SPFA Players' Player of the Year

The Scottish Professional Footballers' Association Players' Player of the Year (often called the SPFA Players' Player of the Year, the Players' Player of the Year, or simply the Scottish Player of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in Scottish football. [cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20040502/ai_n12588637|title=Jackie named player of the year
work=The Sunday Herald|accessdate=2008-03-31|date=2004-05-02|author=Stewart Fisher] The award has been presented since the 1977–78 season and the winner is chosen by a vote amongst the members of the players' trade union, the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association (SPFA). [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/1957296.stm|title=Amoruso is players' choice
publisher=BBC|accessdate=2008-03-28|date=2002-04-29] The first winner of the award was Rangers striker Derek Johnstone, and the first non-Scottish winner was Aberdeen goalkeeper Theo Snelders eleven years later. The current holder is Aiden McGeady of Celtic. As of 2008, only Henrik Larsson has won the award on more than one occasion. Although there is a separate SPFA Young Player of the Year award, young players remain eligible to win the senior award, and in the 2005–06 season Shaun Maloney became the first player to win both awards in the same season, a feat repeated by McGeady two years later.

A shortlist of nominees is published in April and the winner of the award, along with the winners of the SPFA's other annual awards, is announced at a gala event in Glasgow a few days later. [cite web|url=http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10002~1009973,00.html|title=SPFA Player of the Year nominations|publisher=The Scottish Premier League|accessdate=2008-03-28] The award is regarded by the players themselves as extremely prestigious, with John Hartson commenting in 2005 that "the award means a lot because it's voted by your fellow professionals" [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/4479777.stm|title=Hartson and Ricksen share award |publisher=BBC|accessdate=2008-03-28|date=2005-04-25] and Shaun Maloney stating in 2006 that "there is no better accolade than to be voted for by your peers and it does mean a lot to me". [cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/4951722.stm|title=Maloney in historic awards double|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2008-03-28|date=2006-05-01] In 2007 the SPFA was replaced by a new body, PFA Scotland, [cite web|url=http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/headlines/display.var.1520816.0.0.php|title=Fraser Wishart is promising a new kind of players union|publisher=The Herald|accessdate=2008-04-24|date=2007-07-05|author=Martin Greig] but the new organisation's awards are considered to be a direct continuation of the SPFA awards. [cite web|url=http://www.theherald.co.uk/mostpopular.var.2211979.mostviewed.mcgeady_picks_up_double_prize_at_football_awards.php|title=McGeady picks up double prize at football awards|publisher=The Herald|accessdate=2008-04-24|quote=Celtic winger Aiden McGeady has pulled off an awards double by winning the PFA Scotland Player Of The Year and Young Player Of The Year awards....McGeady follows in the footsteps of former Parkhead team-mate Shaun Maloney, who won both awards in a single season in 2006.] [cite web|url=http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1861_3455977,00.html|title=McGeady happy with Hoops|publisher=Team Talk|accessdate=2008-04-24|quote=The only other player to have claimed the PFA Scotland double was Shaun Maloney, the Celtic midfielder who went on to carve out a career in the Premier League with Aston Villa.]

Winners

The award has been presented on 31 occasions as of 2008, with two players sharing the award on one occasion.cite book |last=Barnes |first=Stuart|title=News of the World Football Annual 2007/2008|isbn=0-0072-5555-9|date=2007 |publisher=Invincible Press |pages=p63] There have been 31 different winners. The table also indicates where the winning player also won one or more of the other major "player of the year" awards in Scottish football, namely the Scottish Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year award (SFWA),cite book |last=Barnes |first=Stuart|title=News of the World Football Annual 2007/2008 |pages=p62] and the SPFA Young Player of the Year award (SYPY).

ee also

*SFWA Footballer of the Year
*PFA Players' Player of the Year
*FWA Footballer of the Year
*PFAI Players' Player of the Year

References