Jobs going as part of SOL restructuring

SUNDERLAND’S new owners have confirmed the club have made a number of redundancies as part of their restructuring process following relegation to League One.

Aside from chief executive Martin Bain, whose departure was announced on Tuesday, the club’s director of change Jacqui Gourlay and recruitment officer Neale McDermott have been made redundant.

A number of less senior backoffice staff at Black Cat House have also been made redundant, including the club’s head of marketing, and individuals within the club’s media and digital marketing department and legal department.

Other members of staff have left voluntarily, including academy manager Jimmy Sinclair who turns 61 in July and has decided to retire.

Overall, there is thought to be a reduction of 15-20 people in the head count of full-time non-playing staff which, according to the latest set of accounts, numbered 293.

The club will be run by a slimmed-down team of senior executives, who have agreed to take significant pay cuts which will see their salaries reduced to levels commensurate with the club’s League One status.

That team will be led by Tony Davison, who joins the club from Tottenham in the newly-created post of managing-director.

Lifelong Sunderland fan Davison has 20 years’ experience working in football and his brief will be to run the club’s commercial operation and to re-engage with supporters and the local business community.