Gordon Fearnley (25 January 1950 – 25 June 2015) was an English

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who spent time in

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

and Major Indoor Soccer League. In 1968, Fearnley signed with

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot ...

. In 1970, he moved to the

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been ...

. In 1976, the Rovers sent him on loan to the

Toronto Metros-Croatia Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

of the

. After just one game, he was sent south to the

Miami Toros The Miami Toros was a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League from 1972 to 1976. The club was founded in 1967 as the Washington Darts, and moved to Miami, where they played the 1972 season in the NASL's Southern Division ...

. In 1977, Bristol sold his contract to the

Fort Lauderdale Strikers Fort Lauderdale Strikers may refer to: *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983), member of North American Soccer League from 1977 to 1983 *Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1988–1994), member of American Soccer League from 1988 to 1989 and American Profes ...

. In 1978, he left the NASL to play for the Cleveland Force in Major Indoor Soccer League. After one season, he played for the

Chicago Horizon The Chicago Horizons was a member of the original Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) for only the 1980–81 season. It was the first of two franchises that represented Chicago in the circuit's history. It was the first professional sports team that ...

. In May 1978, Fearnley was hired as the head coach of the Birmingham Bandits, a team in the newly created Super Soccer League. However, financial irregularities prevented the league from ever beginning operations and Fearnley was released. During the few months he worked with the Bandits, he met Alaina Jones, the team's director of public relations. The two eventually married. In the fall of 1978, he was hired as the head coach of the Cleveland Force of the newly established Major Indoor Soccer League. He took the team to a 2–4 record and resigned. After retirement he studied Physiotherapy & Law, and later worked as an attorney in Florida.

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Bristol Rovers transfersCaught in time: Bristol Rovers win the Watney Cup, 1972
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fearnley, Gordon 1950 births 2015 deaths Footballers from Bradford English men's footballers Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Bristol Rovers F.C. players Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players Miami Toros players Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players Cleveland Force (original MISL) players Chicago Horizons players English Football League players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches English expatriate men's footballers Men's association football forwards English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States English expatriate sportspeople in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada English football managers