Gordon Taylor (footballer)

Gordon Taylor

Personal information
Full name	Gordon Alexander Taylor[1]
Date of birth	28 December 1944 (1944-12-28) (age 66)
Place of birth	Ashton-under-Lyne, England
Playing position	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)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Gordon Alexander Taylor OBE (born 28 December 1944) is an English former professional footballer who played as a winger. He became chief executive of the English footballers' trades union, the Professional Footballers Association. He is reputed to be the highest paid union official in the world.^[2]

Taylor was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. He played over 250 games 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][3]

Taylor has a degree in economics and is a member of FIFA's football committee.^[2] He is an alumnus of Manchester Metropolitan University.^[4]

He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.^[5]

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 News of the World) paid Taylor ₤700,000 ($1.1 million) in legal costs and damages in exchange for a confidentiality agreement barring him from speaking about the case.^[6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9. 
2. ^ ^{a b} (French) "Ils font le foot anglais" (They make English football), France Football, 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.
3. ^ "Gordon Taylor". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database. Neil Brown. http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/gordontaylor.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-11. 
4. ^ "Notable Alumni in Sport". Manchester Metropolitan University. http://www.mmu.ac.uk/alumni/notable.php?a=4. Retrieved 24 November 2009. 
5. ^ "New Year Honours: full list". The Times (London). 2007-12-29. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3105734.ece. Retrieved 2008-03-11. 
6. ^ Davies, Nick (8 July 2009). "Murdoch papers paid £1m to gag phone-hacking victims". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/08/murdoch-papers-phone-hacking. Retrieved 2009-07-09. 

Sources

• "Gordon Taylor". Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database. Neil Brown. http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player/gordontaylor.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-11. 
• "North American Soccer League Rosters Vancouver Whitecaps". NASL Jerseys, Rosters, Player Statistics and Photos. Dave Morrison. http://www.nasljerseys.com/Rosters/Whitecaps_Rosters.htm#1977. Retrieved 2010-10-07. 

External links

• "Gordon Taylor on Asians in Football", Ethnic Now, 1 June 2007

Persondata
Name	Taylor, Gordon Alexander
Alternative names
Short description	Professional footballer, trade union leader
Date of birth	1944-12-28
Place of birth	Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England, UK
Date of death
Place of death