Football Writers' Association

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The Football Writers' Association (FWA) is an association of football journalists and correspondents writing for English newspapers and agencies. It presents the Footballer of the Year Award, the oldest and most distinguished award given in the domestic game. In 2018, recognising the growth of the woman's game, it announced a Woman's Footballer of the Year Award.

Contents

History

The choice to create the Football Writers' Association (FWA) was made on 22 September 1947 by journalists, Charles Buchan (News Chronicle), Frank Coles (Daily Telegraph), Roy Peskett (Daily Mail), and Archie Quick while aboard a boat in the middle of the English Channel that was returning from a football match in which England beat Belgium 5–2. Ivan Sharpe of the Sunday Chronicle was appointed chairman a month later, a position he held for the first six years of the FWA's existence and eight times in all in his long career. The men formalized a few of the newborn association's rules and regulations within one month. Some of the rules initially created were that membership to the FWA would be invitation only and that they would exclusively send invitations to "working journalists who are accredited football correspondents for newspapers and agencies". It was also determined that the Football Writers' Association's headquarters would be in London, England and the membership fee would be five guineas for the first year of membership with a recurring annual payment of two guineas each year after. Furthermore, the men had decided that there would be a vote held annually for all members that would decide the recipient of the prestigious Footballer of the Year Award, which is still today the oldest and most distinguished award given in the domestic game. The award was originally presented at the annual dinner, which was held on the night before the FA Cup Final, but was later changed to the Thursday preceding every FA Cup Final. To mark the FWA's 70th anniversary newly created Life Members of the association will now receive the Ivan Sharpe Life Membership Award, while in 2018, the FWA announced it was awarding a Woman's Footballer of the Year award in recognition of the growth of the woman's game in this country. ed [1]

The Football Writers' Association today

The FWA has experienced steady growth since its inception in 1947. Membership has grown to about four-hundred members. Changes in modern journalism have welcomed a more diverse range of members. In recent years, the association has modernized itself by changing the voting process for Footballer of the Year by making online voting available to its members as well as incorporating social media into its revamped web site. The Football Writers' Association continues to recruit new members openly in the same manner as was created by its founders in 1947. [1] On 24 April 2019, beIN Sports senior sports correspondent Carrie Brown was announced as the first female chair of the FWA. [2]

The FWA Footballer of the Year Award

Charles Buchan, one of the founding fathers of the FWA, had originally suggested that there be an award presented "to the professional player who by precept and example is considered by a ballot of members to be the footballer of the year." The award is the oldest and is considered to be the most prestigious award in British football. The award is presented annually. The first player to receive the award was Sir Stanley Matthews in 1948. [3] In 2018 the FWA introduced their award for the Woman Footballer of the Year in recognition of the growth of the woman's game.

Winners

The award has been presented on 71 occasions as of 2018, with 63 different winners. On one occasion two players shared the award for a season (1968–69). [4] The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major "player of the year" awards in English football, namely the Professional Footballers' Association's Players' Player of the Year award (PPY), [5] [6] [7] Fans' Player of the Year award (FPY), [8] and Young Player of the Year award (YPY). [6] [7] [9]

Neville Southall's 1985 win was the last time a goalkeeper received the award. NevilleSouthall.jpg
Neville Southall's 1985 win was the last time a goalkeeper received the award.
Dennis Bergkamp won the award in the 1997-98 season. Dennis Bergkamp cropped.JPG
Dennis Bergkamp won the award in the 1997–98 season.
Thierry Henry was the first player to win the award in two consecutive seasons. Thierry Henry Charlton.jpg
Thierry Henry was the first player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
Cristiano Ronaldo also won the award consecutively, in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. C ronaldo cropped.jpg
Cristiano Ronaldo also won the award consecutively, in the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons.
Wayne Rooney gained the award in the 2009-10 season. Wayne Rooney vs Everton 2009.jpg
Wayne Rooney gained the award in the 2009–10 season.
YearPlayerClubAlso wonNotes
1947–48 Flag of England.svg Stanley Matthews Blackpool
1948–49 Flag of Ireland.svg Johnny Carey Manchester United [10]
1949–50 Flag of England.svg Joe Mercer Arsenal
1950–51 Flag of England.svg Harry Johnston Blackpool
1951–52 Flag of England.svg Billy Wright Wolverhampton Wanderers
1952–53 Flag of England.svg Nat Lofthouse Bolton Wanderers
1953–54 Flag of England.svg Tom Finney Preston North End
1954–55 Flag of England.svg Don Revie Manchester City
1955–56 Flag of Germany.svg Bert Trautmann Manchester City
1956–57 Flag of England.svg Tom Finney Preston North End [11]
1957–58 Ulster Banner.svg Danny Blanchflower Tottenham Hotspur
1958–59 Flag of England.svg Syd Owen Luton Town
1959–60 Flag of England.svg Bill Slater Wolverhampton Wanderers
1960–61 Ulster Banner.svg Danny Blanchflower Tottenham Hotspur
1961–62 Flag of England.svg Jimmy Adamson Burnley
1962–63 Flag of England.svg Stanley Matthews Stoke City [12]
1963–64 Flag of England.svg Bobby Moore West Ham United
1964–65 Flag of Scotland.svg Bobby Collins Leeds United
1965–66 Flag of England.svg Bobby Charlton Manchester United
1966–67 Flag of England.svg Jack Charlton Leeds United
1967–68 Ulster Banner.svg George Best Manchester United
1968–69 Flag of England.svg Tony Book (joint winner) Manchester City
Flag of Scotland.svg Dave Mackay (joint winner) Derby County
1969–70 Flag of Scotland.svg Billy Bremner Leeds United
1970–71 Flag of Scotland.svg Frank McLintock Arsenal
1971–72 Flag of England.svg Gordon Banks Stoke City
1972–73 Ulster Banner.svg Pat Jennings Tottenham Hotspur [13]
1973–74 Flag of England.svg Ian Callaghan Liverpool
1974–75 Flag of England.svg Alan Mullery Fulham
1975–76 Flag of England.svg Kevin Keegan Liverpool
1976–77 Flag of England.svg Emlyn Hughes Liverpool
1977–78 Flag of Scotland.svg Kenny Burns Nottingham Forest
1978–79 Flag of Scotland.svg Kenny Dalglish Liverpool
1979–80 Flag of England.svg Terry McDermott Liverpool PPY [14]
1980–81 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Frans Thijssen Ipswich Town
1981–82 Flag of England.svg Steve Perryman Tottenham Hotspur
1982–83 Flag of Scotland.svg Kenny Dalglish Liverpool PPY
1983–84 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Ian Rush Liverpool PPY
1984–85 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Neville Southall Everton
1985–86 Flag of England.svg Gary Lineker Everton PPY
1986–87 Flag of England.svg Clive Allen Tottenham Hotspur PPY
1987–88 Flag of England.svg John Barnes Liverpool PPY
1988–89 Flag of Scotland.svg Steve Nicol Liverpool
1989–90 Flag of England.svg John Barnes Liverpool
1990–91 Flag of Scotland.svg Gordon Strachan Leeds United
1991–92 Flag of England.svg Gary Lineker Tottenham Hotspur
1992–93 Flag of England.svg Chris Waddle Sheffield Wednesday
1993–94 Flag of England.svg Alan Shearer Blackburn Rovers
1994–95 Flag of Germany.svg Jürgen Klinsmann Tottenham Hotspur
1995–96 Flag of France.svg Eric Cantona Manchester United
1996–97 Flag of Italy.svg Gianfranco Zola Chelsea
1997–98 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Dennis Bergkamp Arsenal PPY
1998–99 Flag of France.svg David Ginola Tottenham Hotspur PPY
1999–00 Flag of Ireland.svg Roy Keane Manchester United PPY
2000–01 Flag of England.svg Teddy Sheringham Manchester United PPY
2001–02 Flag of France.svg Robert Pires Arsenal
2002–03 Flag of France.svg Thierry Henry Arsenal PPY, FPY
2003–04 Flag of France.svg Thierry Henry Arsenal PPY, FPY [15]
2004–05 Flag of England.svg Frank Lampard Chelsea FPY [16]
2005–06 Flag of France.svg Thierry Henry Arsenal [17]
2006–07 Flag of Portugal.svg Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United PPY, FPY, YPY [18]
2007–08 Flag of Portugal.svg Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United PPY, FPY
2008–09 Flag of England.svg Steven Gerrard Liverpool FPY [19]
2009–10 Flag of England.svg Wayne Rooney Manchester United PPY [20]
2010–11 Flag of England.svg Scott Parker West Ham United [21]
2011–12 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Robin van Persie Arsenal PPY, FPY [22]
2012–13 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Gareth Bale Tottenham Hotspur PPY, YPY [23]
2013–14 Flag of Uruguay.svg Luis Suárez Liverpool PPY [24]
2014–15 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Eden Hazard Chelsea PPY [25]
2015–16 Flag of England.svg Jamie Vardy Leicester City [26]
2016–17 Flag of France.svg N'Golo Kanté Chelsea PPY [27]
2017–18 Flag of Egypt.svg Mohamed Salah Liverpool PPY [28]
2018–19 Flag of England.svg Raheem Sterling Manchester City [29]
2019–20 Flag of England.svg Jordan Henderson Liverpool [30]
2020–21 Flag of Portugal.svg Rúben Dias Manchester City [31]
2021–22 Flag of Egypt.svg Mohamed Salah Liverpool PPY, FPY [32]
2022-23 Flag of Norway.svg Erling Haaland Manchester City PPY [33]

The FWA Women's Footballer of the Year Award

In 2018, the FWA introduced their award for the Woman Footballer of the Year in recognition of the growth of the women's game.

Inaugural winner Fran Kirby Fran Kirby Chelsea Ladies Vs Arsenal (cropped).jpg
Inaugural winner Fran Kirby

The award has been presented on one occasion as of 2018, with one winner. The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major "player of the year" awards in English football, namely the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year award (PPY), [34] and the PFA Women's Young Player of the Year award (YPY). [6] [7] [9]

YearPlayerClubAlso wonNotes
2017–18 Flag of England.svg Fran Kirby Chelsea PPYInaugural winner of award [35]
2018–19 Flag of England.svg Nikita Parris Manchester City [36]
2019–20 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Vivianne Miedema Arsenal First non-English winner [37] [38]
2020–21 Flag of England.svg Fran Kirby Chelsea PPYTwo-time winner of award [39]
2021–22 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sam Kerr Chelsea PPY [40]
2022-23 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Sam Kerr Chelsea [41]

The FWA Tribute Award

The Football Writers' Association Tribute Award is presented annually every January at the Savoy Hotel to the individual that the committee believes to have contributed to the national game in a significant way. The award was first given in 1983 to Ron Greenwood. [3]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "About | Football Writers' Association". Archived from the original on 8 April 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  2. ↑ "CARRIE BROWN BECOMES FIRST FEMALE CHAIRMAN OF THE FWA". Football Writers' Association. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  3. 1 2 "The Football Writer's Association". Archived from the original on 19 August 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  4. ↑ "England – Players Awards". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. 4 October 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
  5. ↑ "Only here for the peers". BBC. 20 April 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  6. 1 2 3 "Gerrard named player of the year". BBC. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 "Ronaldo secures PFA awards double". BBC. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  8. ↑ "PFA's Official Fan's Player of the Year: Previous Winners". The Professional Footballers' Association. Archived from the original on 20 February 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  9. 1 2 Frank Keogh (20 April 2001). "Too much too young?". BBC. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
  10. ↑ First winner of the award from outside the United Kingdom.
  11. ↑ First player to win the award twice.
  12. ↑ First player to win the award with two different clubs.
  13. ↑ Also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1976 to become the first player to win both awards.
  14. ↑ First player to win both PFA and FWA awards in the same season.
  15. ↑ First player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
  16. ↑ "Lampard scoops award from writers". BBC. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  17. ↑ First player to win the award three times.
  18. ↑ First player to win four awards in the same season.
  19. ↑ "Steven Gerrard wins Footballer of the Year award". The Times. London. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  20. ↑ "Wayne Rooney nets writers' player of the year award". BBC. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  21. ↑ "West Ham's Scott Parker wins Football Writers' award". BBC. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  22. ↑ "Arsenal's Robin van Persie named FWA Footballer of the Year". BBC. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
  23. ↑ "Bale named FWA Footballer of the Year". Football Writers' Association. 2 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
  24. ↑ "Suarez humbled by FWA accolade". Football Writers' Association. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 29 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  25. ↑ "Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard is the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year 2015". Football Writers' Association. 12 May 2015. Archived from the original on 15 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  26. ↑ "Jamie Vardy voted FWA Footballer of the Year 2016". Football Writers' Association. 1 May 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  27. ↑ "N'Golo Kante is Footballer of the Year". Football Writers' Association. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  28. ↑ "BREAKING – MO SALAH IS FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR | Football Writers' Association". footballwriters.co.uk. May 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  29. ↑ "STERLING AND PARRIS AT THE DOUBLE IN FWA AWARDS | Football Writers' Association". footballwriters.co.uk. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  30. ↑ "JORDAN HENDERSON – FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR | Football Writers' Association". footballwriters.co.uk. 24 July 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  31. ↑ "Ruben Dias - the Footballer of the Year| Football Writers' Association". footballwriters.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  32. ↑ "Mohamed Salah named Football Writers' Association Men's Footballer of the Year for 2021/22". Sky Sports. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  33. ↑ "Erling Haaland: Why FWA Footballer of the Year award had to go to Manchester City's unique scoring phenomenon". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  34. ↑ "England Player Honours – Professional Footballers' Association Players' Players of the Year". England Football Online. 19 June 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  35. ↑ "Fran Kirby is FWA Women's Footballer of the Year | Football Writers' Association". footballwriters.co.uk. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  36. ↑ "FWA Footballer of the Year 2019: Raheem Sterling wins Football Writers' award ahead of Virgil van Dijk | Independent". independent.co.uk. 29 April 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  37. ↑ "Vivianne Miedema: Arsenal & Netherlands striker named FWA Women's Footballer of Year - BBC Sport". BBC Sport.
  38. ↑ "Vivianne Miedema is Women's Footballer of the Year | Football Writers' Association". July 2020.
  39. ↑ "FRAN KIRBY IS WOMEN'S FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR | Football Writers' Association". footballwriters.co.uk. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  40. ↑ "Sam Kerr awarded FWA Women's Footballer of the Year". Chelsea F.C. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  41. ↑ "Erling Haaland named Football Writers' Association Men's Footballer of the Year for 2022/23 | Chelsea's Sam Kerr wins Women's award". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
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