METHVEN TO SPEAK AT FOOTBALL SUMMIT
As the Botswana Football Summit approaches in March, one of the featured speakers is Charlie Methven, a highly respected football expert. Methven is eagerly looking forward to the event, which will be held at the University of Botswana’s indoor sports facility. The summit promises to be a valuable opportunity to discuss the state of football and explore ways to improve the game.
Charlie Methven was born and raised in rural Oxfordshire and attended Eton College. He studied Theology at Exeter College, Oxford. Mr. Methven will be discussing club ownership in football, with a focus on governance, operations, and club governance, at the Botswana Football summit. With his background and experience, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the Summit.
Methven began his career in journalism in 1997, working for the horse racing paper, Sporting Life. He later moved to The Daily Telegraph, where he edited the Peterborough diary column and had his own column from
2003 onwards. During this time, he wrote features and opinion pieces for and The Spectator. He gained extensive knowledge and experience of the media and sports industries during this period.
As a public relations expert, Methven co-founded a communications consultancy called
Dragon Associates in 2011. The company has advised clients such as the Kingdom of Bahrain, 5 Hertford Street, Tottenham Hotspur, and Marex Spectron. In 2017, the Spear’s Wealth Management Survey rated him as one of the top-10 public relations consultants in London. He is highly regarded in the field.
He is a life-long supporter of Oxford United Football Club. In 2011, he became a trustee of the club’s Youth and Community Trust and a founding committee member of the OxVox supporters’ trust. He also founded the Yellow Army, a supporters group, and provided marketing and public relations advice to the club’s owner, Ian Lenagan.
In May 2018, Methven was instrumental in arranging the sale of Sunderland A.F.C. to Juan Sartori and Stewart Donald, following the previous owner, Ellis Short’s decision to sell the club. Methven bought 6percent of the club and became its Executive Director. The club’s story was documented in the Netflix documentary Sunderland ‘Til I Die, with Methven featured in. He was involved in the club’s operations during a critical time, and played a significant role in its future success.
On the 5th of June 2023, it was announced that a takeover of Charlton Athletic by SE7 Partners, of which Methven and Edward Warrick are members, had been agreed. On the 19th of July, the EFL and FA gave their approval for the takeover. Methven is a part owner of Charlton Athletic.