Sheffield United appoint Supporter Communications Manager

Tue 11th Jan 2011 | Marketing & PR

Sheffield United’s Chief Executive Trevor Birch has made a unique signing, appointing Richard Batho as Supporters Communications Manager to liaise between the club and its supporters.

A follower of the Blades for more than 40 years, Richard is a former member of the Blades Independent Fans Association and has a background in local government. His role will primarily focus on meeting supporters and listening to their opinions on the club, liaising with them on club developments and investigating the possibility of developing fans’ advisory groups which will shadow club operational functions, such as retail, ticketing and communications. 

Chief Executive Trevor Birch said, “Our fans are our biggest asset and this club has to value their opinions. I felt it was important to appoint a true Blade in a supporter liaison role and there is no bigger Blade than Richard. He is truly passionate for this club and will work with us on an initial six-month consultancy basis to allow us to work more closely with our fanbase.

“Our fans are our lifeblood and I want to develop a more interactive relationship with them. Richard will liaise directly with various fan groups on a regular basis whilst other senior members of our day to day management team will also be available on a more frequent basis for fans to meet, including new manager Micky Adams and Academy manager John Pemberton.”

Swallownest resident, Richard, is naturally delighted to have landed a key role with his beloved club.

He said: “I, like many fans, have a deep passion for this club and believe I can really help it move forward. In the next few weeks I will be working with colleagues at Sheffield United to understand their various roles, whilst also arranging meetings with supporters so I can explain the vision Trevor Birch has for the club.

“One of the first ideas I have is for fans to meet new head of operations, Dave McCarthy, so they can discuss all aspects of the stadium and their match day experience.

“Ultimately, I hope to put in place fans’ advisory groups so that supporters can work closely as active partners with many aspects of the running of the club. The supporters are really keen to be involved in a positive future for the Blades, and I think a coordinated, organised body of supporters will be a unique feature amongst English football clubs.”

RETURN TO LATEST NEWS SECTION

SUBSCRIBE TO THE F.C. BUSINESS RSS FEED

If you have any football business related news stories you’d like to share then please contact us – agourley@fcbusiness.co.uk or ryan@fcbusiness.co.uk

Add to: Google | Yahoo | Live | del.icio | Digg |