NATIONAL LEAGUE president and former chairman Brian Lee has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours list for his services to football.
Lee, 78, has been involved in professional and community sport for more than half a century. An FA staff coach as well as manager of the England semi-professional team, he became Wycombe Wanderers' manager in 1968.
The then-manager of Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre was the Chairboys' first conventional manager with the selection committee disbanded.
During his eight years in charge of the Isthmian League club, they won back-to-back titles on two separate occasions in 1971 and 1972, and 1974 and 1975. Success also came in the FA Cup when they took Middlesbrough to a third round replay.
Lee, who had been in charge at Lilleshall when Sir Alf Ramsey's England trained there ahead of the World Cup triumph, was also the first manager of the England semi-professional team in 1976 and took charge of representative matches.
He became vice-chairman of the Football Conference in 1991 before taking on the role of vice-president two years later.
He was handed the job of chairman in 2007 and served the league for eight years before stepping down in June, becoming a president under the new name of the National League.
Lee picked up the NLP Lifetime Achievement Award at our National Game Awards in May and new National League chairman Brian Barwick said: “Brian has truly been a shining and inspirational light in his service to all of us in the game.
“Whilst that service has been over many many years we know he has enjoyed every minute. I proudly join with all my fellow directors, staff and of course our member clubs in paying tribute to a selfless servant, who has been rightly recognised with this honour.”
