David Miliband joins Sunderland board

Wed 2nd Feb 2011 | Football Club Management

Sunderland AFC announced yesterday that David Miliband, MP for South Shields, will take up the position of non-executive vice chairman of the club.

It’s expected that Mr. Miliband will attend board meetings (approximately six a year), help shape the club's strategy, and promote its international and community efforts.

Sunderland AFC is seeking to open a new chapter in its long and proud history. With stability at the top and improved consistency on the field, the club is setting a course to establish a permanent presence among the Barclays Premier League's top sides.

David Miliband's appointment is designed to further ensure that the right people are in place off the field to give the team maximum support on the field.

In a statement on the club’s website chairman Niall Quinn said: "We are delighted and honoured to welcome David to Sunderland and I am certain he can bring an extra dimension to us as a club. He is already a great champion of our ethos of community involvement and will be a fabulous asset on this front.

"His intelligence and ability to achieve fit perfectly with our vision for the future of this club and our aim to be strong and great for many years to come.

"Adding David to our Board in a non-executive capacity provides us with someone who possesses a different spectrum in envisaging how the club can grow. As a former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with worldwide knowledge and links, he can also help us become better known around the world as we look to grow and develop the club on an international stage.

"His unique skills will certainly complement our highly talented existing board members whose areas of expertise include marketing and commercial, legal and finance."

David Miliband said: "Sunderland is a football club with enormous ambition and tremendous history. Niall Quinn's leadership has brought the club into a new era, an era where international recognition is deserved.

"Sunderland is an inclusive football club where community is valued alongside success on the pitch. I was naturally delighted when the chairman approached me to get involved in a club that already undertakes community work in my constituency of South Shields.

"As non-executive vice chairman I hope to support the club's ambitions in both the community, through the Academy and its Foundation, and on the international playing field, where Sunderland now belongs."

David has a wealth of local and international experience after 15 years working at the top of UK government and politics. His positions from Minister for Communities and Local Government in 2005 to Foreign Secretary from 2007 to 2010 will bring experience and skills that match the ambitions of the club.

As a Member of Parliament for South Shields since 2001 he understands the local community and has already worked with the club through the SAFC Foundation.

 (pic: David Miliband & Niall Quinn. safc.com)

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