Football Writers' Association


The Football Writers' Association 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.

History

The choice to create the Football Writers' Association was made on 22 September 1947 by journalists, Charles Buchan, Frank Coles, 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.
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.
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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. On 24 April 2019, beIN Sports senior sports correspondent Carrie Brown was announced as the first female chair of the FWA.

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. 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. 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, Fans' Player of the Year award, and Young Player of the Year award.
's 1985 win was the last time a goalkeeper received the award.
won the award in the 1997–98 season.
was the first player to win the award in two consecutive seasons.
also won the award consecutively, in the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons.
gained the award in the 2009–10 season.
YearPlayerClubAlso wonNotes
1947–48Stanley MatthewsBlackpool
1948–49Manchester United
1949–50Arsenal
1950–51Blackpool
1951–52Wolverhampton Wanderers
1952–53Bolton Wanderers
1953–54Preston North End
1954–55Manchester City
1955–56Manchester City
1956–57Preston North End
1957–58Tottenham Hotspur
1958–59Luton Town
1959–60Wolverhampton Wanderers
1960–61Tottenham Hotspur
1961–62Burnley
1962–63Stoke City
1963–64West Ham United
1964–65Leeds United
1965–66Manchester United
1966–67Leeds United
1967–68Manchester United
1968–69 Manchester City
1968–69 Derby County
1969–70Leeds United
1970–71Arsenal
1971–72Stoke City
1972–73Tottenham Hotspur
1973–74Liverpool
1974–75Fulham
1975–76Liverpool
1976–77Liverpool
1977–78Nottingham Forest
1978–79Liverpool
1979–80LiverpoolPPY
1980–81Ipswich Town
1981–82Tottenham Hotspur
1982–83LiverpoolPPY
1983–84LiverpoolPPY
1984–85Everton
1985–86EvertonPPY
1986–87Tottenham HotspurPPY
1987–88LiverpoolPPY
1988–89Liverpool
1989–90Liverpool
1990–91Leeds United
1991–92Tottenham Hotspur
1992–93Sheffield Wednesday
1993–94Blackburn Rovers
1994–95Tottenham Hotspur
1995–96Manchester United
1996–97Chelsea
1997–98ArsenalPPY
1998–99Tottenham HotspurPPY
1999–00Manchester UnitedPPY
2000–01Manchester UnitedPPY
2001–02Arsenal
2002–03ArsenalPPY, FPY
2003–04ArsenalPPY, FPY
2004–05ChelseaFPY
2005–06Arsenal
2006–07Manchester UnitedPPY, FPY, YPY
2007–08Manchester UnitedPPY, FPY
2008–09LiverpoolFPY
2009–10Manchester UnitedPPY
2010–11West Ham United
2011–12ArsenalPPY, FPY
2012–13Tottenham HotspurPPY, YPY
2013–14LiverpoolPPY
2014–15ChelseaPPY
2015–16Leicester City
2016–17ChelseaPPY
2017–18LiverpoolPPY
2018–19Manchester City
2019–20Liverpool

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.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, and the PFA Women's Young Player of the Year award.
YearPlayerClubAlso wonNotes
2017–18Fran KirbyChelseaPPYInaugural winner of award
2018–19Nikita ParrisManchester City
2019–20Vivianne MiedemaArsenalFirst non-English winner

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.