The Charity Commission’s inquiry was launched in 2019
A Charity Commission inquiry has revealed “serious mismanagement” at a charity established to support current and former professional footballers, placing funds at risk.
The inquiry was initiated in 2019 due to the Commission’s “serious concerns” regarding the administration of the Professional Footballers’ Association Charity, now known as the Players Foundation.
The Commission has now released a highly critical report detailing a series of failures.
These include the transfer of £1.9 million from the Football Association from the charity’s bank account to the Professional Footballers’ Association, the players’ union, “without a clear explanation.”
Additionally, the charity covered approximately 80% of the union’s operating costs – around £6 million annually, including £5 million in salaries. The regulator noted a conflict of interest, as “multiple trustees” – including former chief executive Gordon Taylor – held salaried senior PFA roles.
The regulator stated that funding a trade union is not considered a charitable purpose under the law.
The charity also owned properties in Manchester and London occupied rent-free by the union, which the Commission estimates cost the charity over £627,000, including interest.
Following the Commission’s intervention, the £1.9 million and unpaid rent were returned.
The charity received an official warning from the regulator in September 2022 “for mismanagement that had taken place from its incorporation in 2013 to the beginning of 2019.”
Darren Wilson, a trustee who also served as the PFA’s director of finance, was disqualified from serving as a trustee or holding a senior management position in a charity for four years.
The Charity Commission stated, “Remedial actions have now been implemented at the charity, including proper separation from the union, appointment of new trustees, and establishment of a distinct identity for the charity.”
“It has also adopted a new funding model, after the Football Association and Premier League stopped funding of the charity upon its separation from the union.”
Angela Ascroft, critical case lead at the Charity Commission, commented, “In this case, the lines between the charity and Professional Footballers’ Association union were blurred beyond distinction, resulting in the multiple instances of conflict of interest and mismanagement at the charity.”
“Charity trustees have a duty to act in the best interests of their charity, but trustees at the Players Foundation fell dismally short of this expectation and, as a result, let down the players they were supposed to be helping.”
She added that the charity “can now focus on helping those it was set up to serve.”
The Players Foundation has welcomed the conclusion of the inquiry and emphasized that no funds were lost or beneficiaries impacted.
In a statement, the Foundation said, “When the Commission issued its initial findings in September 2022, it accepted that measures had already been implemented by the Foundation to deal with any concerns.”
“No funds were lost; action was taken to correct the financial position of the charity and at no stage were beneficiaries adversely affected.”
“The Players Foundation and The Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) are entirely separate organisations with very different remits – the Foundation officially changed its name from the PFA Charity in July 2022.”
“The Trustees’ focus today remains on delivering the best possible charitable support to all our beneficiaries.”
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