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 lea ...

who spent time 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, it is the oldest football league in the world, and was the top-level football league in England from ...

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League (NASL) was the top-level major professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984. It is considered the first soccer league to be successful on a national scale in the ...

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. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an off ...

. In 1970, he moved to the

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers FC is a men's professional football club in Bristol. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club is affiliated to Bristol Rovers W.F.C., whose team play in the FA Women's National Leag ...

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

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

of the

. After playing just one game, he was transferred to the

Miami Toros The Miami Toros were a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League (1968–1984), 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 ...

. 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) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team establishe ...

. In 1978, he left the NASL and played for the Cleveland Force in Major Indoor Soccer League. After one season, he played for the Chicago Horizon. 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 took charge 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 20th-century English sportsmen Bristol Rovers F.C. players Chicago Horizons players Cleveland Force (original MISL) players English expatriate men's footballers English expatriate sportspeople in Canada English expatriate sportspeople in the United States English Football League players English football managers English men's footballers Expatriate men's soccer players in Canada Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Footballers from Bradford Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) coaches Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players Men's association football forwards Miami Toros players North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) players