Mark Aizlewood (born 1 October 1959) is a Welsh manager and former professional
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 le ...
who currently manages
Cymru South
The Cymru South is a regional football league in Wales, covering the southern half of the country. It has clubs with semi-professional status and together with the Cymru North, it forms the second tier of the Welsh football league system.
The fi ...
side
Carmarthen Town.
Having started his football career at his hometown club
Newport County, making his professional debut at the age of 16 in 1976, he went on to make over 500 appearances in the
Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
, most notably for
Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
,
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
and
Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
, and gained 39 caps for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
Following his retirement, Aizlewood worked as an assistant manager with
Carmarthen Town on two occasions and later worked as assistant manager to
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward. At club level Rush played for Liverpool from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, having scored a to ...
at
Chester City. He also spent two years as the technical director of the
Welsh Football Trust
The FAW Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Bêl-droed Cymru) (formerly known as the Welsh Football Trust) (founded 1996) is recognised as a governing body of sport in Wales by Sport Wales. It was established by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) t ...
, being placed in charge of developing youth football in Wales. In 2012, he returned to
Welsh Premier League
The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 20 ...
side Carmarthen Town as manager and lead the club to consecutive
Welsh League Cup
The Cymru Premier League Cup, currently known as the Nathaniel MG Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a cup competition in Welsh football organised by the Cymru Premier.
The competition was established in 1992 and is considered to be the second-mos ...
victories in 2013 and 2014. His contract as manager was terminated after he was convicted of serious fraud in February 2018.
[
]
Early life
Aizlewood was born in Newport and grew up in the Ringland area. His father was a steelworker who had moved to Newport from Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
. As a child, he attended Alway Juniors School and then Hartridge High School
Llanwern High School is a secondary school on the eastern edge of Newport, Wales. The school has a capacity for 1450 pupils.
History
Previously known as Hartridge High School, it changed its name in 2012 to Llanwern High School, recruited a ne ...
in Newport. His older brother Steve was also a professional footballer.
Playing career
After playing for local youth club Cromwell, Aizlewood joined his home-town club Newport County at the age of 14, turning down an offer to join Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
. Earning a wage of five pounds per week to cover expenses, he made his professional debut two years later at the age of just 16, whilst he was still attending school. He played for Newport for three years, leaving in 1978 to join Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
for a fee of £50,000, becoming David Pleat
David John Pleat (born 15 January 1945) is an English football player turned manager, and sports commentator. Pleat made 185 Football League appearances for five clubs, scoring 26 goals. He had two spells as manager of Luton Town, and four as ma ...
's first signing at the club. After four seasons at Luton, winning the Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
title in his final year, he moved on to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...
in 1982, again for a fee of £50,000.[ He was later appointed club captain and was named the club's player of the year for both the 1984–85 and 1985–86 seasons.]
In 1987, Charlton received an offer of £200,000 from Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...
for Aizlewood. Despite resistance from manager Lennie Lawrence
Robin Michael Lawrence (born 12 December 1947) is an English former football manager, player and football consultant who is non-executive director at EFL League Two side Hartlepool United.
Lawrence was a semi-professional at Croydon, Carshalt ...
, Aizlewood decided to accept the move as the club were then managed by one of his boyhood idols, Billy Bremner
William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. Regarded as one of the game's great midfielders, he combined precision passing skills with tenacious tackling and physical stam ...
. Signed as a replacement for Ian Snodin
Ian Snodin (born 15 August 1963) is an English football manager, former professional player and sports analyst.
As a player he was a midfielder, notably playing in the top flight for Leeds United and Everton, appearing in the Premier League f ...
, who had left the club to join Everton, he made his debut in a goalless draw with Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...
on 7 February 1987. He became influential almost immediately, missing just one league match for the rest of the season as Leeds finished in fourth position and went on to reach the play-off final, losing to his former club Charlton. Aizlewood was also appointed club captain. However, the following season, Leeds struggled to repeat their good form, following the sales of Andy Ritchie and Ian Baird
Ian James Baird (born 1 April 1964) is an English former professional footballer whose most notable spells were as a Leeds United player. During his first period at the club he spent a season as captain. He won a player of the year award in hi ...
, and Bremner was sacked from his position as manager. Aizlewood himself became a target for some fans frustration and during a Second Division
In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...
clash with Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...
at the end of the 1988–89 season, he reacted to jeers by Leeds' own fans by displaying a V sign
The ''V sign'' is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted to make a V shape while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the circumstances and how it is presented.
When display ...
, an offensive gesture in the UK, to the crowd after scoring in the closing stages to make the score 1–0. Leeds manager Howard Wilkinson
Howard Wilkinson (born 13 November 1943) is an English former footballer and manager. Despite having a low-profile playing career, Wilkinson embarked on a successful managerial career. He won the First Division championship in 1992 with Leeds ...
quickly substituted Aizlewood, who blew kisses to the crowd and removed his captain's armband, for David Batty
David Batty (born 2 December 1968) is an English former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Batty played for Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United. Whilst with Leeds he was part of the team that won the ...
. He reacted furiously toward Wilkinson and refused a seat on the bench, returning straight to the dressing room.
He left the club soon after in a £125,000 move to Bradford City
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes.
Th ...
, with Aizlewood keen to remain in Yorkshire where his family was settled, reuniting Aizlewood with his former manager at international level, Terry Yorath
Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine).
People
Male
* Terry Albritton (1955–2005), A ...
. He spent one season at Valley Parade
Valley Parade, known as the University of Bradford Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater football stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. Built in 1886, it was the home of Manningham Rugby Football Club until 1903, when they c ...
, making 39 league appearances, before moving on to Bristol City
Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...
. He spent three seasons with Bristol, making over 100 appearances in all competitions and scoring three times.
In 1993, he returned to Wales to sign for Cardiff City. In his one full season at Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixture ...
, the club narrowly avoided relegation to Division Three
The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the fo ...
but did reach the final of the Welsh Cup
The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most ...
, losing 2–1 to Barry Town. He was also named man of the match in the club's 1–0 FA Cup Fourth Round victory over Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
side Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
in January 1994. During the following season, Aizlewood decided to leave the club in order to take up a player-coach role at Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
. He later finished his career with spells at Welsh Premier League
The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 20 ...
sides Aberystwyth Town
Aberystwyth Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-Droed Tref Aberystwyth) is a Welsh semi-professional football team, currently playing in the Cymru Premier, the top tier of football in Wales. They are the only top flight men's football team in Ce ...
and Cwmbran Town
Cwmbran ( ; cy, Cwmbrân , also in use as an alternative spelling in English) is a town in the county borough of Torfaen in South Wales.
Lying within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire, Cwmbran was designated as a New Town in 1949 to prov ...
before retiring in 2000.[
]
International career
Having previously captained Wales at youth level, Aizlewood played twice for the Wales under-21 side, making his debut in a 1–0 defeat to England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
on 6 February 1979 before winning his second cap a year later in September 1980 in a 2–0 victory over the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
Aizlewood made his debut for the Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
senior side on 25 February 1986, during a 2–1 victory over Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
in Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
. His last appearance came on 14 December 1994 as Wales lost 3–0 to Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
in a Euro 96
The 1996 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 96, was the 10th UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial football tournament contested by European nations and organised by UEFA. It took place in England from 8 to 30 ...
qualifier at Cardiff Arms Park
Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British E ...
. He finished his career having won 39 caps for Wales without scoring.
Management and coaching career
FAW Trust
In 2001, Aizlewood was appointed as technical director of the Welsh Football Trust
The FAW Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Bêl-droed Cymru) (formerly known as the Welsh Football Trust) (founded 1996) is recognised as a governing body of sport in Wales by Sport Wales. It was established by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) t ...
, a governing body of the Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the Governing bodies of sports in Wales, governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team, Welsh national foo ...
(FAW), following the resignation of Mike Rigg, a role which he described as his "dream job". However, despite increasing the trust's coaching revenues by 75 per cent during his time in charge, he was sacked in December 2003 following an altercation with a BBC camera crew and presenter. During filming of an interview BBC investigative programme ''X-Ray'', Aizlewood reportedly attempted to forcibly remove a tape from a camera and chased the crew from the trust's offices in Cardiff. He was also accused of assaulting presenter Jane Harvey by "grabbing her around the neck and pushing her down a flight of steps" with Harvey describing him as "berserk". He was later convicted of assaulting Harvey and ordered to pay a fine of £1,800 and his conduct was described by the judge as "entirely inappropriate."
Chester City
Aizlewood had a spell on the coaching staff of Carmarthen Town during 2003–04, but left to become assistant manager to Ian Rush
Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward. At club level Rush played for Liverpool from 1980–1987 and 1988–1996. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer, having scored a to ...
at Chester City for 2004–05. The club made a strong start to the season, embarking on a ten match unbeaten run, and Rush was linked to the vacant Wales job but a difficult period in the second half of the season, winning just 2 out of 10 matches, saw the club fall down the table and pressure grew on Rush and his management team. On 4 April 2005, Aizlewood was sacked by Chester chairman Stephen Vaughan without Rush's knowledge. Rush himself resigned two days later in protest of the decision, stating "Loyalty is vital in football and I am a loyal person. When a valued member of my team is dismissed against my wishes, I have no option but to follow my principles." When the pair left the club, Chester were nine points clear of the relegation zone, having been bottom of the table when they arrived. Rush later described Aizlewood as "one of the best coaches I have worked with."
Carmarthen Town
Aizlewood worked as an agent
Agent may refer to:
Espionage, investigation, and law
*, spies or intelligence officers
* Law of agency, laws involving a person authorized to act on behalf of another
** Agent of record, a person with a contractual agreement with an insuranc ...
briefly after leaving Chester as well as managing his business interests. Having considered leaving football, he was handed his first job as manager in January 2012 by Jeff Thomas, chairman of Carmarthen Town. Returning to the club to replace Tomi Morgan, having previously worked there as assistant manager to Andrew York and Deryn Brace in separate spells. The club were joint bottom of the Welsh Premier League on his appointment, along with Newtown, but Aizlewood was able to steer them away from relegation. The following year, Aizlewood lead the club to the Welsh League Cup
The Cymru Premier League Cup, currently known as the Nathaniel MG Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a cup competition in Welsh football organised by the Cymru Premier.
The competition was established in 1992 and is considered to be the second-mos ...
final, defeating The New Saints
The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club, also known as The New Saints ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed y Seintiau Newydd) or TNS, are a professional football club that currently play in the Cymru Premier. They are the most successfu ...
on penalties to claim the trophy for only the second time in the club's history. They retained the trophy in the 2013–14 season, defeating Bala Town
Bala Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed y Bala) is a Welsh football team from Bala, Gwynedd, who play in the Cymru Premier. They play their home games at Maes Tegid.
History
For a full history see; '' List of Bala Town FC seasons''
Al ...
in the final.
In November 2014, Aizlewood attempted to register himself as a player for Carmarthen, at the age of 55, following an injury crisis at the club prior to a league fixture against Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community (Wales), community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Flintshire (historic), Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at ...
. However, the plans were ended following a fire at Rhyl's ground which postponed the fixture. He was sacked by the club in February 2018 following his fraud conviction after six years in charge.
In April 2022, Aizelwood was reappointed as manager of Carmarthen Town after the departure of Sean Cresser.
Personal life
Addiction battle
Aizlewood speaks Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
, having taken up lessons during a long injury spell as a player. After becoming proficient with the language he entered the Welsh Learner of the Year competition at the National Eisteddfod of Wales
The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...
in Llandeilo
Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the B ...
where he was named as the winner. He released his Welsh language autobiography in 2009, entitled ''Amddiffyn fy Hun'' (Defending Myself) in which he revealed his 27-year-long battle with alcoholism and gambling and contemplating suicide. All proceeds from the book were donated to former England player Tony Adams
Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. He spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre back at Arsenal, making 672 ...
Sporting Chance charity. His alcohol problem began as an 18-year-old, during his time at Luton Town where he found himself with a large disposable income. Remarking on this period, Aizlewood has stated: "I was making a very good living ..sometimes I didn't drink for two or three weeks, but then I'd drink for three of four days in one go." At his worst, Aizlewood was able to drink a bottle of brandy and 20 pints of lager in one session and still stand. He also developed a gambling addiction and has admitted to losing up to £30,000 in a single day. In his book, Aizlewood confessed to once nearly attempting suicide during a trip to Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
in 2003 due to the severity of his addictions. He stated that on 14 February, he had stood on a motorway bridge in the Italian capital in the early hours of the morning and considered jumping 50 ft to the carriageway below, commenting " I didn't have an ounce of fear as I stood on the small wall and looked down at the cars speeding along the road 50ft below me, because I only had one intention: to jump."
Punditry
Following his retirement from playing, Aizlewood worked as a pundit
A pundit is a person who offers mass media opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically politics, the social sciences, technology or sport).
Origins
The term originates from the Sanskrit term ('' '' ), meaning "knowledg ...
for BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales.
It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...
, covering Welsh football, where he developed a reputation as an outspoken critic. He was particularly critical of Swansea City and their decision to sign several foreign players whilst playing in the lower leagues. Swansea forward Giovanni Savarese
Giovanni Savarese (born July 14, 1971) is a Venezuelan football manager and former player, who is the head coach for the Portland Timbers.
Club career Professional Breakthrough
Savarese made his professional debut at 15, with Venezuelan cl ...
, along with other players, was branded unreliable by Aizlewood and, following Savarese being dismissed for a deliberate elbow on Wrexham
Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
defender Mark McGregor during the 2001 FAW Premier Cup
The FAW Premier Cup (until 1998 the FAW Invitation Cup) was a Welsh football cup competition, organised annually by the Football Association of Wales from 1997 to 2008. Since the FAW excluded clubs playing in English leagues (including six Welsh c ...
final, Aizlewood was accused of racism after calling Savarese a "coward" and stating "but that's foreigners for you". His outspoken views of Swansea and their players made him a target for fans of the club and, in October 2002, Aizlewood was attacked by a group of Swansea fans, after commentating at a game against Rochdale
Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...
at Vetch Field
The Vetch Field was a football stadium in Swansea, Wales. It was used for football matches and was the home ground of Swansea City until the club moved to the newly built Liberty Stadium in 2005. Opened in 1912, the ground held around 12,000 at ...
, who pushed him into a gate, causing him to suffer grazing to his eye. BBC Wales head of sport, Nigel Walker demanded that the club would assure Aizlewood's safety at future matches following the incident.
Fraud conviction
After an investigation by various newspapers, in 2012, Aizlewood was one of three men arrested in connection with allegations of fraud regarding £1.6m of government funds that had been given to Luis Michael Training Ltd based in Newport, a company where Aizlewood was serving as a director. The company offered football apprenticeships, promising to provide full-time training in football coaching as well as work experience and a £95 weekly salary, to up to 3,800 students. However, the company focused on targeting young players from youth clubs between 2009 and 2011, fraudulently obtaining around £5m of public funds, used by the Skills Funding Agency
The Skills Funding Agency was one of two successor organisations that emerged from the closure in 2010 of the Learning and Skills Council (England's largest non-departmental public body or quango). The agency was in turn replaced by the Educa ...
to create apprenticeships for vulnerable young people. On investigation by Gwent Police
Gwent Police ( cy, Heddlu Gwent) is a territorial police force in Wales, responsible for policing the local authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.
The force was formed in 1967 by the amalgamation o ...
and the Fraud office of the Metropolitan Police
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
, the prosecution claimed that for every apprentice enrolled in the youth scheme, the defendants claimed funds provided by the UK government. It was also found that many students on their books did not even exist, whilst many of the youngsters that were listed lived far outside the reach of the scheme, or were doing less than four hours of study a week.[ Aizlewood was later banned from serving as a director of any company for six years, along with fellow ex-footballer ]Paul Sugrue
Paul Anthony Sugrue (born 6 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward in the Football League for Manchester City, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Northampton Town and Newport County.
Sugrue ...
and two others.
In June 2016, Aizlewood was charged following an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office. He appeared at Southwark Crown Court
The Crown Court at Southwark, commonly but inaccurately called Southwark Crown Court, is one of two locations of the Crown Court in the London SE1 postcode area, along with the Crown Court at Inner London.
Opened in 1983, the brick building is ...
in November 2017. In his defence, Aizlewood stated that he had neither the "time or inclination" to take part in the fraud due to a troubled home life with his wife Penny suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. Penny later committed suicide in 2016 following their break-up. In January 2018 he was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, after taking money in the fake apprenticeship scheme. Aizlewood was convicted alongside Sugrue and four other directors. Judge Michael Tomlinson described the case as "very serious" and released the defendants on bail until sentencing at a later date. He was later jailed for six years starting from his conviction in February 2018.
Honours
Player
Luton Town
* Football League Second Division
The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...
winners: 1981–92
Cardiff City
* Welsh Cup
The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most ...
runners-up: 1993–94
Manager
Carmarthen Town
* Welsh League Cup
The Cymru Premier League Cup, currently known as the Nathaniel MG Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a cup competition in Welsh football organised by the Cymru Premier.
The competition was established in 1992 and is considered to be the second-mos ...
Winner: 2012–13, 2013–14
References
● Playfair football annuals 1976-77 to 1995-96
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aizlewood, Mark
1959 births
Living people
Footballers from Newport, Wales
Newport County A.F.C. players
Luton Town F.C. players
Charlton Athletic F.C. players
Leeds United F.C. players
Bradford City A.F.C. players
Bristol City F.C. players
Cardiff City F.C. players
Merthyr Tydfil F.C. players
Aberystwyth Town F.C. players
Cwmbrân Town A.F.C. players
Welsh footballers
Wales under-21 international footballers
Wales international footballers
English Football League players
Cymru Premier players
Chester City F.C. non-playing staff
Welsh football managers
Carmarthen Town A.F.C. managers
Association football defenders
Cymru Premier managers
Welsh fraudsters
Welsh criminals