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Southampton Football Club is an English association football club based in Southampton, Hampshire. Founded in 1885 as St Mary's YMA, they became a professional club in 1891, and co-founded the Southern League in 1894. Southampton won the Southern League championship six times between 1896 and 1904, and were later elected to the Football League in 1920 as co-founders of the Third Division. The Saints finished as runners-up in their first Football League season, and the following year received promotion to the Second Division as Third Division South champions. The club first entered the First Division in 1966, and currently play in its modern-day counterpart, the Premier League. Southampton won the FA Cup in 1976, reached the final of the League Cup in 1979, and won the League Trophy in 2010.
The Southampton Player of the Season award is voted for annually by the club's supporters, who send their choice of player to the Southern Daily Echo, a local newspaper in Southampton. Since its inception in 1973, 36 different players have won the award. Six of these players have received the accolade for a second time, and as of 2016 only Matt Le Tissier has won the award for a third time. Three players have won in consecutive seasons, 28 winners have represented their country at international level, and one winner (Alan Ball) has gone on to become the club's manager. The most recent winner of the award is Irish forward Shane Long for the 2015–16 season.
In recent years, the club has also presented its own Player of the Season award, alongside other end-of-season accolades. The most recent winner of the club-run Fans' Player of the Season award is Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, who was also named Players' Player of the Season. Alfie Jones won the Young Player of the Season award, Ryan Bertrand was presented the President's Choice Award by Honorary President Terry Paine, and Cuco Martina won the award for Goal of the Season for his strike against Arsenal in December 2015.