Coventry City supporter Gary Hoffman has been appointed as the new Independent non-executive Chair of the Football Foundation.
The FA have issued the following statement:
"Created in 2000 by the Labour Government to replace the Football Trust, the Football Foundation is a partnership between the Premier League, The Football Association and Government, which seeks to address a previous under investment in local grassroots sports facilities, and to harness the power and popularity of football to make a positive impact on individuals and local communities.
Mr Hoffman brings with him not only an outstanding record of achievement over many years in the world of high finance, but while at Barclays Bank, spent five years as Chairman of the Barclays Communities and Charities Committee and was a key architect of the highly successful, multi-award winning Barclays Spaces for Sports Programme, delivered in partnership with the Football Foundation. Recognised as the model for corporate social responsibility partnerships, Barclays Spaces for Sport has now delivered almost 200 sports sites across the country, mainly in the most deprived communities. Mr Hoffman was also a Trustee of the Charities Aid Foundation for three years and was previously Vice-Chairman of Coventry City.
Speaking on behalf of the Foundation’s Trustees, Acting Chair Roger Burden said: “Securing Gary’s services is great news for the Football Foundation and indeed for the grass roots of the game in general. With his proven track record in the business, sporting and charitable spheres, his CV stood out as the ideal candidate to chair the Board of Trustees. On behalf of my fellow Trustees I would like to welcome Gary to the Foundation; we are all very much looking forward to working with him in the future.”
Gary said of his appointment: “I am proud and delighted to be joining the Football Foundation; I have been a huge fan of their work since I first encountered them during my time at Barclays working on the Spaces for Sports programme. The grass roots of the game are the bedrock on which everything else is built and I hope to be able to use the experience I have gained over the years to make a valuable contribution to the Foundation Board and the organisation as a whole.”
Source: FOOTYMAD
