View source for Denis Follows

{{short description|British sports administrator}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
'''Sir Denis Follows''', [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]] (13 April 1908 &ndash; 17 September 1983) was a British sports administrator. Between 1962 and 1973 he was Secretary of [[the Football Association]] (FA) and from 1977 was Chairman of the [[British Olympic Association]].<ref name=Timesobit>{{cite news |title=Sir Denis Follows. Notable services to sport |newspaper=The Times |date=19 September 1983 |page=16}}</ref> During his tenure as BOA Chairman, he was instrumental in ensuring that British competitors were able to choose whether or not to compete at the [[1980 Moscow Olympics]]. The BOA had come under government pressure to withdraw the team [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|in protest at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan]]. Follows led the party to Moscow as Team Commandant.

Follows was educated at the universities of [[University of London|London]] and [[University of Nottingham|Nottingham]], and was President of the [[National Union of Students (United Kingdom)|National Union of Students]] between 1931 and 1933.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/mar/06/students.studentpolitics |title=Leading the protest |author=Lee Elliot Major |newspaper=The Guardian |date=6 March 2002 |access-date=8 December 2009}}</ref> Having been appointed [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[1950 Birthday Honours]] for his work as Secretary of the British Airline Pilots Association,<ref>British Empire: {{London Gazette |issue=38929 |date=2 June 1950 |pages=2791  |supp=y }}</ref> Follows was promoted to [[Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE) in the [[1967 New Year Honours]],<ref>United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |issue=44210 |date=30 December 1966 |pages=10   |supp=y}}</ref> and [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[1978 Birthday Honours]] for services to sport.<ref name=Timesobit/><ref>UK list:{{London Gazette |issue=47549 |date=2 June 1978 |pages=6229  |supp=y}}</ref>

In January 1970, while serving as the FA secretary, Follows wrote to the [[Women's Football Association]] (WFA) to inform them that the 1921 ban on women's football had been rescinded.<ref name="Lopez-57">{{harvnb|Lopez|1997|p=57}}</ref> He was later appointed an honorary life vice president of the WFA.

==References==
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==Bibliography==
{{Portal|Sports}}
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* {{Cite book |last1=Lopez |first1=Sue |author-link= Sue Lopez|title=Women on the Ball: A Guide to Women's Football |publisher=Scarlet Press |year=1997 |location=London, England |isbn=1857270169 }}
{{refend}}

{{The Football Association}}
{{Presidents of the National Union of Students}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Follows, Denis}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:Presidents of the National Union of Students (United Kingdom)]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of London]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Nottingham]]
[[Category:The Football Association]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:Sportspeople awarded knighthoods]]
[[Category:Association football people awarded knighthoods]]


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