The Watford Word · https://thewatfordword.news/news/aidy-boothroyd-i-was-diagnosed-with-parkinsons-at-50-but-im-not-finished-with-football-yet-146810
AIDY BOOTHROYD: I was diagnosed with Parkinson's at 50, but I'm not finished with football yet
25.09.26, 09:50 Updated 25.09.26, 09:51 4 Minute Read
Mike Walters
Tears were cascading down Aidy Boothroyd’s face in the passenger seat and outside the skies were weeping in solidarity.
It was a suitably horrible day to receive shattering news that changed his life at a stroke. Sat in a car park in Wilmslow, after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, the former Watford and England Under-21 manager felt as if the world was crumbling around him.
Almost five years on from that crushing day in November 2021, Boothroyd is still fit enough to have cycled from London to Paris, lucid in speech and blessed with crystal-clear recall.
Although he accepts his career as a full-time professional football coach has been curtailed, he still wants to give something back to the game.
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Mike Walters spent 40 years on Fleet Street as a top sports writer and a regular in the Press box at Vicarage Road. His first game as a wide-eyed Watford fan was a 5-0 FA Cup win against Reading 55 years ago and, coupled with his national newspaper experience, few supporters are better-equipped to cover English football's original family club.