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THE IVAN SHARPE LIFE MEMBERSHIP AWARD

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Ivan Sharpe and Sir StanTHE IVAN SHARPE LIFE MEMBERSHIP AWARD
 
The name of Ivan Sharpe, chairman of the Football Writers’ Association for the first six years of our existence, is not as well known today as it once was, which is all the more reason the FWA takes great pride tonight by bringing it back into the limelight with the inauguration of the Ivan Sharpe Life Membership Award at our 70th anniversary dinner.
 
Ivan Sharpe’s career in the game spanned almost 60 years as a player and journalist.  He played as an amateur for, among others, Watford, Glossop, Derby County, Leeds City and Leeds United, won 12 England amateur caps and in 1912 won the Second Division title with Derby and a  Gold Medal for Britain at the Stockholm Olympics.
 
Born in St Albans in 1889, he was working as an apprentice journalist covering sport for the Herts Advertiser and St Albans Times in St Albans when he was signed as an amateur winger for Southern League  Watford in 1907 by player-manager John Goodall, a member of the Preston team that won the Double in 1888-89. In Ivan then, there was a tangible link to the very first season of English League football.
 
He combined his playing time in Leeds with evening paper journalism and after his playing career ended, he turned to journalism full time, editing the influential pre-war Athletic News,  working for Kemsley Newspapers and the Sunday Chronicle, He edited the pocket bible Football Annual  for more than 30 years as well as writing an influential column in the Wolves programme throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
 He covered the first Wembley FA Cup final in 1923, interviewed Benito Mussolini and according to one old source, “he also had an interview with Adolf Hitler lined up but the Fuehrer chickened out.”
 
He was clearly a man way ahead of his time too, advocating in the Athletic News in April 1930 the idea of a “goal judge stationed at each goal.” He wrote: “This goal-judge’s duty is to watch all incidents inside the penalty area at his end, and to advise the referee concerning all doubts. The referee, as now, to be supreme.” It only took UEFA 80 years to heed his advice.
 
The FWA was formed on September 22, 1947 on board a cross-Channel ferry the day after a Belgium-England international with Charles Buchan (News Chronicle), Frank Coles (Daily Telegraph) and Roy Peskett (Daily Mail) asked to draft the rules.  Ivan was appointed the first chairman a month later and held that position for six years before becoming  chairman again in 1959-60 and 1960-61. He was also made Life President, a position he held until 1968 when he died in Southport aged 79.
 
A fire some years ago destroyed all of our historical records but after painstaking research over the last four years, we are now delighted to include the names of all the chairmen of the FWA for the first time and to honour the life and career of Ivan Sharpe with our Life Membership Award named in his memory.
The first recipients, named at the Footballer of the Year dinner on May 18, are Ray Robertson, founding member of the North-East branch of the FWA, Patrick Collins, one of the finest sportswriters of our age, and Paul McCarthy, former FWA Chairman and current Executive Secretary.
Mike Collett
FWA National Committee
 

Kante collects FWA Footballer of the Year award

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Football Writers Association Player of the Year

N’Golo Kante collected his Footballer of the Year award in the same classy and unfussy manner he displays on the pitch, on a memorable FWA night at the Landmark Hotel, London on May 18.

The Chelsea midfielder won the FWA vote as the season’s outstanding player, beating his team-mate Eden Hazard into second place, while Tottenham’s Dele Alli was third.

Kante was humility personified as he made a gracious acceptance speech praising his team-mates for the rapid rise he has made from lower division French football to winning the Premier League twice in succession.

The former Leicester City midfielder said: “It is special because I couldn’t even say I am the best player, but it’s a great honour. It is not only me. I owe so much to my team-mates because we have achieved so much together this season and we still have the FA Cup final.

“A few years ago I was playing in the French lower divisions. Five years ago I wasn’t even professional, so to receive this kind of award means I am the kind of player I cannot even imagine being here.”

Former Footballer of the Year Pat Jennings was one of the speakers and said that he would love to see Kante at Spurs. “Two Premier League titles, one with Leicester last year, and one with Chelsea this year.  You don’t fancy Tottenham next year do you?” joked the gentle giant.

Graeme Souness admitted he would not have liked to have been playing in the same era as Kante, because the Frenchman was so good.

And Chelsea’s technical director Michael Emenalo joked that he sent flowers to Leicester City after capturing the influential midfielder. “It is ridiculous to think that N’Golo Kante can improve, given the fact that he has improved two fantastic clubs and helped them win titles in the last couple of seasons,” said Emenalo.

“I want to express the great pride that I and the football club have to be able to say that this wonderful player, this wonderful person, is a part of our organisation.”

Patrick Barclay, the FWA’s Chairman, drew comparisons with the great Sir Stanley Matthews, the first winner of the award, as the Association celebrates its 70th anniversary.

“Sir Stan was perhaps the most magnetic of English footballers. People of all club allegiances used to follow Stanley Matthews, and now people of all allegiances gravitate towards you, they admire the way you play the game,” he told Kante.

“That somehow links together these two very different footballers 70 years apart. You bring together the English football community in admiration of the way you play the game. No fan in the country will begrudge you this award.”

N’Golo Kante is Footballer of the Year

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N’Golo Kante is the Footballer of the Year 2017, on the 70th Anniversary of the FWA and football’s oldest individual award.

Kante’s Chelsea team-mate Eden Hazard was second with Tottenham’s Dele Alli coming in third.

Between them, Kante and Hazard polled more than 65 per cent of the votes.kante

There was a record spread of 17 different players who received votes, with five of them from Chelsea (Kante, Hazard, David Luiz, Diego Costa and Cesar Azpilicueta)

Kante said: “It is a fantastic honour to win this award. With so many great players in this Chelsea squad and in the Premier League, for the Football Writers’ Association to name me their Footballer of the Year is a very proud moment in my career.”

FWA Chairman Patrick Barclay added: “N’Golo Kante could not be a more deserving winner of English football’s most prestigious individual award.

“In the view of some FWA members, he would have been a worthy recipient last season for his contribution to Leicester’s title success, but the almost unbroken excellent form of Chelsea since he changed clubs has left little room for further debate.

“Considering the competition of Eden Hazard and other players from Chelsea in particular, this is a great achievement.”

Here is the full list of players who received votes this year, in alphabetical order…

Sergio Aguero

Toby Alderweireld

Dele Alli

Cesar Azpilicueta

Diego Costa

Philippe Coutinho

Jermain Defoe

Ben Foster

Eden Hazard

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Harry Kane

N’Golo Kante

Anthony Knockaert

David Luiz

Romelu Lukaku

Alexis Sanchez

Gylfi Sigurdsson

You can see the full list of previous winners, starting with Sir Stanley Matthews,  here: http://footballwriters.co.uk/previous-foty/

Clarification – The FWA and dispute resolution

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The Football Writers’ Association yesterday made a statement in which we called for a resolution to our members being banned on Merseyside.

We do not represent the interests of news organisations but have an obligation to respond to issues raised by any individual member in respect of bans by clubs or organisations. 

For many years, the FWA has been actively involved in dispute resolution at clubs all over England, sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully.

For clarification, we would like to make it clear that our sponsors neither influenced nor endorsed our decision, it was a statement designed purely to outline the Association’s position.

The Sun, Everton and Liverpool

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The Football Writers’ Association is concerned by the recent bans imposed on The Sun by Liverpool FC and Everton FC. 

While the FWA understands the upset caused by the presence and views of columnist Kelvin MacKenzie, the organisation feels that its members, the football journalists, are being unfairly punished for actions which have nothing to do with them.

The FWA has always believed in the fundamental principle that all of its members have a right to carry out their jobs and should not be banned because of the actions of others. 

Following discussions at National Committee level, we believe the clubs should reconsider these bans and work with the FWA and Premier League to resolve the situation.

Footballer of the Year 2017

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PrintVoting is now open for the 2017 Footballer of the Year, ahead of the dinner on May 18 at the Landmark Hotel, London.
Jamie Vardy won a hotly-contested vote last May, and it is likely to be just as competitive this season with so many high-profile players in the running.
It will be a special occasion as the FWA marks its 70th anniversary since being formed in 1947, after which Sir Stanley Matthews became the first Footballer of the Year.
Sir Stan was a perfect example of the fundamental principle of the award, which is it should go “to the player who by precept and example, on the field and off, shall be considered to have done the most for football.”
Members will be able to vote online via the FWA website, or by contacting executive secretary Paul McCarthy. The deadline for all votes will be midnight on May 7.

You can see a list of past winners here: http://footballwriters.co.uk/previous-foty/

FWA Student Membership

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Calling all sports journalism students

The FWA is opening a new category of membership for aspiring football writers who are studying sports or football journalism in all forms of media, priced at only £5 per season.

Student members do not enjoy the same voting rights as full members for the Footballer of the Year, or discounted tickets to the main FWA dinners, but will receive the FWA handbook which is an invaluable resource for budding journalists.  FWA members are always happy to pass on advice and give opportunities to young football journalists, and being part of the association can be a valuable asset for any aspiring journalist.

For more information, or to apply for membership, please contact John Ley, our membership secretary in the feedback box below or via this link: Click