ONE of York's best known football administrators Roy Ellwood has received his Football Association long service medal for 50 years.

He is a vice-president of both the North Riding County FA and the York and District FA.

Ellwood, 67, of Stockton Lane, was the longest serving league secretary in the York area when he announced his resignation to York John Smith's Sunday League in 1999.

He quit because of ill-health, having been in charge since the league was formed 27 years earlier. He later became a vice-president.

In addition to his medal Ellwood, received a letter of congratulation from FA chairman Geoff Thompson.

"It is a great honour and I am naturally very pleased," said Ellwood, who worked in newspaper sales at York and County Press for 42 years until his retirement ten years ago.

He played right-half for Yorkshire Herald who were formed in the 1950s by employees of that newspaper, the forerunner to the Gazette and Herald, a sister paper of the Evening Press, and was a founder member of the Sunday Morning League.

Updated: 10:55 Saturday, July 26, 2003