As reported in the Yorkshire Post ... HARVEY'S CAREER AT BRADFORD AND LEEDS CAREER HELPS LAND FL ROLE
SHAUN HARVEY´S extensive experience as a board member of both Leeds United and Bradford City was a major factor in his appointment as the Football League´s first chief executive, according to one of the selection panel. The 43-year-old will start his new role in the Autumn as part of a restructuring of the governing body´s management team that will involve Greg Clarke, who has effectively filled the role of chairman and chief executive in recent years, reverting to a non-executive role. That will involve Clarke working one day per week, creating the full-time role that Harvey will step into on October 1. By then, he will have stepped down from his role as a director at Elland Road. Once in situ, Harvey, who is expected to be based at the League´s London offices, will oversee the management and strategic direction of the League. League chairman Clarke, one of the five-man selection panel who plumped for the former Bradford managing director, last night told the Yorkshire Post: "Shaun is someone who has worked in all four divisions of English football and will bring extensive experience to the role, which is vitally important. "Thanks to his time with Bradford City and Leeds United, he is someone who understands what the clubs have to deal with and how best to move forward." The interview process began in May after Clarke had made clear to the clubs that the demands of steering the League had become such that a change of approach was needed. He added: "I led the debate about 18 months ago because things were getting busier and busier. The television deals were getting bigger, as were the sponsorship deals. "The implementation of the new Financial Fair Play rules has also been taking over our lives so this appointment is very important. It is part of the process towards prudent governance, which we all know is vital. "We went through a rigorous selection process after receiving applications from a lot of good quality candidates. We reduced those to a shortlist of five and we are delighted that Shaun has agreed to join the League." Harvey´s appointment to one of the English game´s most senior positions comes almost exactly 20 years on from his first entry into the administrative side of football. His first role was as club secretary of Scarborough during Geoffrey Richmond´s reign in charge at the McCain Stadium. After a year, Harvey followed Richmond to Bradford City after the Leeds-based businessman swapped clubs with then Bantams chairman Dave Simpson. Two years as club secretary at Valley Parade was followed by Harvey being promoted to managing director in the wake of City winning promotion to the second tier in 1996. He remained in that role until the summer of 2004 when an offer to become chief executive at Leeds United was accepted. James Milner, Alan Smith and Paul Robinson had just been sold as the board, then headed by Gerald Krasner, fought to cope with the financial fallout of relegation from the Premier League. Ken Bates took charge at Elland Road in January, 2005, and kept Harvey in the post after being particularly impressed by his businesslike approach during the negotiations. On his new job with the League, Harvey said: "As someone who has served Football League clubs for most of my working life, it is a great privilege to be appointed to this role. "I have the very highest regard for the people who run our football clubs and I look forward to working with them, as well as all those with a stake in our game, to deliver a vibrant and sustainable Football League." Earlier this month, Harvey´s nine-year stint as Leeds´s chief executive came to an end as part of a restructuring plan. He has since been replaced by Paul Hunt, with David Haigh becoming managing director and Salah Nooruddin being appointed chairman. Hunt is expected to deal with the day-to-day running of the club, while Haigh and Nooruddin focus on bringing in investment to Elland Road. ================ Now, having read that ... a) are you rolling around in fits of laughter b) open mouthed, jaw dropped and breath taken c) a grunt of "so what's new" d) the future is .... guy _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] MARCHING ON TOGETHER
