The Guardian’s chief football writer, Daniel Taylor, has won the scoop of the year prize at the London Press Club awards for his reporting of the football abuse scandal.
Since Taylor’s original interview with Andy Woodward, the former Crewe Alexandra player who waived his anonymity to talk about his experience of abuse, hundreds of victims have come forward with allegations involving more than 300 clubs.
In January, the NSPCC said 526 potential victims had spoken out. By 31 March, Operation Hydrant had received 1,432 referrals since Woodward’s interview in November instigated what the Football Association chairman, Greg Clarke, has described as the worst crisis he can remember in the sport.
Accepting the award, Taylor dedicated it to the victims who had come forward to tell their stories. He has already won two prizes – reporter of the year and sports journalist of the year – at the British Press Awards and won the football journalist of the year and scoop of the year prizes at the Sports Journalists Association Awards.
At Thursday’s London Press Club awards, the Times was named daily newspaper of the year and the Sunday Times was named Sunday newspaper of the year.
