Port’s new CEO with eyes on League prize
SOUTHPORT FC has announced the appointment of Natalie Atkinson as the club’s new CEO.
The appointment is part of efforts to help the club to run more professionally and become self-sufficient within three years.
Ms Atkinson has spent the past 18 months in the same role at fellow National League North side Curzon Ashton and will officially join the club on Monday, January 22.
She is a member of the National League board and has worked previously as football development manager at the Manchester FA and as national governing body manager at Merseyside Sports Partnership.
The appointment is the latest in a series of behindthe-scenes changes. The entire board left last summer, and has since been replaced by chairman James Treadwell, vicechairman Ian Kyle, direc- tors Adrian Shandley and Phil Hodgkinson and volunteer director Martyn O’Hara.
The role of chairman will be retired.
Despite struggles on the pitch this season, the club have revealed ambitions to move to full-time next season and to return to the Football League within the next few years.
Further appointments include marketing and commercial manager Sarah Davidson and general manager Steve Haw - a former Port player.
Since the arrival of Mr Hodgkinson, Southport have hired 2811 media to assist with commercial and corporate activity and appointed architects to oversee a major renovation of the Merseyrail Community Stadium’s main stand.
Ms Atkinson said: “I’m thrilled and excited to have been offered the position of CEO at Southport Football Club.
“My past experiences within the FA and as a CEO in non-league football has given me the insight and skills required to execute this role. However, I will be working hand-in-hand with the board to deliver our ambition of moving this club forward, building a stable platform for future growth and success.”
“Whilst performance on the field is of absolute importance, many factors behind the scenes will contribute to this. Firstly, I acknowledge there are many stakeholders in a football club, perhaps the most important of these are the fans.
“I’m a great believer in communication and one of my first endeavours will be to meet them and listen to their views.
“Secondly, the physical fabric of the club is what everyone sees first and it will be my role to continue to develop this, enhancing the image and our reputation as a professional and progressive club.”
“I have great hopes for the success of this football club and I promise I will work endlessly to help to achieve this goal. Thank you for letting me take this opportunity.”
A spokesman for the club’s board said: “From the outset, our goal was always to take the football club full time off the pitch and bring a level of professionalism needed to take the club forward as quickly as possible. Natalie brings with her a wealth of experience and an envious track record of success in many areas, all of which our club needs to massively improve upon.
“Her enthusiasm and determination is infectious and we know she is absolutely the right person to lead the football club off the pitch.”
“Natalie will be working on a full time basis, and will have responsibility for the running of the football club, under the guidance of the board, from top to bottom.
“Natalie will be working to take a number of projects forward for us including, community and schools engagement, charitable status, fan engagement, commercial activity, partnerships, our new academy, the ground refurbishments and the overall growth, internal structure and development of the football club, as we aim for the Football League.”
“As a board we want to ensure the football club is run as a business, and becomes fully self sufficient within three years, to that end we are moving to a more business orientated structure of CEO and board of directors and retiring the role of chairman with immediate effect, leaving five directors to move the club forward together with Natalie.”