Garry Flitcroft

Garry Flitcroft

Personal information
Full name	Garry William Flitcroft
Date of birth	(1972-11-06)6 November 1972
Place of birth	Bolton,Lancashire,England
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Youth career
	Manchester City
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1991–1996	Manchester City	116	(13)
1992	→Bury(loan)	12	(0)
1996–2006	Blackburn Rovers	248	(14)
2006	Sheffield United	6	(0)
Total		382	(27)
International career
1993	England U21	10	(3)
Managerial career
2009–2010	Leigh Genesis
2010–2015	Chorley
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Garry William Flitcroft(born 6 November 1972) is an Englishfootballmanager and former professional player who played as amidfielder.

Between 1991 and 2006, Flitcroft spent four seasons in thePremier LeaguewithManchester City,winning the club's Player of the Year award in only his second year in senior football. He joinedBlackburn Roversin 1996, with whom he spent ten years, of which eight were in the Premier League, and won the2001–02 Football League Cup.He also played briefly in theFootball League,beginning his careeron loantoBuryand ending it withSheffield United.He was capped 10 times byEngland U21,scoring three goals.

In 2009 he became manager ofLeigh Genesisand the following year took over as manager ofChorley,where he won two promotions in five years, taking the team up to theConference North.

Playing career

Flitcroft came through the youth ranks atManchester Citywhere he made 116 appearances in thePremier League,scoring 13 goals. In only his second season of senior football he was awarded City's Player of the Season award for the 1992–93 season.He played for theEngland U21s10 times in 1993. He was also called up toTerry Venables' get-together England squad in April 1995,but ultimately was never capped for the senior side.

In March 1996, he was signed by reigningPremier LeagueChampionsBlackburn Roversfor £3.5 million, but was sent off on his debut in a 3–0 defeat to Everton. Rovers were relegated to Division One in 1999 and new managerGraeme Sounessappointed Flitcroft captain ahead of the 2000–01 season, in which Rovers gained promotion back to the Premier League. Flitcroft continued in his role as club captain for the next three years, but was suspended forBlackburn's 2001-02 League Cup victory although he did lift the trophy with match captainHenning Berg.

Managerial career

On 23 March 2009, it was announced that Flitcroft would replace Lee Merricks as manager ofNorthern Premier LeaguesideLeigh Genesis.This also came with the news that the club had moved into their new ground atLeigh Sports Village.Flitcroft left Leigh Genesis after revealing to the media that he and many of his players had not been paid at Leigh for some time, and moved to Leigh's rivals,Chorley F.C.in May 2010.

Flitcroft was hugely successful at Chorley, earning them two promotions – asNorthern Premier League Division One play-off winners in 2010–11and thenPremier Division Champions in 2013–14.He immediately guided Chorley to4th placein the Conference North but lost 3–2 at home toGuiseleyin the Play Off Final. On 2 July 2015, Flitcroft stepped down as manager and his assistantMatt Jansenwas put in charge.

Personal life

Flitcroft's brotherDavidwas also a midfielder who played in the lower divisions but who is now Director of Football ofPort Vale.Flitcroft married Karen, whom he had met at Turton High School, and the couple had three children.The couple subsequently divorced.

Flitcroft, now owner of a timber frame business called "Flitcraft" with his son Thomas, faced trial in 2019 following a legal dispute.In September 2020 he won the case against a rival business.

Flitcroft and the Leveson Inquiry

During his marriage, Flitcroft had two affairs, one with a nursery nurse and the second with a lap dancer. After a disagreement with one of the women, the media began to pursue the story, so Flitcroft took out a High-Court injunction, banning media coverage of the affairs.After a long legal battle, during the2001–02season an injunction preventing Flitcroft being named ran out.The lawsuit resulting from this allegation, presided over byLord Chief JusticeLord Woolf,was notable for the way it weighed personalprivacyrights against the right tofreedom of expressionunder theEuropean Convention on Human Rights(applicable since theHuman Rights Act 1998came into force in 2000).

In September 2011, Flitcroft was named as a "core participant" in theLeveson Inquiryinto theNews International phone hacking scandal.

Honours

As a player

Manchester City

• Player of the Year: 1992–93

Blackburn Rovers

• League Cup:2001–02

As a manager

Chorley

• Northern Premier League Division One:play-off winners 2010–11
• Northern Premier League:2013–14

Managerial statistics

As of July 2015.

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record					Ref
			P	W	D	L	Win %
Chorley	May 2010	July 2015	197	102	44	51	051.8
Total			197	102	44	51	051.8	—

External links

• A v B & C2002 EWCA Civ 337, a discussion of Garry Flitcroft's lawsuit