Football Writers' Association
The Football Writers' Association (the FWA) is an association of England football journalists and correspondents writing for newspapers and agencies, founded in 1947 by Charles Buchan, Messrs Cole, Roy Peskett, and Archie Quick.
History
The choice to create the Football Writers' Association (FWA) was made on September 2, 1947, by four journalists, Charles Buchan, Messrs Cole, Roy Peskett, 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. The four 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.[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]
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.[2]
Winners
The award has been presented on 69 occasions as of 2015, with 60 different winners. On one occasion two players shared the award for a season (1968–69).[3] 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),[4][5][6] Fans' Player of the Year award (FPY),[7] and Young Player of the Year award (YPY).[5][6][8]
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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.[2]
Winners
1980s
| Year | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| 1983 |  Ron Greenwood |
| 1984 | Bob Paisley |
| 1985 | Sir Trevor Brooking |
| 1986 |  Pat Jennings |
| 1987 |  Kenny Dalglish |
| 1988 | Sir Tom Finney |
| 1989 | Sir Bobby Charlton |
1990s
2000s
| Year | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| 2000 | George Best |
| 2001 | Alan Shearer |
| 2002 | Graham Taylor |
| 2003 | Tony Adams |
| 2004 | Jimmy Hill |
| 2005 |  Arsène Wenger |
| 2006 | Bryan Robson |
| 2007 |  Ryan Giggs |
| 2008 | David Beckham |
| 2009 | Harry Redknapp |
2010s
| Year | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Frank Lampard |
| 2011 | Thierry Henry |
| 2012 | Gary Neville / Paul Scholes |
| 2013 | Steven Gerrard |
| 2014 |  José Mourinho |
| 2015 |  Didier Drogba |
See also
- Welsh Football Writers Association
- Scottish Football Writers' Association
- Ice Hockey Journalists UK
- Professional Footballers' Association
References
- 1 2 http://www.footballwriters.co.uk/about/
- 1 2 http://www.footballwriters.co.uk/awards/
- ↑ "England – Players Awards". RSSSF. 4 October 2007. Retrieved 18 March 2008.
- ↑ "Only here for the peers". BBC. 20 April 2001. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- 1 2 "Gerrard named player of the year". BBC. 23 April 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- 1 2 "Ronaldo secures PFA awards double". BBC. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ Frank Keogh (20 April 2001). "Too much too young?". BBC. Retrieved 17 March 2008.
- ↑ First winner of the award from outside the United Kingdom.
- ↑ First player to win the award twice.
- ↑ First player to win the award with two different clubs.
- ↑ Also won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in 1976 to become the first player to win both awards.
- ↑ First player to win both PFA and FWA awards in the same season.
- ↑ First player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
- ↑ "Lampard scoops award from writers". BBC. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ↑ First player to win the award three times.
- ↑ First player to win four awards in the same season.
- ↑ "Steven Gerrard wins Footballer of the Year award". The Times. London. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ↑ "Wayne Rooney nets writers' player of the year award". BBC. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ↑ "West Ham's Scott Parker wins Football Writers' award". BBC. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
- ↑ "Arsenal's Robin van Persie named FWA Footballer of the Year". BBC. 24 April 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2012.
- ↑ "Bale named FWA Footballer of the Year". Football Writers’ Association. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
- ↑ "SUAREZ HUMBLED BY FWA ACCOLADE". Football Writers’ Association. 16 May 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
- ↑ "CHELSEA MIDFIELDER EDEN HAZARD IS THE FOOTBALL WRITERS' ASSOCIATION FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR 2015". Football Writers’ Association. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.