The mother of Norwich City’s joint majority shareholder Delia Smith, Etty, has died at the age of 100.
Mrs Smith was a familiar face in the directors box at Carrow Road, regularly sitting next to her daughter for first team and academy games, including during the current season.
Mrs Smith enjoyed watching youth games and the academy Player of the Season award was renamed the Etty Smith Award in recent years, which was won by striker Adam Idah in 2019.
In an ITV documentary about Delia’s television cookery career back in 2001, Delia’s husband and joint majority shareholder at City, Michael Wynn Jones, said: “Her mother’s priority was always good cooking. She was the one who set the standards for Delia.”
Mrs Smith was also credited with placing the rubber stamp on club legend Grant Holt’s move to Norwich City by the man himself, as the talismanic striker revealed in his autobiography. After having problems with his medical, the forward’s move to Carrow Road came close to collapsing, but it was Mrs Smith who persuaded the club to push the deal through regardless.
He wrote: “On the third day, I was up at the Colney training ground and said to Bryan [Gunn, then manager], ‘Look, I either go back to Shrewsbury and say I failed my medical or you get it done today.’
“So I think he spoke to Delia and Michael and they decided to go ahead despite whatever the medical had said. Delia told me later her mum, Etty, had watched the play-off final and wanted Norwich to sign me. Thank you Etty, you are obviously a good judge!”
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