Dawn Astle: Departing PFA chief Gordon Taylor let football down
Jeff Astle's daughter is pleased controversial PFA chief Gordon Taylor has announced he is stepping down.
Dawn Astle believes Taylor, who has spent the past 38 years in charge of the union for professional players, has ‘let football down’.
The Astle family have campaigned for years for greater research into dementia in footballers after Baggies legend Jeff died in 2002 at the age of 59 from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
They have criticised Taylor, Britain’s highest-paid union boss who earned nearly £20million in the past 12 years, for failing to fund research into the problem earlier.
In 2017, he was paid £2.2m but the PFA gave just £100,000 to dementia research.
Taylor has now announced he will step down after an independent review and Dawn told the Express & Star: “I am very pleased that Gordon Taylor is stepping down.
“I’ve lost all faith in the PFA’s ability to protect its members, when it comes to dementia.
“My dad died, there could be thousands of others out there like him. But the PFA, the union meant to support them, the union whose entire existence is about player welfare, for me, has completely failed in its duty to try and understand why.
“They have let my dad down, they’ve let my family down, and I think they’ve let football down.
“They should have been the ones who instigated and fought tooth and nail for these players.
“If their own union isn’t going to, who is? My dad died in 2002, the research they co-funded with the Football Association into dementia and former players started in January 2018.
“Sixteen years is not acceptable, not when players are dying.”
Taylor will remain as chief until the end of an independent review into the organisation, but he will then leave alongside chairman and Walsall player Ben Purkiss, and the management committee.
Dawn’s relationship with Taylor sank beyond repair, but she hasn’t ruled out working with a new set-up at the PFA.
“I’ve always supported an independent review,” said Dawn. “I believe the successor should be somebody fresh, and more importantly, should be somebody who will fight tooth and nail for the really important issues that are facing both modern day players and former players, including dementia.
“I’ve never gone on record saying the whole organisation is useless. I know the PFA have done some really good work, but not with dementia.
“As long it’s not somebody from Gordon’s regime, but if it’s somebody new and fresh and willing to fight for these important issues then I would gladly work with them.
“There needs to be a proper democratic election into his successor. For me and the others who don’t trust the organisation, hopefully we’ll get that faith back.”
The Astle family continue to campaign for better research and education into dementia in football, and Dawn hopes there could be some results from the joint-funded study towards the end of this year.
