Swansea City great Alan Curtis to receive MBE

Swansea City great Alan Curtis has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.

The 66-year-old has been recognised for services to Welsh football in a playing and coaching career that has spanned over four decades.

Curtis, who now holds the role of honorary club president following his retirement from coaching in May 2019, represented the Swans during three separate spells during his playing career.

He scored 110 goals in over 400 appearances, and also won 35 caps for Wales, netting six times.

After hanging up his boots, Curtis also held roles as caretaker manager, assistant manager, first-team coach, loan player manager, head of youth development, youth coach, community officer and matchday host for Swansea City.

And Curtis was proud to receive an accolade that all connected with Swansea City will surely agree is richly deserved.

“It's a great honour, I am totally surprised and taken aback by it, to be honest with you," he said.

"I am really proud to accept the honour. I knew about it a month ago and the difficulty has been to keep it a secret.

"But there is an overwhelming sense of pride. It's a terrific honour.

"I am just so grateful to have had the career I had, and to go that length of time means you can only thank all the players, staff and supporters, as well as your family.

"My only wish is that my parents were still alive, as I am sure they would have been bursting with pride.

"But it has been a great journey and a real privilege."