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PFA recruits James King as General Counsel

James King

The PFA has announced the appointment of James King as the union’s General Counsel.

King joins the PFA from Arsenal, where he was the Senior Legal Counsel for Football Operations.

The recruitment of King represents another key senior hire for the PFA, with Patrick Coyle having recently joined the PFA as Chief Operating Officer after almost a decade at Manchester United. 

King joined the Arsenal legal team in 2016, working on the Commercial side before moving to Football Operations in 2018. In his last role, he had responsibility over all areas of football across both the men’s and women’s games, from first team to academy.

He was also a member of the FA’s Legal & Governance Group for Women’s Football.

Prior to joining Arsenal, King was part of the Employment Department and Sports Group at Mischon de Reya where, as a Managing Associate, he represented domestic and international players across the men’s and women’s games.

King was appointed after an independent and competitive recruitment process led on behalf of the PFA, which has recently undergone significant reforms to its governance and leadership structures as part of an organisation-wide modernisation process.

The PFA is the world’s oldest professional sport trade union and represents over 55,000 current and former players across the Premier League, English Football League (EFL) and Women’s Super League (WSL).

PFA Chief Executive, Maheta Molango, said:

“James’ appointment provides the PFA with even more senior industry experience, gained in both private practice and high-profile roles at one of the English game’s biggest clubs. 

“His CV speaks for itself and I’m delighted that James is joining the union at such a crucial time. His knowledge and experience across both the men’s and women’s games will be of enormous benefit to the PFA and its members.”

“James’ decision to join the PFA at this time reflects the importance of work we are doing on behalf of both current and former players. He is an excellent addition to the union.”

James King said:

“I’m excited to be joining the team. The scope of the PFA’s work has never been wider, with current and former players looking to the union to act as their voice on a diverse range of important issues.

“At a time of significant change, I’m looking forward to applying the experience I have gained within the industry on behalf of PFA members.”

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