Gordon Taylor (footballer)
Gordon Alexander Taylor OBE is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He has been chief executive of the English footballers' trades union, the Professional Footballers' Association, since 1981. In March 2019 it was reported that he is to stand down after the completion of a "full and open review" into the PFA's finances is presented at its 2019 AGM, along with its entire management committee and chairman Ben Purkiss. He is reputed to be the highest paid union official in the world.
Taylor was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. He played over 250 matches for Bolton Wanderers and scored more than 50 goals before being transferred to Birmingham City in 1970. He joined Blackburn Rovers in 1976 and spent the 1977 close season playing in the North American Soccer League for the Vancouver Whitecaps. He returned to play for Blackburn and finally Bury before retiring in 1980 to work full-time for the PFA.
Taylor has a degree in economics and was in 2007 a member of FIFA's football committee. He is an alumnus of Manchester Metropolitan University.
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 New Year Honours.
His mobile phone messages were allegedly hacked by a private investigator employed by the News of the World newspaper. The Guardian reported that News International paid Taylor in legal costs and damages in exchange for a confidentiality agreement barring him from speaking about the case.
