Port Vale's new CEO ready for the challenge

Thu 31st Mar 2011 | Football Club Management

Port Vale Football Club’s new Chief Executive, Perry Deakin says he is eager to drive the club forward.

Deakin, who despite currently being involved in Northants County Cricket Club, has a wealth of experience in the football industry, having worked as Commercial Manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers and as Commercial Director at Birmingham City.

He will begin his role at Vale Park on Monday, April 4, succeeding Chairman Bill Bratt, and he told www.port-vale.co.uk that he could not wait to get started.

He said: "My role will be the club's Chief Executive and my responsibilities will include all members of staff, and all business operations. Everything that happens at the club will come across my desk, other than football matters - those will remain the responsibility of the Chairman.

"My immediate goals are to settle in, to understand the business itself and have a good chat with all the staff. The rest of the board and I will put together a short and medium term, one to three year plan, in terms of where we are going financially. I want to see what they think and then my aim is to take the club forwards, as quickly as we can. The potential is there and I am very excited to be handed this opportunity.

"At Wolves we had two consecutive record years commercially, which I was obviously delighted about. At Birmingham City, the four years in the Premiership again were consecutive record years commercially, and in the one year back in the Championship, we actually generated more revenue than our first year in the Premiership.

"It was almost constant success to be honest and that is something I will be tapping into and I will definitely be bringing some of those ideas here."

Deakin also revealed he turned down offers from elsewhere, before accepting his position at the Valiants and he also confirmed that Chairman Bill Bratt played an influential role in his decision to join the club.

He said: "I had two or three other options, which included staying at Northants Cricket Club on a longer-term basis. However, having met Bill and the rest of the board, this was the place I wanted to come to.

"I think Port Vale is what I would call a traditional football club, it has great history and a great fan base - particularly for the league they are currently playing in.

"I just felt the potential was huge to drive the club onwards, not just in terms of the business operation, but in every aspect of the club.

"The Chairman and the rest of the board have done an incredible job here over the last few years. They have invested a significant amount of money into the club and it is really a case of building on those foundations."

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