Pictured above: (l-r) Dr Beech receiving his award from
Malcolm Clarke
A sports finance expert at Coventry University has won a
prestigious sports writers award.
The Football Supporters' Federation has given the FSF Writer of
the Year award for the season 2009/10 to Dr. John Beech.
Dr. Beech, from Coventry University's Business School, writes a
blog called 'Football Management' which follows the finances and
other management issues of football clubs and over the past few
months, his insights into the fortunes of some of the nation's
biggest clubs has been keeping the industry in the know.
Malcolm Clarke, Chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation
came to Coventry personally to give the award to Dr. Beech in front
of his colleagues from the Business School.
Dr John Beech said:
"To use a comic sporting, cliché, I'm over the moon. It
is a tremendous honour for me to be given such a prestigious award
and I'm flattered that Malcolm came to Coventry especially to give
it to me. I am passionate about sport and follow the finances of
football clubs with interest as my own club, Portsmouth, has had
its own particular problems for some time.
"It is a very testing time for clubs at the moment, especially
those that do not have rich backers. I am humbled that the FSF find
my blogs informative and entertaining and consider my musings
worthy of recognition!"
Dr. Beech will be following in some famous footsteps. Previous
winners of the award include David Conn of The Guardian and Nick
Hornby, author of the cult novel 'Fever Pitch'.
For more information about Coventry University, please visit
their website here: www.coventry.ac.uk