Daniel Taylor

Daniel Taylor’s investigation into the suicide of Sheffield United women’s player Maddy Cusack was based on winning her family’s trust, sourcing a seven-page complaint by her father about how coach Jonathan Morgan treated her, and conversations with friends and team-mates that built a picture of her as a person and player. He ultimately broke the story that the Football Association was launching an investigation into the circumstances around her death and her family’s belief that her mental health issues were caused by Morgan.

Taylor’s research laid the groundwork for another shocking story relating to Morgan himself – that an ‘immoral’ relationship with a teenage player at his previous club led to his sacking by Sheffield United, a decision taken after Taylor presented them with a dossier of evidence.

His brilliant investigative journalism was also on full display in his grim, emotional and ultimately redemptive interview with Jimmy Aggrey, the whistleblower who exposed systematic racism at Chelsea Football Club in the 1980s. To do it, he had to persuade the High Court to waive Aggrey’s right to anonymity.

Judges praised his “exceptionally well-written, ground-breaking reads … that expose a dark underbelly in the footballing world and will ultimately help bring positive change.”