MBEs for brothers behind top games

Two football mad brothers from Shropshire who designed a best-selling computer game are being made MBEs for services to the computer games industry.

Paul Collyer, 40, and his brother Oliver, 38, who grew up in Affcot, near Church Stretton, have been invited to a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on April 23 - St George's Day - to receive the honour.

They are the brains behind Sports Interactive which produced the Championship Manager and Football Manager games.

Their mother Judy Collyer, who still lives at Affcot, said: "I was mad on horses and they were mad on football. They both supported Everton.

"They were writing this game as they were growing up. I used to try and nag them to come riding or feed the goats."

She added: "They both opted out of university to pursue this so we were quite shocked, but then it really took off. They work very hard and they are both very dedicated, but it was also the right time."

Paul now lives in Stockholm and Oliver in Istanbul, with both also spending time in London.

They attended Wistanstow Primary School, then Church Stretton School and Shrewsbury Sixth Form College.

Mrs Collyer said: "It was a bit of a shock when Oliver told me, but they've done so well and we are so proud of them."

The family plans to have lunch at The Dorchester following the ceremony. They can each take three guests. Paul is taking his wife Camilla and their son Luis and their company manager.

Mrs Collyer added: "Oliver is taking me, his wife Rahsan and their baby, Mina."

The first incarnation of the game was Championship Manager which the brothers developed in the evenings as there was little to do where they lived.

Their first experiments were on the BBC Micro computer, graduating to the Amstrad and Atari models as technology developed during the late 1980s.

In 1991 their idea was taken on by Domark, now part of the Eidos empire.

The game is now produced by SEGA as Football Manager and the Collyers are a year in to a five-year contract with the company.