Alan Petherbridge

Alan Petherbridge launched his incredible career in Judo / Jujitsu while serving with the British Army at Spandau Barracks in 1945. He joined Swansea Judo Society in 1949, as well as the famous Budokwai in London in 1950.He represented Wales in the 1953 Home Internationals and became the first Judo player in Wales to achieve a 1st Dan. In fact, he w the first person in Wales in any martial art to be made a 1st Dan.

He won the prestigious Goldberg Vass Memorial Trophy at the Royal Albert Hall in 1955 and was then selected to compete for Great Britain at the 1956 European Championships. Those championships were postponed, but he was a member of the British teams that won a hat-trick of European Championships titles in 1957-58-59.

In 1961, he was on the British team that went to the World Championships in Paris. At the same event he represented Europe in the Intercontinental World Championships, in which Europe won Gold. In all, he went on to secure four European Championship gold medals, two silvers and one bronze. He was the British captain in numerous internationals during this period.

He led the British team into the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, but was forced to retire through injury two years later. In 1966, he was appointed the first official British Judo Team Manager, and Chairman of the Technical Board of the British Judo Association (BJA). He was also Britain’s representative to the European Judo Union (EJU). Within the BJA Alan was appointed the Senior Examiner’s Examiner and the Senior Coaching Awards Examiner’s Examiner.

He founded the Welsh Judo Association and became both the Welsh and British National Coach. In 1977, he was decorated in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee honours list with an MBE for services to Judo. He became the World Combat Association Head of Budo and was a 10th Dan Budo and 9th Dan Judo.

Alan Petherbridge (Judo Player) Born in Swansea on 10 September, 1927