David Sheepshanks

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David Sheepshanks is best known for being the chairman of Ipswich Town football club in the Football League Championship in England. He was elected to the Ipswich Town board in 1987[1] and was appointed chairman in 1995. Other business interests included Suffolk Foods Ltd which he founded with his brother Rick and was a majority shareholder.

During his time at Ipswich he oversaw promotion to the Premiership through the play off in 2000, two seasons in the UEFA Cup and a period of administration following relegation between February and May 2003. The club entered a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to end the administration. The CVA ended successfully in 2006. During the club's sporting and financial difficulties some fans have called for David Sheepshanks to resign the chairmanship, primarily citing his continued failure to find new investment as a reason. In October 2007 it was announced that the club had secured a £44 million investment from Marcus Evans, and Sheepshanks would remain in post. The deal went ahead in December 2007, and a root and branch investigation by the new owner of how the club was run was initiated.

In 1997 he was appointed chairman of the Football League for two years where he helped with the re-structuring of the league. He has since been involved with other boards with the FA, UEFA and more recently FIFA. In February 2007 he was mooted as a possible leader of England's bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2018.[2]

Sheepshanks is the founder Chairman of the ITFC Education and Sports Trust, a founder trustee of the Community Foundation for Suffolk, Patron of the Ipswich and East Suffolk branch of the Samaritans and President of the Ipswich Citizens Advice Bureau and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by the Suffolk College.

Like his predecessors, Patrick and John Cobbold, Peter Hill-Wood (Chairman of Arsenal), and HRH Prince William (President of the Football Association), Sheepshanks is an Old Etonian.

From July 1 2008 Sheepshanks will step down as chairman and take an unpaid non executive role at the club

[edit] References

  1. ^ 'David Sheepshanks', Ipswich Town Football Club: The Official Site. Retrieved 19 February 2006.
  2. ^ Owen Slot, 'Coe boasts all the canvassing skills to lure 2018 votes', The Times (13 February 2007)

[edit] External links