The Charity Commission has delivered a scathing verdict on the charity set up to support professional footballers, concluding that "serious mismanagement" put player welfare funds at risk and that those responsible fell "dismally short" of their duties.

The regulator's inquiry, launched in 2019 under serious concerns about governance, has now produced a full published report into the Professional Footballers' Association Charity — since rebranded as the Players Foundation. The findings make for uncomfortable reading across the game.

Where the money went

Central to the Commission's concerns is the movement of £1.9m of Football Association funds out of the charity's bank account and into the PFA itself — the players' trade union — with no clear explanation provided at the time. The two bodies are legally separate entities with entirely different purposes, and funding a trade union does not constitute a charitable activity under English law.

The inquiry also found the charity was covering roughly 80 per cent of the union's operating costs, amounting to around £6m a year. That figure included approximately £5m in salary costs. On top of that, the PFA occupied properties owned by the charity in Manchester and London on a rent-free basis — an arrangement the Commission says cost the charity more than £627,000 once interest was factored in.

Conflicts at the top

Perhaps the most striking element of the report concerns governance. Multiple trustees held senior salaried roles at the PFA simultaneously, creating what the regulator describes as an inescapable conflict of interest. Among those named is former PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor, who served as a trustee while in post at the union.

Darren Wilson, the PFA's director of finance and a trustee of the charity, has been disqualified from serving as a charity trustee or holding a senior management role in any charity for four years. The charity itself received an official warning from the Commission back in September 2022 covering mismanagement that took place from the charity's incorporation in 2013 through to early 2019.

Angela Ascroft, critical case lead at the Charity Commission, did not mince her words. "The lines between the charity and the Professional Footballers' Association union were blurred beyond distinction," she said, adding that trustees "let down the players they were supposed to be helping".

Steps taken and what comes next

Following the Commission's intervention, the £1.9m and the unpaid rent were both returned. Remedial steps are now described as fully implemented — these include a proper structural separation from the union, the appointment of new trustees, and the establishment of a distinct identity for the charity going forward.

The funding picture has also shifted significantly. Both the Football Association and the Premier League stopped funding the Players Foundation after it separated from the union, leaving the charity to operate under a new model.

The Players Foundation, for its part, has welcomed the formal conclusion of the inquiry and is keen to draw a line. In a statement, trustees insisted no funds were ultimately lost and that beneficiaries were not adversely affected at any stage. The charity officially changed its name from the PFA Charity in July 2022.

Whether the game's wider establishment takes the lessons of this report seriously remains to be seen. For a charity founded to help current and former professionals through hardship, injury, and mental health struggles, the failures outlined here are a significant stain on the sport's capacity to look after its own.

Frequently asked

What is the Players Foundation and what does it do?
The Players Foundation — formerly known as the PFA Charity — is a registered charity set up to support current and former professional footballers in England and Wales, helping with welfare, mental health, financial hardship, and life after football.
Was any money actually lost from the PFA charity?
According to the Players Foundation, no funds were ultimately lost. The £1.9m transferred to the PFA and the unpaid rent on properties were both returned following the Charity Commission's intervention.
What happened to those responsible for the PFA charity mismanagement?
Darren Wilson, the PFA's director of finance who served as a charity trustee, was disqualified from holding trustee or senior management roles in any charity for four years. The charity also received an official warning from the Charity Commission in September 2022.