Behind the Glory: 100 Years of the PFA

Author: John Harding

Behind the Glory: 100 Years of the PFA

Behind The Glory! tells a story that anyone interested in the history of our national game will find essential reading. Ever since professionalism in soccer was legalised in 1885, the stars of the game have been the object of fascination, envy and adulation — but for much of the last century, professional players at all levels struggled to gain respectability and a fair wage.
The poor relations of the entertainment world, they were often exploited by their clubs and regularly treated with disdain by the game’s administrators. Today, the lives and loves of football’s young millionaires are scrutinised by the broadsheets and on TV while for a new generation of devoted young fans they are fashion icons and role models.
Behind The Glory! is the story of how the Player’s Union - the Professional Footballers’ Association - played such a crucial role in this extraordinary transformation. At first devoted to securing for all professionals their basic rights and freedoms, the PFA has gone on to play a major role in shaping the development of the nation’s favourite game.
Behind The Glory! is a story of great football characters — pre-1st World War stars like Billy Meredith, Charlie Roberts and Colin Veitch; interwar legends such as Charles Buchan and Jimmy Fay; post war stalwarts like Jimmy Guthrie, Joe Mercer and Cliff Lloyd; plus modern innovators such as Jimmy Hill, Derek Dougan and Gordon Taylor. All of these and many, many more have played crucial parts in the PFA’s long and fascinating battle against the odds, a battle that continues today as our national sport struggles to come to terms with the conflicting demands of rampant international commercialism and loyalty to the game’s local roots.