Gordon Taylor OBE
Personal information
Full name Gordon Alexander Taylor[1]
Date of birth (1944-12-28) 28 December 1944 (age 79)
Place of birth Ashton-under-Lyne, England
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[2]
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
1959–1960 Curzon Ashton
1960–1962 Bolton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1962–1970 Bolton Wanderers 258 (41)
1970–1976 Birmingham City 166 (9)
1976–1978 Blackburn Rovers 64 (3)
1977 → Vancouver Whitecaps (loan) 16 (1)
1978–1980 Bury 60 (2)
Total 564 (56)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gordon Alexander Taylor OBE (born 28 December 1944) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He was chief executive of the English footballers' trades union, the Professional Footballers' Association, for over 40 years, between 1981 and 2021.[3] In March 2019 it was reported that he was to stand aside upon completion of a "full and open review" into the PFA's finances (presented at its 2019 AGM) along with its entire management committee and chairman Ben Purkiss.[4] He was reputed to be the highest paid union official in the world.[5] The 2020 PFA AGM is scheduled for 26 November, and is expected to appoint four non-executive directors.[6] In September 2020 the chair of the all party group on gambling, Carolyn Harris[7] voiced her reservations on gambling related harm exampled by the Union's CEO.[8] On the 1 June 2021, Taylor was formally replaced as CEO, retaining a temporary transitional advisory role to his successor.[9]

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.[1][10]

Taylor earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from University of London in 1969 as an external student. In 2007, he was a member of FIFA's football committee.[5] He is an alumnus of Manchester Metropolitan University.[11]

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.[12]

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 (the owner of the News of the World) paid Taylor £700,000 in legal costs and damages in exchange for a confidentiality agreement barring him from speaking about the case.[13]

References

Infobox statistics

Specific

  1. ^ a b Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  2. ^ Jackman, Mike (1994). Blackburn Rovers: the official encyclopaedia. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 221. ISBN 1-873626-70-3.
  3. ^ Bhana, Mohammed (1 June 2007). "Gordon Taylor on Asians in Football". Ethnic Now. Archived from the original on 8 October 2007.
  4. ^ "Gordon Taylor: PFA chief executive to step down after 38 years". 27 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Ils font le foot anglais" [They make English football]. France Football (in French). 28 September 2007. Le syndicaliste le mieux payé au monde (1,6 M€ annuels !). ... Diplômé en économie, membre du comité du football de la FIFA, Taylor est un interlocuteur clé des instances dirigeantes du football anglais. [The best-paid union man in the football world (€1.6 million a year!). ... A graduate economist, member of FIFA's football committee, Taylor is a key contact for the powers-that-be of English football.
  6. ^ Wilson, Jeremy; Burt, Jason (9 October 2020). "PFA's four new non-executive directors expected to be confirmed at next month's AGM". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  7. ^ "The concept of vulnerability and gambling-related harm". Gambling Regulation and Vulnerability: 9–47. 2018. doi:10.4337/9781785364709.00007. ISBN 9781785364709.
  8. ^ "Footie union boss Gordon Taylor spotted at bookies despite admitting £100,000 gambling losses". Footie union boss Gordon Taylor spotted at bookies despite admitting £100,000 gambling losses. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  9. ^ MacInnes, Paul (16 March 2021). "PFA appoints Maheta Molango to replace Gordon Taylor as leader". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Gordon Taylor". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 11 March 2008.
  11. ^ "Notable alumni in sport". Manchester Metropolitan University. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  12. ^ Roopanarine, Les (29 December 2007). "PFA head Taylor scoops OBE". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  13. ^ Davies, Nick (8 July 2009). "Murdoch papers paid £1m to gag phone-hacking victims". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
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