# Port Vale F.C. Player of the Year

The Port Vale Player of the Year award is voted for annually by Port Vale's supporters in recognition of the best overall performance by an individual player throughout the football season. Towards the end of each season, fans are invited to cast their votes for this award.
The inaugural award was made to Roy Sproson in 1967 and became an annual event from Ron Wilson's victory in 1969. David Harris (1974 and 1977), Ray Walker (1988 and 1991), Mark Grew (1989 and 1992), Neil Aspin (1990 and 1994), Martin Foyle (1995 and 1999), Nathan Smith (2017 and 2023) and Ben Garrity (2022 and 2024) have all won two awards during their time at Vale Park. Aspin and Foyle also went on to manage the club, whilst Grew spent three spells as caretaker manager. Tom Pope is the only player to win the award thrice, winning in 2013, 2014 and 2018. Eamonn O'Keefe and Anthony Griffith represented Ireland and Montserrat respectively at international level, though both players were born in England. After receiving his first award in April 2013, Tom Pope stated, "To be voted for by the fans like this is a massive honour for me. It means such a lot, more than the other [PFA] awards I've been lucky enough to win." Midfielders are more commonly rewarded, claiming 20 wins.
The current holder is midfielder Ben Garrity, following his consistent performances throughout the 2023–24 season.

## Winners

| Year | Level | Name | Position | Nationality |
| 1967 | 4 | Roy Sproson | Defender | England |
| 1969 | 4 | Ron Wilson | Defender | Scotland |
| 1970 | 4 | John Green | Midfielder | England |
| 1971 | 3 | Tommy McLaren | Striker | Scotland |
| 1972 | 3 | Sammy Morgan | Striker | Northern Ireland |
| 1973 | 3 | Ray Williams | Striker | England |
| 1974 | 3 | David Harris | Defender | England |
| 1975 | 3 | John Connaughton | Goalkeeper | England |
| 1976 | 3 | John Ridley | Midfielder | England |
| 1977 | 3 | David Harris | Defender | England |
| 1978 | 3 | Ken Beamish | Striker | England |
| 1979 | 4 | Bernie Wright | Striker | England |
| 1980 | 4 | Kenny Beech | Midfielder | England |
| 1981 | 4 | Russell Bromage | Midfielder | England |
| 1982 | 4 | Ernie Moss | Striker | England |
| 1983 | 4 | Wayne Cegielski | Defender | Wales |
| 1984 | 3 | Eamonn O'Keefe | Striker | Republic of Ireland |
| 1985 | 4 | Alan Webb | Defender | England |
| 1986 | 4 | Jim Arnold | Goalkeeper | England |
| 1987 | 3 | Andy Jones | Striker | Wales |
| 1988 | 3 | Ray Walker | Midfielder | England |
| 1989 | 3 | Mark Grew | Goalkeeper | England |
| 1990 | 2 | Neil Aspin | Defender | England |
| 1991 | 2 | Ray Walker | Midfielder | England |
| 1992 | 2 | Mark Grew | Goalkeeper | England |
| 1993 | 3 | Ian Taylor | Midfielder | England |
| 1994 | 3 | Neil Aspin | Defender | England |
| 1995 | 2 | Martin Foyle | Striker | England |
| 1996 | 2 | Jon McCarthy | Midfielder | Northern Ireland |
| 1997 | 2 | Lee Mills | Striker | England |
| 1998 | 2 | Gareth Ainsworth | Midfielder | England |
| 1999 | 2 | Martin Foyle | Striker | England |
| 2000 | 2 | Tommy Widdrington | Midfielder | England |
| 2001 | 3 | Dave Brammer | Midfielder | England |
| 2002 | 3 | Mark Goodlad | Goalkeeper | England |
| 2003 | 3 | Sam Collins | Defender | England |
| 2004 | 3 | Stephen McPhee | Striker | Scotland |
| 2005 | 3 | Billy Paynter | Striker | England |
| 2006 | 3 | George Pilkington | Defender | England |
| 2007 | 3 | Akpo Sodje | Striker | England |
| 2008 | 3 | Paul Harsley | Midfielder | England |
| 2009 | 4 | Joe Anyon | Goalkeeper | England |
| 2010 | 4 | Anthony Griffith | Midfielder | Montserrat |
| 2011 | 4 | John McCombe | Defender | England |
| 2012 | 4 | Doug Loft | Midfielder | England |
| 2013 | 4 | Tom Pope | Striker | England |
| 2014 | 3 | Tom Pope | Striker | England |
| 2015 | 3 | Michael O'Connor | Midfielder | Northern Ireland |
| 2016 | 3 | Anthony Grant | Midfielder | England |
| 2017 | 3 | Nathan Smith | Defender | England |
| 2018 | 4 | Tom Pope | Striker | England |
| 2019 | 4 | Scott Brown | Goalkeeper | England |
| 2020 | 4 | David Worrall | Midfielder | England |
| 2021 | 4 | Tom Conlon | Midfielder | England |
| 2022 | 4 | Ben Garrity | Midfielder | England |
| 2023 | 3 | Nathan Smith | Defender | England |
| 2024 | 3 | Ben Garrity | Midfielder | England |

## Wins by playing position

| Position | Number of winners |
| Midfielder | 20 |
| Striker | 17 |
| Defender | 13 |
| Goalkeeper | 7 |

## Wins by nationality

| Nationality | Number of winners |
| England | 47 |
| Northern Ireland | 3 |
| Scotland | 3 |
| Wales | 2 |
| Republic of Ireland | 1 |
| Montserrat | 1 |

## Footnotes

A. ^ For ease of reading, the complexities of the frequent renaming of the various divisions have been simplified to a number, reflecting the official "Level" of competition in the English league system. For more information see English football league system#Structure.
B. ^ For a full description of positions, see Association football positions.
C. ^ Inaugural winner.
D. ^ Second award.
E. ^ First non-British winner.
F. ^ Multiple winners are counted multiple times.
G. ^ Third award.