Vale Bill Collins

Official release from Football Australia

The Australian football community is mourning the loss of Bill Collins, a former Physiotherapist for the Socceroos, Northern Spirit and Glasgow Rangers who passed away suddenly on Friday 27 January 2012.

Born on 28th October 1953 in Manly, NSW, Bill’s parents moved the family back to their hometown of Glasgow in Scotland when he was 16 years old.

After completing high school, Bill studied physiotherapy at Queens College, Glasgow. Later he was appointed as the Club Physiotherapist at Glasgow Rangers during the Grahame Souness and Walter Smith era’s in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1994 Bill and his family left Scotland and moved back to Australia. Soon after his arrival in Sydney, Bill became the owner and principal of the Mosman Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Centre a position he held until he sold the business in 2009.

Bill began his tenure as the Socceroos Physiotherapist in 1996 and finished in 2000. During his involvement with the Socceroos, Bill was very well-known for his high degree of professionalism, charisma and sense of humour. He was also instrumental in mentoring the current Qantas Socceroos Head Physiotherapist Les Gelis and former Qantas Socceroos Physiotherapist, Phil Coles, who is now the Head Physiotherapist at Liverpool FC in the English Premier League.

Along with the Socceroos Bill was also the Physiotherapist at Northern Spirit in the former National Soccer League from 1997-2004 and later became the Director of Football. Bill’s dedication and commitment to the Northern Spirit Football Club was unmatched and he was truly the life and soul of the club.

After selling his Physiotherapy practice, Bill and his wife moved to Hawks Nest on the mid north coast of NSW where he had been living in semi-retirement for the past three years.

Bill is survived by his wife Anne, sons Will & Jamie and daughter Julie.

In recognition of his services to football, Glasgow Rangers wore black-armbands in honour of Bill during their Scottish Premier League match against Hibernian last weekend.

A funeral service will be held at 1:15pm, on Friday 3 February 2012 at St Mary’s Church, Manly. All former colleagues, patients and friends are invited to attend the service.

 
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