Milestone for Town’s top ladies
Ticket office manager Sue Beaumont, left, and operations director Ann Hough have both won awards during their 25 years service with Town board level. Alan died 22 years ago just after his daughter became assistant club secretary.
When Mr Sykes went to Sheffield Wednesday Ann was promoted to club secretary in 1999, becoming a director in August 2007.
Ann has seen the lows of relegation and administration and the highs of promotion to the Premier League.
“We were in League Two when I started,” she said. “We’ve had some great trips to Wembley and the Millennium Stadium for the play-offs, then there was administration and numerous owners. “The most memorable time has to be the Championship play-off final, of course. The stress of the whole day, the penalty shootout.
“We had been there before and won promotion on penalties at Wembley in 2012 but this time was amazing.
“I was sat just behind Dean Hoyle and seeing him drop to the floor. It was such a proud moment, something we could only dream of.”
Sue’s connection to Town also started with Mr Sykes as their sons played football together.
Sue had been a supporter since she was nine years old and while her children were young she joined Town’s ticket office for what she thought would be a little two days a week part-time job.
“The two days a week only lasted a fortnight,” said Sue. “And I’ve been full-time ever since!”
Sue became ticket office manager in March 2003 and has seen huge changes in ticket technology, where the long queues of the past have been replaced by buying online and printing tickets at home.
“It was mainly face-to-face in the old days,” said Sue. “It was all cash, we didn’t even have a credit card machine. “It’s still developing now but the Premier League brought the biggest challenges. There were lots of rules and regulations we had to understand.”
Sue has one claim to fame that will probably never be beaten. She’s the only ticket office manager in the country to organise ticket sales for four play-off finals at four different grounds – the old and new Wembleys, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and Old Trafford in Manchester.
Like Ann, she’s also celebrating a recent award and won the Unsung Hero prize at the 2018 Ticketing Business Awards.
“Huddersfield Town has been a great part of my life growing up,” she said. “It’s not a job, it’s a way of life.”
Retirement may be on the horizon for Sue and she wants to go out at the top.
“I am hoping to see out my time in the Premier League,” she smiled.
Huddersfield Town has been a great part of growing up. It’s not a job, it’s a way of life