ENGLAND C manager Paul Fairclough has led the tributes to one of Non-League’s most influential figures, Mike Appleby, who has passed away.
Appleby, 65, spent more than 30 years working for the Football Association and held the role of Leagues and Clubs manager where he was pivotal in how the National League System looks today.
He died in hospital on Tuesday following complications with coronavirus.
Appleby was the driving force behind the remarkable growth of the England C team, the International Challenge Trophy they competed in as well as the FA Inter-League Cup that gives grass-roots players the opportunity to represent their country.
He left the FA in 2015 but remained active as general secretary of the Spartan South Midlands League and he held roles with FIFA as a match commissioner and with UEFA as a march delegate.
Fairclough said: “Mike Appleby was an FA man, for sure, but he was a football man.
“He didn’t have a lot of time for the professional game but he had a massive affection for NonLeague football. His baby was the England C team. When I got there, Mike was just beginning to make contacts in Europe. He was the one who reached out to these European nations.
“Mike sensed I wanted more but that was fine because he did anyway. We started looking to develop a team that could do good and give people a leg up into the pro game and still, the most important thing, of them playing for their country.
“That’s what Mike created – a really prestigious team. He fought for the budget to be increased and once that happened the team started to branch out.”
Denne historien er fra April 26, 2020-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 26, 2020-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SHAKERS REVEL IN MAKING HISTORY
DAVE McNabb says Bury's FA Cup heroes are proud to be writing their own chapters in club history.
WILCOX: WE FEEL COMPLETE WITH WIN
RUSS WILCOX'S verdict after watching his Gainsborough Trinity side outmuscle and outplay their hosts was that it was \"probably our most complete performance\".
CRACKER BY KABIA TOPPLES TUDORS!
ASSISTANT boss Stewart Yetton said his Truro City side were good value for their win over table-toppers Hemel Hempstead Town.
BRAKES PUT STOP ON BORO BATTLERS
SEPARATED only by goal difference before kick-off, these sides remain neck and neck in the embryonic table after playing out 90 minutes in the October sunshine that was a great advert for the division.
BOSS COTT'S GOT A REALLY GOOD THING WITH ROVERS
STEVE Cotterill hailed Forest Green Rovers’ first class performance as they produced a spirited comeback to topple fellow high-flyers Eastleigh at the Silverlake Stadium.
SKIPS STEER HEED'S SHIP
GATESHEAD captains of the past and present are playing a lead role in helping the National League club move on from the departure of FA Trophy-winning manager Rob Elliot.
FA CUP PREVIEW: SWEET! 'DREAM' DRAW IS CHANCE OF OUR LIFETIME
DAVE NORTHFIELD says minnows Biggleswade FC were like 'kids in a sweet shop' when they drew out York City in what he describes as the 'draw of a lifetime'.
PARKER'S HEART IS STILL AT HOME
FORMER England right-back Paul Parker has revealed he would never completely rule out a return to management – but says he would only do so for one of his beloved local clubs.
LOCALS RALLY TO REBUILD BRIDGE
WHEN committee members at Bamber Bridge set out to raise £30,000 to protect the club's future, they were apprehensive about the response they'd get.
RUTHLESS BEES FIND THEIR FEET
ASTERLING second-half performance resulted in league leaders Barnet brushing aside a Boston United outfit that led at the interval through Keaton Ward’s early strike.