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Blackpool Legend Wins League Award

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Former Blackpool and England star and leading football broadcaster Jimmy Armfield has been named as the recipient of the prestigious Contribution to League Football Award, to be presented at the 2008 Football League Awards incorporating FourFourTwo`s Top 50 Football League Players.

On hearing the news, Jimmy Armfield said: “I`ve been in football for 54 years and throughout my playing career, of course, I only played in The Football League. I look upon this Contribution to League Football Award as a great honour, especially to be recognised for something I`ve enjoyed doing”.

Football League Chairman Lord Mawhinney said: “Jimmy Armfield is a truly worthy winner of our Contribution to League Football award. He has been a wonderful ambassador for The Football League as a one club man in his playing days with Blackpool, as a manager with Bolton Wanderers and Leeds United and as a much admired broadcaster. Jimmy is a widely respected and popular figure across the football community. I look forward to presenting him with his award on Sunday evening.”

Thomas Cook Sport are sponsors of the Outstanding Contribution to League Football Award at the 2008 Football League Awards. As the UK`s leading sports tour operator they partner with several teams and sporting bodies throughout football, providing travel and event services for both the supporters and players.

Danny Talbot, Thomas Cook Sport Managing Director commented: ‘Thomas Cook Sport is very proud to be sponsoring the Contribution to League Football award. It is a great honour to be associated with this prestigious award, and Jimmy has been an inspirational figure throughout his football career as a player, manager and broadcaster.’

The 2008 Football League Awards will take place on Sunday 2nd March at the London Hilton Hotel. There will be a total of 19 winners awarded at the gala dinner, alongside the announcement of the FourFourTwo Top 50 Football League Players. The full list can be found in the April issue of FourFourTwo which is on sale on Monday 3rd March and for more details on the Top 50 visit www.FourFourTwo.com.

To find out more about The Football League Awards please visit www.footballleagueawards.com.

The Football League Awards show will be aired on Sky Sports 1 on Thursday 6th March at 8pm.



About Jimmy Armfield:

Jimmy Armfield spent the whole of his playing career at Blackpool usually in his favoured right-back position. Between 1954 and 1971 he played 627 games in all competitions and was club captain for a decade.


He won 43 caps for England in an international career spanning seven years, 1959 – 1966, and captained his country on 15 occasions. He made his international debut in May 1959 against Brazil. He played in the 1962 World Cup in Chile and was voted as the best full-back in the tournament. He was included in the 1966 World Cup winning squad, but missed out on the tournament through injury.

Jimmy played his final game for Blackpool in May 1971.

He then became a manager, and in his first post with Bolton Wanderers won the Division Three title in 1973. He also led Leeds United to the European Cup final in 1975. Under Armfield, Leeds never finished outside the top ten in the League, qualified for the UEFA Cup, and reached FA and League Cup semi-finals.

After leaving Leeds, Jimmy left management behind and joined the Daily Express as a journalist, working with the paper from 1979-91. He has worked as a match summariser for BBC Radio Five Live, since the 1978-79 season.

In 2000 he was awarded an OBE.

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