August 16 – William Hill has agreed a three-year title sponsorship of The Football Writers’ Association (FWA), taking over from Barclays Bank after 15 years as the organisation’s principal supporter.
The FWA and William Hill have been partners since 2013 with the FWA producing a weekly podcast for the bookmaker.
Under the sponsorship William Hill will be the major supporter of the Footballer of the Year Dinner, and the FWA’s Tribute Night at The Savoy.
New FWA chairman, Patrick Barclay, said: “I am also happy to say they will be backing our highly successful FWA Live events with the first one in Leicester at the end of the month.
“These are exciting times for the FWA. We’ve seen a surge in membership over the last 12 months and we want to build on that.
“We want to encourage everybody who works in the football journalism industry – commentators, bloggers, not just the traditional writers – no matter their age, gender or ethnicity.”
William Hilll has been active in the sponsorship market in the two weeks before the start of the Premier League season, concluding deals with Chelsea, Everton and Spurs.
Alex O’Shaughnessy, chief marketing officer for William Hill, said: “We’ve built a strong working relationship with the FWA over the last few years and it’s great to be increasing our support for the Association.”
The FWA is perhaps best known for its annual player of the year awards. The last 10 winners of the FWA Player of the Year award were;
2006–07 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United
2007–08 Cristiano Ronaldo Manchester United
2008–09 Steven Gerrard Liverpool
2009–10 Wayne Rooney Manchester United
2010–11 Scott Parker West Ham United
2011–12 Robin van Persie Arsenal
2012–13 Gareth Bale Tottenham Hotspur
2013–14 Luis Suárez Liverpool
2014–15 Eden Hazard Chelsea
2015–16 Jamie Vardy Leicester City
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