Introduction
Aaron Adam Flahavan (15 December 1975 – 5 August 2001) was an English football goalkeeper who played for Portsmouth.
Life and career
Flahavan played for the Southampton youth team before turning professional with Portsmouth at age 18 in 1994. He had to wait until 1996 before making his first-team debut as he was understudy to long-serving Alan Knight.
In the late 1990s, Flahavan gradually began receiving increased playing time, and became the team's first-choice goalkeeper. Overall, he played 105 first-team matches for Portsmouth.
Flahavan twice had blackouts during matches; the first was attributed to a virus, and the second to a drop in his blood pressure.
Death
Flahavan died in a car accident near Bournemouth in August 2001. An inquest heard that Flahavan died as a result of a fractured skull, and his blood alcohol level was nearly three times over the legal limit when he lost control of his BMW sports car.
Following his death, Portsmouth and Southampton retired his number 1 jersey for the 2001–02 season as a mark of respect.
Family
Flahavan's younger brother, Darryl, also played as a goalkeeper, and had a spell at Aaron's former club Portsmouth between 2010 and 2011. Darryl has a son named Aaron in memory of his brother.