Chief Commercial Officer - Football
Location: Southwest England
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an ambitious and dynamic individual to join a well-established football club in the Southwest of England as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). This is a key leadership role, responsible for driving commercial growth, maximising revenue streams, and enhancing the club's brand presence.
The Opportunity:
As CCO, you will lead the club's commercial strategy, working closely with the senior leadership team to identify new opportunities and strengthen existing partnerships. The club is uniquely positioned as a community-owned organization, balancing on-field success with long-term sustainability and deep-rooted supporter engagement. You will oversee a wide range of revenue-generating activities, from sponsorship acquisition and retail operations to matchday revenue growth and digital engagement.
Key Responsibilities:
* Develop and implement a commercial strategy aligned with the club's ambitions and ownership model.
* Identify, negotiate, and manage sponsorship and partnership agreements, ensuring alignment with the club's values.
* Explore innovative revenue streams that harness the passion and dedication of supporters, such as supporter-led merchandise initiatives and community events, to supplement traditional commercial activities.
* Develop and implement strategies to grow ticket and matchday revenues, including pricing strategies, promotional campaigns, increasing secondary spend on F&B and merchandise, and with the marketing and social media team, initiate engagement initiatives aimed at maximizing attendance and matchday spend.
* Manage and oversee the club's retail and merchandising operations, including the club shop and online retail platform, to optimize sales of official merchandise and branded products, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience for supporters.
* Work with the F&B Manager, creating new initiatives to drive food and beverage sales on matchday, and non-matchday conferencing events, and help to turn this into a 7 day week operation. Support the F&B Manager to ensure high-quality offerings and exceptional service that enhance the overall supporter experience and contribute to revenue growth.
* Develop and manage matchday hospitality packages and experiences, catering to the diverse needs and preferences of supporters, corporate clients, and VIP guests, while maximizing revenue and fostering long-term relationships.
* Identify opportunities to leverage the club's facilities for non-matchday conferencing and events, developing attractive packages and promotional campaigns to attract corporate clients, community organizations, and private functions.
* Work closely with the Head of Marketing to maximise the value of the digital platforms to connect with supporters, amplify their voices, and facilitate meaningful interactions, ensuring that digital initiatives complement and enhance the overall supporter experience.
* Lead and inspire the growing, ambitious commercial team, providing guidance, support, and professional development opportunities to maximise their potential.
* Collaborate closely with Commercial partners, supporters' groups, Board members and other stakeholders to ensure that commercial activities are aligned with the collective interests and aspirations of the club.
* Ensure financial stewardship, transparency, and accountability in all commercial activities.
Qualifications and Skills:
* You'll be comfortable 'leading from the front' with a hands-on approach to leading teams, engaging and managing relationships with customers, and not being afraid to challenge the status quo.
* You'll have a proven track record of growing revenues quickly in a business that shares the complexities of a professional sports club.
* You'll have excellent written and verbal communication skills and be comfortable presenting and pitching your ideas to commercial partners, board members and supporters. You will also need to be financially literate, commercially astute and a tenacious closer of business opportunities.
* You'll be a culture carrier, with a proven ability to lead, inspire, develop and grow teams and you'll need to be a natural at working collaboratively, both inside the Club and with external partners.
* Prior experience in a professional sports environment or relevant experience in the sports, hospitality or events industries would be helpful, but is not a prerequisite.
Why apply?
This is a rare opportunity to take on a senior leadership role at an ambitious football club with a rich history and strong community ethos. The club is committed to modernisation, innovation, and long-term sustainability, offering an exciting challenge for a commercially driven individual who wants to make a real impact.