Professional Footballers’ Association Chief Executive Gordon Taylor OBE, was last night honoured with the ‘Contribution to League Football Award’ at the 2010 Football League Awards.
Having now served for almost 30 years as Chief Executive of the PFA, Taylor received his award from League Chairman Lord Mawhinney at a gala dinner at Grosvenor House on Park Lane on Sunday evening in front of more than 900 attendees from Clubs, sponsors and the football industry.
Taylor has served the game with distinction across each of the last five decades during a playing career that included 548 Football League appearances for Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers and Bury.
He was PFA Chairman from 1978–1980 and was made Assistant Secretary of the union in 1980 before a taking over the reigns a year later from the outgoing Cliff Lloyd.
Football League Chairman Lord Mawhinney said:
“Gordon Taylor is a deeply passionate football man that has shown the same level of skill, tenacity and intelligence as leader of the player’s union that he showed during his playing career. The Football League and our Clubs place huge value on our partnership with the PFA and we are immensely grateful for the contribution Gordon has made.”
On collecting the award, Taylor said:
“Because I value The Football League so highly, this award means so much to me. I never dreamed of anything like this happening to me when I was a kid kicking a ball around behind the tram sheds in Ashton-under-Lyne, but to have gone on to become a professional footballer and then to play a part in shaping the game has been wonderful.”
