unbeaten. He achieved this feat during the 1966 World Cup when England beat West Germany 4-2 at Wembley Stadium.
Sir Geoff Hurst MBE was born to Charlie and Evelyn Hurst on December 8, 1941, at Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. His father was a professional footballer who played as a center-half for Bristol Rovers, Oldham Athletic, and Rochdale. His parents later moved to Chelmsford, Essex, in 1949. Geoff went to Kings Road Primary School and developed an interest in football and cricket.
While growing up, Geoff would disturb the neighborhood while he played football and even got a fine for consistently playing the ball into a neighbor’s garden.
Although Geoff began his athletic career playing football and cricket, he would later take up a full-time football career.
His professional career began at West Ham United, scoring 242 goals in 500 matches. While at West Ham, he won the FA Cup in 1964 and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965. In 1972, he was sold to Stoke City for £80,000. He spent three seasons with Stoke, winning the Watney Cup in 1973, and concluded his Football League career with West Bromwich Albion in 1976.
Afterward, Hurst played football in Ireland and the USA before managing non-league Telford United. He was involved in coaching roles for the England team and managed Chelsea from 1979 to 1981. He also coached Kuwait SC before focusing on his second career as an Insurance salesman.
In his international career, Hurst scored 24 goals in 49 appearances for England. Besides his success in the 1966 World Cup, he also participated in the UEFA Euro 1968 and the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Despite briefly trying cricket, he dedicated himself primarily to football.
Geoff Hurst Wife And Children
Geoff Hurst met his heartthrob Judith Hurst (nee. Harries) in school. They married at Chelmsford Cathedral on October 13, 1964, when Geoff was still playing for West Ham.
Two years after their wedding, Geoff scored the iconic hat trick during the 1966 World Cup, securing England’s victory over West Germany. Interestingly, after the conclusion of the World Cup, Geoff, his team, and the four teams that reached the semi-finals were invited to the 1966 World Cup final banquet, strangely, their wives were not included in the invitation.
This situation didn’t sit well with Judith. As Geoff jokingly recalls, his wife has not forgiven him nor let him forget she wasn’t invited to the banquet.
Geoff and his wife, Judith Hurst, lived in Cheltenham with their three children, Claire (born in 1965), Joanne, and Charlotte.
The legendary England footballer lost his eldest daughter Claire to a brain tumor in 2010 after battling the disease for ten years. Claire was diagnosed in 2000 before she died aged 46 in a Sue Ryder hospice in Cheltenham. Her passing urged Geoff to become an ambassador for Sue Ryder, saying he will always be grateful to the Sue Ryder nurses who made his eldest daughter as comfortable as possible in her final days.
Judith Hurst is the Secretary at T.T.I.A.O. Limited, a private company owned by the Hursts since August 1997.