By Peter A Walker

Copyright insider

Powerleague chief executive Christian Rose is retiring after seven years in the role.

He will be succeeded by John Gillespie, the current chief commercial, customer and marketing officer, who was previously chief operating officer.

As part of an executive management team who all joined the group in 2018, which includes the chief financial officer Mike Evans, they oversaw the turnaround of Powerleague’s core football business and the recent investment and expansion into Padel.

Most recently, they managed the acquisition of Powerleague by UK-based private equity firm Broadsword Investment Management.

Evans will continue in his role as CFO, while taking on an expanded strategic role within the wider Broadsword group.

Rose will remain working with Paisley-founded group until next June, to support the business in its growth strategy, while also expanding his own non-executive director portfolio opportunities and spending time with his family.

“It’s been an amazing experience to have seen Powerleague transform into the successful company it is now, thanks to the hard work of such an amazing and passionate team,“ he stated.

“I’m also delighted that John Gillespie is taking over and I’m sure he will be an undoubted success with the backing of our new owners Broadsword, who are supportive of the strategic business plan that we have been developing in recent years. I look forward to continuing to watch the growth of Powerleague with genuine affection and pride.”

Gillespie commented: “It’s our mission to make sport more accessible, inclusive, and enjoyable for everyone and our strategic move towards being a multi-sport operator will only help us achieve this goal.

“Our ambition is to become the biggest and best operator of small-sided sports in the UK and beyond, recognised for our leading facilities and friendly, welcoming clubs.

“I’d personally like to thank Christian for his friendship and guidance during our time working together.”

Daniel Sennett, co-Founder and chief executive of Broadsword, added: “Now is an exciting time in the evolution of Powerleague as it explores the opportunities to grow into a major multi-sports operator.

“With John, Mike and the remaining management team in place, we have the right ingredients to build on the success of this world-class small-sided football business and the national footprint to really open up Padel to the masses.”

Over the last seven years, Powerleague has grown to operate 43 clubs across the UK, bringing in more than nine million customers annually. In addition to its core football offering, the business manages more than 250 third-party venues that provide both football and netball.

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