Professional Footballers' Association
Encyclopedia
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union
for professional football
ers in England
and Wales
. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members.
The aims of the PFA are to protect, improve and negotiate the conditions, rights and status of all professional players by collective bargaining agreements.
The PFA is affiliated with the Professional Footballers' Association Scotland. The Northern Ireland PFA disbanded in 1995.
). On that date, Charlie Roberts
and Billy Meredith
(who had been involved in the AFU), both of Manchester United
, convened the Players' Union at Manchester
’s Imperial Hotel.
This was the second attempt to organise a union of professional footballers in England, after the Association Footballers' Union
(the "AFU"), formed in 1898, had been dissolved in 1901. The AFU had failed in its objectives of bringing about a relaxation of the restrictions on the movement of players from one club to another
in the Football League and preventing the introduction of a maximum wage of £4 per week for players in the Football League.
Like the AFU before it, the Players' Union intended to challenge the maximum wage and the restriction on transfers, in the form of the "retain and transfer" system
.
withdrew its recognition of the Union, which at that time was seeking to join the Federation of Trade Unions (‘FTU’).
In response, the Union threatened strike action. The Football Association in turn banned players affiliated with the AFPTU before the start of the 1909–10 season. The ban saw membership of the Union fall. However, players from Manchester United
refused to relinquish their membership. League clubs turned to amateur players to replace players that had been banned, but Manchester United were not able to find enough replacements, risking the cancellation of their opening fixture at home to Bradford City. The Manchester United players were called "Outcasts FC".
The deadlock swung in favour of the Union when Tim Coleman
of Everton
came out in support of the Union. Coleman's intervention resuscitated support for the Union, which regained its strength of numbers. Agreement was reached on official recognition for the Union in exchange for allowing bonus payments to be made to players to supplement the maximum wage. The maximum wage remained for more than another half century.
Although membership increased from 300 in 1915 to well over 1000 by 1920 this did not herald a new era of radicalism among the rank-and-file. Widespread unemployment heralded declines in attendance at Football League matches at a time when many clubs had, once again, committed themselves to expensive ground improvement programmes in the expectation that the post-war spectator boom would continue indefinitely. Inevitably, this caused financial difficulties at many clubs. Clubs believed their problems were due to players' excessive wages rather than over-expansion. In the spring of 1922, they persuaded the League authorities to arbitrarily impose a £1 cut to the maximum wage (£9 a week at that time) and force clubs to reduce the wages of players who were on less than the maximum. Legal proceedings backed by the Players' Union this time established that clubs could not unilaterally impose a cut in players' contracted wages.
Between 1946 and 1957 the Chairman of the Union was former Portsmouth
captain Jimmy Guthrie
. His book 'Soccer Rebel', published in 1976, documents his chairmanship and the struggle of the Union to improve the lot of professional footballers in the years preceding the abolition of the maximum wage.
became secretary of the Players' Union. He soon changed the union's name to the Professional Footballers' Association (the "PFA"), changing a blue collar image to one in keeping with the new wave of working-class actors and entertainers.
In 1957, Jimmy Hill became chairman of the PFA and campaigned to have the Football League
's £20 maximum wage
scrapped, which he achieved in January 1961. His Fulham teammate Johnny Haynes
became the first £100 player.
The PFA also backed George Eastham
in his legal action against the retain and transfer system, providing him with £15,000 to pay for his legal fees. The case was brought against his former club, Newcastle United, in the High Court. In 1963, The Court held that the retain and transfer system
was an unreasonable restraint of trade
.
award, given to the player voted the best of the season by his fellow players. The second is the Young Player of the Year
award, given to the young player voted the best of the season by the PFA. The third is the Merit Award
, given to the person who has contributed the most to football over the season, as voted for by the PFA.
In 2001, they created another award; the Fans' Player of the Year
award, given to the player voted the best of the season by the fans. In 2005 they introduced yet another award; the Team of the Year
award, given to eleven players in each league (forty-four players in total) who are deemed the best of the season by the PFA.
It is a member of the Institute of Professional Sport and FIFPro
– the confederation of international football players' unions – as well as the Trades Union Congress
. Its current chief executive
is Gordon Taylor, a former player with Blackburn Rovers
. Many of the key personnel within the PFA are also ex-professionals, including Deputy Chief Executives John Bramhall and Bobby Barnes
.
The PFA also fund various education programmes for ex and current players. The oldest is a a link with the University of Salford
which has been running since 1991 and which by 2007 had seen over 70 players complete degrees in Physiotherapy. Additionally players complete Sports Science
degrees from Manchester Metropolitan University
and Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting degrees at Staffordshire University
, in addition to other programmes including fitness training, training to become driving instructors and various other initiatives.
The PFA also funds a residential rehabilitation scheme that allows any injured member to attend the Lilleshall Sports Injury Rehabilitation centre for physiotherapy and sports injury treatment free of charge to the player or club. The scheme is designed to complement the medical care available at the players own club. Many club Physios refer their players to Lilleshall with the intention of providing a change of environment. This helps to maintain the motivation & interest of long term injured players. The free sports injury and physiotherapy services are based at the Lilleshall Hall
National Sports Centre in Shropshire
.
. Throughout the year the PFA ran a number of high-profile events involving current and former players and managers with the sole purpose of reaching the £1 million target. Events included a pro-celebrity golf event, race days and initiatives involving younger supporters. On the day that the PFA was formed in 1907 – 2 December – there was a match between an England Legends XI – captained by Alan Shearer
and managed by Terry Venables
– and a World Legends XI – captained by Gianfranco Zola
and managed by Jürgen Klinsmann
– culminating in a gala dinner in the evening involving a host of top entertainers.
In December of the centenary year, the PFA issued Fans' Favourites
; a list of the favourite players at each Football League
club. In making the selection, the PFA canvassed the opinions of the supporters of present, and some former, League clubs about their favourite player.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
for professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
ers in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members.
The aims of the PFA are to protect, improve and negotiate the conditions, rights and status of all professional players by collective bargaining agreements.
The PFA is affiliated with the Professional Footballers' Association Scotland. The Northern Ireland PFA disbanded in 1995.
The Players' Union
The PFA was formed on 2 December 1907 as the Association of Football Players' and Trainers' Union (the AFPTU, commonly referred to at the time as the Players' UnionPlayers' Union
The Players' Union was the popular name for the Association of Football Players’ and Trainers’ Union in the United Kingdom; the original association that became the Professional Footballers' Association....
). On that date, Charlie Roberts
Charlie Roberts
Charles "Charlie" Roberts was an English footballer.-Playing career:Born in Darlington, Roberts started his football career with Bishop Auckland, but soon moved to Grimsby Town....
and Billy Meredith
Billy Meredith
William Henry "Billy" Meredith was a Welsh footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each domestic trophy in the English football league and also gained 48 caps for Wales, for whom he...
(who had been involved in the AFU), both of Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, convened the Players' Union at Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
’s Imperial Hotel.
This was the second attempt to organise a union of professional footballers in England, after the Association Footballers' Union
Association Footballers' Union
The Association Footballers' Union , formed in England in 1898, was the first attempt by football players in the United Kingdom to organize themselves into a union....
(the "AFU"), formed in 1898, had been dissolved in 1901. The AFU had failed in its objectives of bringing about a relaxation of the restrictions on the movement of players from one club to another
Retain and transfer system
The retain and transfer system was a restriction that existed in England from 1893 until 1963 on the freedom of professional association football players to transfer from one Football League club to another...
in the Football League and preventing the introduction of a maximum wage of £4 per week for players in the Football League.
Like the AFU before it, the Players' Union intended to challenge the maximum wage and the restriction on transfers, in the form of the "retain and transfer" system
Retain and transfer system
The retain and transfer system was a restriction that existed in England from 1893 until 1963 on the freedom of professional association football players to transfer from one Football League club to another...
.
Threatened strike action in 1909
When the Players' Union made its objectives clear in 1909, the Football AssociationThe Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
withdrew its recognition of the Union, which at that time was seeking to join the Federation of Trade Unions (‘FTU’).
In response, the Union threatened strike action. The Football Association in turn banned players affiliated with the AFPTU before the start of the 1909–10 season. The ban saw membership of the Union fall. However, players from Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
refused to relinquish their membership. League clubs turned to amateur players to replace players that had been banned, but Manchester United were not able to find enough replacements, risking the cancellation of their opening fixture at home to Bradford City. The Manchester United players were called "Outcasts FC".
The deadlock swung in favour of the Union when Tim Coleman
Tim Coleman
John George "Tim" Coleman was an English footballer.Coleman was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire, and first played for local non-league sides, Kettering Town and then Northampton Town in 1901...
of Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
came out in support of the Union. Coleman's intervention resuscitated support for the Union, which regained its strength of numbers. Agreement was reached on official recognition for the Union in exchange for allowing bonus payments to be made to players to supplement the maximum wage. The maximum wage remained for more than another half century.
Continuing battles with the Football League
The 1910s saw the Union backing a challenge by Herbert Kingaby against the retain and transfer system in the courts. Kingaby brought legal proceedings against his former employers, Aston Villa, for preventing him from playing. The Players' Union funded the proceedings. Erroneous strategy by Kingaby's counsel resulted in the suit ending disastrously for the Union. The Union were almost ruined financially and membership fell drastically.Although membership increased from 300 in 1915 to well over 1000 by 1920 this did not herald a new era of radicalism among the rank-and-file. Widespread unemployment heralded declines in attendance at Football League matches at a time when many clubs had, once again, committed themselves to expensive ground improvement programmes in the expectation that the post-war spectator boom would continue indefinitely. Inevitably, this caused financial difficulties at many clubs. Clubs believed their problems were due to players' excessive wages rather than over-expansion. In the spring of 1922, they persuaded the League authorities to arbitrarily impose a £1 cut to the maximum wage (£9 a week at that time) and force clubs to reduce the wages of players who were on less than the maximum. Legal proceedings backed by the Players' Union this time established that clubs could not unilaterally impose a cut in players' contracted wages.
Between 1946 and 1957 the Chairman of the Union was former Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
captain Jimmy Guthrie
Jimmy Guthrie (footballer)
Jimmy Guthrie was born James Wallace Taylor Guthrie in Luncarty, Perthshire, Scotland on June 6, 1912. He played for Luncarty City Boys, Perth Thistle F.C. and Scone Thistle before joining Dundee for the 1932/33 season...
. His book 'Soccer Rebel', published in 1976, documents his chairmanship and the struggle of the Union to improve the lot of professional footballers in the years preceding the abolition of the maximum wage.
Modernisation
In 1956, Jimmy HillJimmy Hill
James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
became secretary of the Players' Union. He soon changed the union's name to the Professional Footballers' Association (the "PFA"), changing a blue collar image to one in keeping with the new wave of working-class actors and entertainers.
In 1957, Jimmy Hill became chairman of the PFA and campaigned to have the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
's £20 maximum wage
Maximum wage
A maximum wage, also often called a wage ceiling, is a legal limit on how much income an individual can earn. This is a related economic concept that is complementary to the minimum wage used currently by some states to enforce minimum earnings...
scrapped, which he achieved in January 1961. His Fulham teammate Johnny Haynes
Johnny Haynes
John Norman "Johnny" Haynes was an English footballer, best known for his 18 years at Fulham. He played a club-record 658 games and scored 158 goals for the club between 1952 and 1970...
became the first £100 player.
The PFA also backed George Eastham
George Eastham
George Edward Eastham, OBE is an English former footballer. He is known for playing for Newcastle United, Arsenal and Stoke City, as well as a non-playing member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad...
in his legal action against the retain and transfer system, providing him with £15,000 to pay for his legal fees. The case was brought against his former club, Newcastle United, in the High Court. In 1963, The Court held that the retain and transfer system
Retain and transfer system
The retain and transfer system was a restriction that existed in England from 1893 until 1963 on the freedom of professional association football players to transfer from one Football League club to another...
was an unreasonable restraint of trade
Restraint of trade
Restraint of trade is a common law doctrine relating to the enforceability of contractual restrictions on freedom to conduct business. In an old leading case of Mitchell v Reynolds Lord Smith LC said,...
.
PFA Awards
In 1974, the PFA created three awards to be given to players – or people who have contributed a lot to the game – every year. The first is the Players' Player of the YearPFA Players' Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the year in English football...
award, given to the player voted the best of the season by his fellow players. The second is the Young Player of the Year
PFA Young Player of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Young Player of the Year is an annual award given to the player aged 23 or under at the start of the season who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
award, given to the young player voted the best of the season by the PFA. The third is the Merit Award
PFA Merit Award
The Professional Footballers' Association Merit Award is an award given by the Professional Footballers' Association for meritorious service to football....
, given to the person who has contributed the most to football over the season, as voted for by the PFA.
In 2001, they created another award; the Fans' Player of the Year
PFA Fans' Player of the Year
The ESPN Professional Footballers' Association Fans' Player of the Year award is given to footballers in the top four flights of English football, the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two.The shortlist is compiled by the members of the Professional Footballers'...
award, given to the player voted the best of the season by the fans. In 2005 they introduced yet another award; the Team of the Year
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
award, given to eleven players in each league (forty-four players in total) who are deemed the best of the season by the PFA.
Present day objectives
In association with other football bodies, the PFA are the managing agents for the "Football Scholarship Programme" and the "Football in the Community Programme".It is a member of the Institute of Professional Sport and FIFPro
FIFPro
The Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels , usually known by the abbreviation FIFPro, is a worldwide representative organization for professional football players. At the moment there are 43 national players associations who are members of FIFPro...
– the confederation of international football players' unions – as well as the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
. Its current chief executive
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
is Gordon Taylor, a former player with Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. Many of the key personnel within the PFA are also ex-professionals, including Deputy Chief Executives John Bramhall and Bobby Barnes
Bobby Barnes (footballer)
David Oswald 'Bobby' Barnes is an English former professional footballer. He made over 300 appearances in the Football League and represented England at youth level.-Career:...
.
The PFA also fund various education programmes for ex and current players. The oldest is a a link with the University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
which has been running since 1991 and which by 2007 had seen over 70 players complete degrees in Physiotherapy. Additionally players complete Sports Science
Sports science
Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...
degrees from Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University
Manchester Metropolitan University is a university in North West England. Its headquarters and central campus is in the city of Manchester, but there are outlying facilities in the county of Cheshire. It is the third largest university in the United Kingdom in terms of student numbers, behind the...
and Professional Sports Writing and Broadcasting degrees at Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University is a university with its main campus based in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and with other campuses in Stafford, Lichfield and Shrewsbury.- History :...
, in addition to other programmes including fitness training, training to become driving instructors and various other initiatives.
The PFA also funds a residential rehabilitation scheme that allows any injured member to attend the Lilleshall Sports Injury Rehabilitation centre for physiotherapy and sports injury treatment free of charge to the player or club. The scheme is designed to complement the medical care available at the players own club. Many club Physios refer their players to Lilleshall with the intention of providing a change of environment. This helps to maintain the motivation & interest of long term injured players. The free sports injury and physiotherapy services are based at the Lilleshall Hall
Lilleshall Hall
Lilleshall Hall is a large former country house and estate located near Lilleshall in Shropshire, England. It was founded as an Augustinian Abbey in the 12th century, with its estate running to some...
National Sports Centre in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
Centenary
2007 brought along the 100th year since the foundation of The Players Union, and to commemorate the centenary year, the PFA launched their "One Goal One Million" campaign. The campaign involved a whole year of celebratory fund-raising activities with the aim of raising £1 million to fully fund a new children's rehabilitation and physiotherapy unit at the University Children’s Hospital, ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. Throughout the year the PFA ran a number of high-profile events involving current and former players and managers with the sole purpose of reaching the £1 million target. Events included a pro-celebrity golf event, race days and initiatives involving younger supporters. On the day that the PFA was formed in 1907 – 2 December – there was a match between an England Legends XI – captained by Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
and managed by Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
– and a World Legends XI – captained by Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola
Gianfranco Zola, OBE, Ufficiale OMRI is a retired Italian footballer and manager, who most recently managed West Ham United from 2008 to 2010, after having been assistant manager of the Italy U-21 under Pierluigi Casiraghi...
and managed by Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann
Jürgen Klinsmann is a German football manager and former player who is currently the coach of the United States Men's National Team. As a player, Klinsmann played for several prominent clubs in Europe and was part of the West German team that won the 1990 FIFA World Cup and the German one that...
– culminating in a gala dinner in the evening involving a host of top entertainers.
In December of the centenary year, the PFA issued Fans' Favourites
PFA Fans' Favourites
The PFA Fans' Favourites is a list of football players produced as part of the celebrations of the centenary of the Professional Footballers' Association in 2007. There is one entry for each Football League club's favourite player...
; a list of the favourite players at each Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
club. In making the selection, the PFA canvassed the opinions of the supporters of present, and some former, League clubs about their favourite player.
Management committee
- Chairman: Clarke CarlisleClarke CarlisleClarke James Carlisle is an English professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Football League One side Preston North End, on loan from Burnley. Born in Preston, he began playing football at a young age, taking inspiration from his father who played semi-professionally. Carlisle...
(Preston North EndPreston North End F.C.Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
) - Scott McGleishScott McGleishScott McGleish is an English footballer, who currently plays for Npower League Two side Bristol Rovers.-Career:...
(Bristol RoversBristol Rovers F.C.Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
) - Marcus HahnemannMarcus HahnemannMarcus Stephen Hahnemann is an American international soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Everton.Graduating out of Seattle Pacific University, he played for the Seattle Sounders between 1994 and 1996. Between 1997 and 1999 he turned out for the Colorado Rapids, signing with English club...
(Free AgentFree agentIn professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
) - Gary NevilleGary NevilleGary Alexander Neville is a former English footballer. He is England's most capped right-back and was Manchester United's club captain for five years....
(Retired) - Darren Moore (Burton AlbionBurton Albion F.C.Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
) - Neil CutlerNeil CutlerNeil Anthony Cutler is an English Goalkeeper Coach and former football goalkeeper who retired in September 2007. He re-registered as a player in November 2010 for Bury. He last played for Rotherham United, whom he joined just a couple of days before the 2005–06 season got under way...
(Retired) - Ben SedgemoreBen SedgemoreBenjamin Redwood Sedgemore is a retired English footballer. His brother Jake Sedgemore is also a footballer.-Career:...
(Retired) - Gareth GriffithsGareth GriffithsGareth John Griffiths is an English former footballer. A defender, he played 337 league games in a 13 year career in the Football League....
(Retired) - Chris HopeChris Hope (footballer)Christopher Jonathan Hope is an English professional footballer who plays for Corby Town. Hope made over 500 appearances in the Football League for Scunthorpe United and Gillingham between 1993 and 2006.-Career:...
(Corby TownCorby Town F.C.Corby Town F.C. is an English football club based in Corby, Northamptonshire. They will be members of the Conference North for the 2011–12 season. The Steelmen play their home games at the newly built Steel Park, adjacent to their previous ground, Rockingham Triangle Sports Stadium, which is...
) - Colin MurdockColin MurdockColin Murdock is a Northern Irish former footballer.He is currently a trainee solicitor at Manchester law firm George Davies LLP...
(Retired)
Past Chairmen
- Jimmy GuthrieJimmy Guthrie (footballer)Jimmy Guthrie was born James Wallace Taylor Guthrie in Luncarty, Perthshire, Scotland on June 6, 1912. He played for Luncarty City Boys, Perth Thistle F.C. and Scone Thistle before joining Dundee for the 1932/33 season...
- Jimmy HillJimmy HillJames William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
- Gordon Taylor
- Brian MarwoodBrian MarwoodBrian Marwood is an English former footballer and is currently one of the main executive staff at Manchester City F.C. under the role of Football Administration Officer.-Hull City:...
- Derek DouganDerek DouganAlexander Derek Dougan was a former Northern Ireland international footballer who played for Wolverhampton Wanderers....
- Garth CrooksGarth CrooksGarth Anthony Crooks OBE is a retired English football player of Jamaican ancestry. He played principally for Stoke City and Tottenham, with whom he was a prolific goal scorer and an FA Cup winner at Wembley in 1981...
- Barry HorneBarry Horne (footballer)Barry Horne is a Welsh former professional footballer and former chairman of the Professional Footballers Association.-Playing career:...
- Nick CusackNick CusackNicholas John Cusack is an English former footballer and, briefly, player-manager. He was for a time chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association .-Football career:...
- Dean HoldsworthDean HoldsworthDean Christopher Holdsworth is an English former professional football player, now manager. As a striker he scored 193 goals in 610 league games over a 22 year career. Despite playing for 16 clubs in 19 spells the majority of his goals and appearances came at Brentford, Wimbledon, and Bolton...
- Chris PowellChris PowellChristopher George Robin "Chris" Powell is an English football manager and retired player, who had a long career as a left back, crowned by five caps for the English national team...
Chief Executives
- Chief Executive: Gordon Taylor
- Deputy Chief Executive: Bobby BarnesBobby Barnes (footballer)David Oswald 'Bobby' Barnes is an English former professional footballer. He made over 300 appearances in the Football League and represented England at youth level.-Career:...
- Deputy Chief Executive: John BramhallJohn Bramhall (footballer)John Bramhall is a former English professional footballer who played as a defender. He made more than 500 Football League appearances for six clubs from 1976 to 1991 and is now assistant chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association.Bramhall joined Tranmere Rovers in July 1976 from...
PFA Executives
- Richard JobsonRichard Jobson (footballer)Richard Jobson is an English former footballer who made nearly 600 appearances in the Football League and Premier League over a twenty-year career, representing Watford, Hull City, Oldham Athletic, Leeds United, Southend United, Manchester City, Tranmere Rovers and Rochdale...
- Martin BuchanMartin BuchanMartin McLean Buchan is a Scottish former footballer. Buchan was a central defender for Manchester United in 1972–1983, and captained the late 1970s teams for six years...
- Nick CusackNick CusackNicholas John Cusack is an English former footballer and, briefly, player-manager. He was for a time chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association .-Football career:...
See also
- The Players' Union
- The Football AssociationThe Football AssociationThe Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
- Scottish Professional Footballers' AssociationScottish Professional Footballers' AssociationThe Professional Footballers' Association Scotland is the association for professional footballers in Scotland. It was formerly known as the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association , but that organisation was dissolved and replaced by PFA Scotland in 2007. PFA Scotland is affiliated to the ...
- Professional Footballers' Association of Ireland
- Football Writers' AssociationFootball Writers' AssociationThe Football Writers' Association is an association of England football journalists and correspondents writing for newspapers and agencies, founded in 1947....