The incredible story of Jimmy Hasty was recognised at the annual Sportel Awards, held in Monaco, as ‘One Armed Wonder: The extraordinary story of Jimmy Hasty’ picked up the Jury Special Prize award.
This award is presented each year to the best sports documentary across all sports, not just football.
“One-Armed Wonder: The Extraordinary Story of Jimmy Hasty” tells the incredible story of a Belfast born Dundalk footballer from the 1960’s, who had only one arm! Twenty-six minutes long, the documentary follows the life of Jimmy Hasty, who can only be described as an icon amongst Dundalk folk.
In July 1950, when he was 14 years old, he lost his left arm in an industrial accident on his first day at work at Jennymount Mill in Belfast. He joined Newry Town in the second tier in Northern Ireland and caught the eye of then Dundalk Chairman Jim Malone who was bowled away by Hasty’s talent. Malone had huge belief in Hasty and after a battle to convince the board that it would be a good idea to sign a one-armed player the Belfast player became a professional footballer before helping Dundalk win their first league in 30 years.
He returned to Belfast where 11 years later he was murdered by the UVF leaving a widow and two small boys.
He is probably best known amongst Dundalk supporters for scoring a goal in the European Cup and being involved in the other as Hasty helped Dundalk beat Swiss side, F.C. Zurich 2-1 away from home. This Dundalk squad became the first Irish side to win away from home in European Football.
Jimmy Hasty was not only an incredible footballer, who made spectators forget about his missing arm, but an inspiration to anyone struggling in the game because of a disability. Richard Milway who is a staff producer of Noah Media Group, produced and directed this masterpiece. He stated that he was delighted to win and thanked all who had contributed to the making of the programme including the Hasty and Malone families, Dundalk FC and other contributors, including the four surviving teammates of Jimmy. They are John Murphy, Francie Callan Patsy McKeown and Davy McArdle. The four were recently presented to the crowd at half time, marking the 60th anniversary of the win in Zurich. Dundalk were the first Irish side to win a European match away from home. Speaking about the award Richard said the recognition of the documentary from Sportel was testament to what an incredible man Jimmy Hasty was.
“UEFA and Noah Media Group had talks of a documentary series based on untold stories relating to UEFA competitions. Researching we came across the player with one arm who scored in the European Cup and everything went from there.”
“We were absolutely delighted to win the Jury Special Prize at the awards night in Monaco. The Jury Special Prize celebrates the best of Sport TV production, with awards decided by a jury consisting of sports and media personalities. The Jury Special Prize is awarded to their favourite entry from across all categories. Noah Media Group which is where I work also won the Best Documentary prize for Villeneuve Pironi,” explained Richard.
“It’s an honour to win this award and it’s testament to what an incredible man Jimmy Hasty was. His story transcended sport and I’m very happy to see it resonating with audiences who otherwise may never have heard of Jimmy. I felt very privileged that both the Malone and Hasty families – particularly his widow Margaret – entrusted me to tell this story, and I couldn’t have had more support from Dundalk FC or the town in general.
“Filming in Dundalk felt very much like a celebration of Jimmy’s life, whereas the days in Belfast with his family were understandably more sombre. It really brought home how his needless killing still impacts their lives today.
“I knew little about Irish football in the ‘60s at the start of this journey and what I found amazing was how people had such great memories of past eras and wanted to pass them down to the next generations. It was clear from filming at a game how passionate the Dundalk fans are and what a big part the club plays in the community.
“The information came from the club itself and their historian, as well as from local newspapers of the time,” added Richard.
The documentary is still available on RTE and Virgin on demand. It can also be watched for free on UEFA TV when you register.
