Aston Villa duo are up for election on to PFA board
Villa duo Tom Heaton and Tyrone Mings have put themselves forward for election to the Professional Footballers’ Association’s new players’ board.
The pair will appear on the ballot alongside Manchester United’s Lee Grant and Leicester City’s Wes Morgan to represent the Premier League on the board, which will comprise 13 elected representatives, including two from the top flight.
Goalkeeper Heaton is currently a member of the PFA’s management committee, which will be replaced in the organisation’s structure by the new board. It will be tasked with supporting the chief executive and approving big decisions.
Current PFA members will also elect two representatives each from the Championship, League One, League Two and the Women’s Super League.
In the most significant change to the current structure, they will also choose three former members, two of which must have retired or been a full member in the last five years, to sit on the board.
Former Stoke City striker Dave Regis, the brother of Albion legend Cyrille, is on an eight-person former player shortlist, which was selected by the players’ board subdivision due to the high number of applications.
Watford striker Troy Deeney and Blues defender George Friend are among seven current player candidates from the Championship, while the nine-man League One shortlist includes former Walsall and Shrewsbury centre-back Olly Lancashire, now at Crewe.
The League Two candidates include ex-Kidderminster Harriers striker Jamille Matt.
In addition to Regis, the former players’ shortlist also includes former Burton forward Marvin Sordell. Former Villa keeper David James was rumoured to have put his name forward but has not been included on the ballot.
A PFA statement read: “The players’ board committee was highly conscious of shortlisting the former player candidates for the ballot in a fair and non-biased way.
“Objective and impartial measures were used when reviewing the applications received from existing members of the current players’ board.
“These measures included factors such as engagement with meetings, attendance and overall commitment to the PFA.”
Earlier this month it was revealed Swiss footballer Maheta Molango will replace Gordon Taylor as chief executive. Taylor is stepping down from the role after 40 years at the end of the season.
