FOOTBALL WRITERS' ASSOCIATION
The decision to form the FWA was made by four journalists onboard a ship in the middle of the English Channel on September 22 1947.
The four were returning from Brussels, where they had seen England beat Belgium 5-2 in a friendly international, and are listed as Messrs Coles, Roy Peskett, Archie Quick and Charlie Buchan. The latter was the most famous of the four, having been an England international before becoming a successful journalist and founding the legendary Charlie Buchan's Football Monthly.
Within a month they had formalised some of the rules and regulations for the fledgling association; membership would be by invitation only, to "working journalists who are accredited football correspondents for newspapers and agencies." Headquarters were to be in London, with the initial membership fee set at five guineas for the first year, and two guineas annually thereafter - with an FWA tie included!
It was also decided to hold an annual vote of members for their Footballer of the Year, still the oldest and most prestigious individual award in the domestic game. The award would be presented at the annual dinner, which was originally held on the eve of the FA Cup final - this has long since settled into the Thursday before each Cup Final.
The first winner, in 1948, was arguably the greatest footballer England has produced, Sir Stanley Matthews, and he won this coveted title again in 1963.
Sir Stan embodied everything the award stands for - not just footballing ability, but for behaviour on and off the pitch. Membership grew to around 200 by the 1960s and is now around 400, with regional branches in the Midlands, North and North-East all thriving.
The FWA's main campaigning activities are now to do with press box facilities up and down the country. The association works closely with the game's governing bodies to try to ensure minimum standards of facilities for reporters. A standard was agreed with the Premier League some time ago which included a minimum number of seats (50) in the press box, power points for those using laptops, phone points, television monitors, a requirement for both managers to attend post-match press conferences and decent size working area with desks.
Most clubs have complied with these minimum criteria and the FWA works hard to chase up those who fall below expected standards. We are also consulted in the planning stages for most new grounds or stands being built, including national stadia. In the Nationwide Football League facilities and expectations are more variable and lower, but the FWA have recently agreed a code of best practice to provide a minimum level of provision for the press.