Professional Footballers' Association
Professional Footballers' Association | |
| Founded | 1907 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | 20 Oxford Court, Bishopsgate, Manchester |
| Location |
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Members |  5,457 (2022)[1] |
Key people |
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| Affiliations | TUC, GFTU, FEU, FIFPro |
| Website | thepfa.com |
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales.
Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union,[2] with approximately 5,000 current members each season, including players from the Premier League, EFL and Women’s Super League.[3] Nearly 50,000 former members retain access to services and benefits including education grants, coaching courses and wellbeing support.
The PFA actively supports players with legal assistance, representation on contractual and disciplinary matters, and offers personal and professional development opportunities. The union also provides extensive mental and physical wellbeing support, and is committed to advocating for player rights at national and international levels. This includes taking legal action on issues such as player workload and pushing for equal representation and conditions in women’s football.
Current initiatives include the PFA Business School, which provides leadership training for players, and exclusive UEFA coaching programmes. The union also prioritises brain health through research and direct support for members dealing with neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, it runs rehabilitation programmes for injured players, pre-season camps for out-of-contract members, and ongoing aftercare support for former professionals transitioning into life after football.
The current CEO of the PFA is Maheta Molango, who took over in 2021, and the Players' Board, led by Leyton Orient's Omar Beckles.,[4] represents member interests. The PFA's leadership team is supported by an Operational Board of non-executive directors, which oversees governance.
History
[edit]The Players' Union
[edit]
The PFA was formed on 2 December 1907 as the Association Football Players' and Trainers' Union (AFPTU; commonly referred to at the time as the Players' Union). 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.[5]
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.
Threatened strike action in 1909
[edit]When the Players' Union made its objectives clear in 1909, the Football Association withdrew its recognition of the Union, which at that time was seeking to join the U.K.'s General Federation of Trade Unions ('GFTU').
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".[6][5]
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.[7]
Continuing battles with the Football League
[edit]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.[8] 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.[8]
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.
In 1955, the union affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC).[9]
Modernisation
[edit]In 1956, Jimmy Hill 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.[10]
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.[11] 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.[12]
From 1960, the union began representing trainers, and for a time was known as the "Professional Footballers' and Trainers' Association".[9]
The union decided to register under the Industrial Relations Act 1971, something the TUC opposed. As a result, it left the TUC in 1973, finally rejoining in 1995.[9]
Centenary
[edit]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, Manchester. 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.[13] 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.[14]
Independent Review and Governance Restructure
[edit]In 2018, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) commissioned an Independent Review to enhance its governance, transparency, accountability, and independence, ensuring the PFA operates effectively and in the best interests of its members. The review was prompted by a dispute.[15] over Ben Purkiss' eligibility as Chairman, and an open letter from 200 players calling for Chief Executive Gordon Taylor to stand down. In response,[16] Taylor promised a full and open review of the union's structure. At the 2018 AGM, held in Manchester in March 2019, it was agreed that Taylor, Purkiss, and the entire management committee would step down following the completion of the review.[17] This extensive review concluded in July 2020 and outlined recommendations for the PFA’s future development.
Former England, Manchester United, and PFA Management Committee member Gary Neville was appointed to oversee the selection panel for the recruitment of four non-executive members, in line with the Independent Review Panel’s recommendations and supported by a specialist recruitment agency. This marked the first step towards implementing the recommendations and establishing a new governance structure. The structure includes an Operational Board and a Players’ Board. The Operational Board, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, consists of non-executive members, the CEO, and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Players’ Board, with a non-executive member elected as chair. The Players' Board holds ultimate decision-making authority and delegates operational responsibilities to the Operational Board. It is directly representative of the union’s membership, with 13 members, including representatives from the Premier League, WSL, EFL Championship, League One, and League Two, along with three former players, at least two of whom have played professionally in the past five years.
Delegates approved the new rules at the AGM, which are now in effect. Following an open and competitive recruitment process, Maheta Molango was appointed as the new Chief Executive, leading the organisation through this period of change and development.
PFA Awards
[edit]In 1974, the PFA created three awards to be given to players – or people who have contributed a lot to the game – every year.[citation needed]
- Players' Player of the Year award: Given to the player voted the best of the season by his fellow players.
- Young Player of the Year award: Given to the young player voted the best of the season by the PFA.
- Merit Award: Given to the person who has contributed the most to football over the season, as voted for by the PFA.
In 1974 they introduced the first team based award:
- 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.
In 2001, they created another award:[citation needed]
- Fans' Player of the Year award: Given to the player voted the best of the season by the fans.
In 2013 and 2014 respectively, the PFA instituted the first female awards:
- PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year award: Given to the female player voted the best of the season by her fellow players.[18]
- PFA Young Women's Player of the Year award: Given to the young female player voted the best of the season by the PFA.[19]
At this time the PFA Player of the Year award was renamed Men's PFA Player of the Year[20] and the PFA Young Player of the Year was renamed Men's PFA Young Player of the Year.[21]
In 2020, the PFA added another award for the women:
- Fans' Women Player of the Year award: Given to the player voted the best of the WSL season by the fans.[22]
Sexism controversy
[edit]In 1997 some Sheffield United players invited their agent, Rachel Anderson, to the annual awards dinner.[23] Anderson was turned away by then PFA Deputy Chief Executive Brendon Batson because she is a woman.[24]
The following year, when West Ham United F.C. player Julian Dicks invited Anderson to attend the dinner,[24] Anderson contacted the PFA to find out what their reaction would be.[23] On receiving a response that she would indeed be banned Anderson decided to go public and take the PFA to court.[24] As a result, the Minister for Sport, Tony Banks, and the Chief Executive of The Football Association, Graham Kelly boycotted the event.[25]
Anderson won in court and the financial cost to the PFA was considerable, Anderson suggests "over £200,000",[23] of which she received £7,500 for "hurt feelings" and an undisclosed amount for "reasonable costs".[24]
In 2013 the PFA instituted awards for the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year. Kim Little was the recipient in the first year.[18]
Current union objectives
[edit]The PFA supports all current and former professional footballers in England across the Premier League, English Football League (EFL) and Women’s Super League (WSL).
Through its day-to-day work, the union directly supports players with legal assistance and representation on a wide