Sir Gareth Southgate reflects on receiving PFA award that made him feel old
Speaking to the PA news agency at the presentation, Southgate said: 'It's lovely to be recognised by the players because the last 10 years in particular, how the players felt has been really important to me.
🏆 Sir Gareth Southgate is the 2025 PFA Merit Award winner.
Gareth will be recognised at tonight's #PFAawards for his outstanding contributions to English football. pic.twitter.com/hH6JxlfnRH
— PFA (@PFA) August 19, 2025
'Getting an award like this makes you realise you're getting old but other than that everything's good.'
Southgate has not worked in management since leaving the England job after Euro 2024, despite being linked with several potential roles. The 54-year-old said he had not closed the door on a return, but did not sound like a man in a hurry to get back into a dugout.
'I'm enjoying my life,' he said. 'I've got quite a lot on. I'm in the middle of writing a book, I've got several interests.
'I do work on leadership, helping some young coaches. But I've also got time to travel and play a bit of golf and a bit of paddle tennis. I'm very much enjoying that balance.
'You can't say never to anything because 15 years ago I left Middlesbrough and I wasn't sure I would manage then and I ended up on a strange path into managing the national team. But it's not something I'm actively looking at at the moment.'
A statement from the PFA announcing Southgate's award read: 'He is widely credited with breathing new life into the national team by integrating a new generation of young talent.
'He has overseen a period of unrivalled achievement by the men's national team, and has been an outstanding ambassador for the game – forging genuine connection between the country, the supporters, and the players.'
Wrexham defender Conor Coady, part of Southgate's squad at Euro 2020, was also at Tuesday's awards and praised his former boss as 'an incredible man and incredible person'.
'I think what he's done for England and where he took England to was outstanding,' Coady told PA. 'As a person, I could speak about good people all day and he is one of them.
'What he's done for me individually, what he's done for the a team when I was part of the England setup was absolutely amazing. He fully deserves everything he gets.'
Hayes was honoured by the PFA for her contributions to women's football. As Chelsea manager, Hayes guided the Blues to seven Women's Super League titles – including five in succession – as well as winning the FA Cup five times and the League Cup twice.
Hayes left Chelsea in the summer of 2024 to become head coach of the United States women's team, with her side going on to win gold at the Paris Olympics.
'Beyond on-pitch success, it is Hayes' approach to leadership and relentless innovation that has paved the way for progress in women's sport,' the PFA said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
19 minutes ago
- Wales Online
The nuclear button has been pressed but WRU must now get out of the URC
The nuclear button has been pressed but WRU must now get out of the URC The WRU has laid its cards on the table with a radical plan. Steffan Thomas looks at the potential holes in it Picture shows (from left) Richard Collier-Keywood, WRU chairman, Dave Reddin, WRU director of rugby and elite performance and Abi Tierney, WRU chief executive (Image: Huw Evans Picture Agency Ltd) The Welsh Rugby Union hit the nuclear button yesterday when it put forward proposals to cut the number of professional teams in Wales by half. A formal consultation process will begin in September where the WRU will consult with a number of key stakeholders including the current four professional clubs - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - along with supporters, present and former players and the Welsh Rugby Players' Association. The WRU believe radical change is needed to drag the game in Wales out of the doldrums along with providing the platform to win the Six Nations and become "genuine wild-card World Cup winners" in the future. But a reduction to two teams is the WRU's optimal option; this could change during the consultation process where there is likely to be significant kick-back. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. After a press conference which lasted well over an hour at the Principality Stadium yesterday and a document of more than 100 pages there remain questions which need answering. Steffan Thomas has been through the document to pick out the key points, issues and questions, as he sees it. What is the optimal solution? The optimal solution focuses on two clubs with a men's and women's team. Each squad will consist of 50 senior players and operate with playing budgets of £7.8m, while there will only be room for two non-Welsh qualified players in each side. It favours a heavily centralised system in line with the New Zealand model. In terms of the ownership model the WRU wants control of all rugby operations with the current investors taking charge of the commercial element of the club. In its own words the WRU wants "unified management and contracting of all elite players (professional men's and women's teams, national team and national academy) to align decisions on selection and talent development with players and clubs". The union insists "that PRA-style arrangements are a particularly challenging choice due to an inherent mismanagement between stakeholder objectives". In other words there is a significant lack of trust between the WRU and the four professional clubs with both parties often pulling in different directions. The WRU sees this as an opportunity to "optimise collaboration" if it can seize control of all rugby operations. Controversially it wants to build a new national campus and base the two professional clubs there. In terms of players development the main point put forward is the return of a national academy-style system and significant investment being poured into Super Rygbi Cymru. The idea behind the two-club scenario is to concentrate talent which in turn creates more competition for contracts and starting places. It's a case of elitism on steroids, with the aim of driving up standards on and off the field. Is there likely to be pushback during the consultation and what might change? Having spoken to numerous high-ranking sources within the game there will be significant pushback. Clearly clubs are going to be fighting for their lives and the first priority will be survival. On that note we do not yet know whether the WRU will simply scrap two teams or create two new entities with new branding. Under the proposed optimal system private investors are still required to pour in £17m, which amounts to £1m a year. But why would any private investor want to pour money into a club if the WRU have complete control over player contracting and development? The original PRA25 involved circa £125m worth of WRU funding over five years, while their new 'optimal solution' of two teams results in £94 worth of WRU payments. But where is the remaining £26m? That has not been accounted for but may well be kept back to invest into a new national campus, the SRC and academy system. There will also be significant investment into improving the women's game, while competition income will likely decrease with a reduction of teams, as might broadcasting income. They have also spent £6m on a roof walk, while the cost of assuming ownership of Cardiff also has to be taken into consideration There is £121m worth of investment with the three equally-funded club solutions and £116m if they go to three teams under a tiered funding model. Private investors are required to put in £25m if it's four teams, £21m with three unequally funded teams, £21m with three in a tiered funding model and £17m if they reduce to two. The academy budget per club is £800k in every mode. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free They are now also proposing a salary cap of £7.8m-£8m in the optimal solution which is only marginally better than where they are now. This is close to the Gallagher PREM cap but short of some of their competitors in the United Rugby Championship. It seems they are hoping to drive a harder bargain with Welsh talent with limited number of overseas player spots at clubs in England and France. This is likely to be enough to be significantly more competitive if talent is concentrated into two teams, although to really compete in the latter stages of the Champions Cup it will need to be higher. Another area where there will certainly be a significant amount of pushback is with the idea of having two teams training at the same national campus. The WRU's director of rugby and elite performance Dave Reddin was quick to stress both teams would have separate team rooms at the facility and different identities. But there are many within the game who believe this is anti-competitive, with professional sport all about different styles and cultures. Union-owned sides allow for far greater control from the national coach and potentially greater cohesion in terms of on-field partnerships and playing styles, especially if the majority of the national squad are concentrated into two teams. But it is arguably not the job of the WRU to own and control its teams, but rather to facilitate the growth of the game in Wales. Union-owned teams are arguably anti-sport and is one of the reasons the URC is an inferior competition to the French Top 14 and the Gallagher PREM. Can the new 'optimal structure' win over supporters? This remains to be seen but the reaction has not been a positive one on social media. Wales has a club-based history and it is a very tribal nation so the very idea of creating two new teams is not going to go down well. There were hints during the media interviews this week the WRU saw the SRC as the "heritage league" where tribalism can thrive and old rivalries can continue. While this has not been confirmed they may prefer to have an East and West team playing in the professional game with the current four clubs downgraded to SRC level. Reading between the lines they may view a fan supporting east Wales the same as a Cardiff fan now supporting Wales. If they can be successful and challenge for silverware then they will attract supporters. But this is highly unlikely to get buy-in from current supporters of the four professional sides, with traditional club branding more likely to attract fans. Welsh rugby's tradition is rooted firmly in the club game. What competition will they play in? A reduction to two teams playing in the URC would be a complete and utter disaster because it is a competition which Welsh fans have never truly bought into. The vast majority of Welsh fans would much prefer to face the likes of Bristol, Bath, Gloucester, Northampton Saints, Exeter Chiefs and Leicester Tigers on a weekly basis. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. It would be transformational for the Welsh game and a leading figure at a Welsh club told WalesOnline this week an Anglo-Welsh league would result in its commercial income rising by at least £3m. The WRU insist they are committed to the URC but if it really wants to deliver an 'optimal solution' it has to be in an Anglo-Welsh. Anything else is sub-optimal. According to numerous people within the upper echelons of the game PRL might expand to 12 or 14 teams but would only consider two Welsh teams. Article continues below It is worth noting teams who are owned by a governing body or has significant union control is unlikely to get accepted into an Anglo-Welsh league. Like it or not radical change is required to drag Welsh rugby out of the doldrums and unlike what some fans have been saying this is not a knee-jerk reaction. But it has to be the right change and the WRU's 'optimal solution' leaves a lot to be desired.
BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
Price earns call-up for World Cup qualifier
West Bromwich Albion midfielder Isaac Price has been called up to the Northern Ireland squad for their opening 2026 World Cup 21-year-old is currently the Championship's top goal scorer, having netted three times in two games and helping to secure Ryan Mason's side maximum points so has made 18 appearances for Northern Ireland and scored six goals since national team boss Michael O'Neill handed him his debut aged Ireland open their World Cup qualifying campaign when they visit Luxembourg on 4 September.
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Arsenal's Leah Williamson to miss start of WSL season with knee injury
Arsenal defender Williamson sustained the problem in England's triumph over Spain in last month's European Championship final. It is understood the 28-year-old reported back to Arsenal with swelling in her right knee and subsequently missed the club's pre-season tour of Germany. Tests indicated she required a procedure to clean up the issue which took place last week. The procedure was a success, and Williamson has already begun her rehabilitation. However, it is expected that she will be out for several weeks. Arsenal, last season's Champions League winners, open their WSL campaign against London City Lionesses on September 6. Williamson returned from a nine-month lay-off in January last year after rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee. Her latest problem is not believed to be directly linked. Williamson skippered England to back-to-back Euro triumphs after club team-mate Chloe Kelly scored the decisive spot-kick in a penalty shootout triumph over Spain on July 27.
