QPR Appoint Mackrell Chief Operating Officer (A Year to the Day after making CEO Position Redundant)

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GRAHAM MACKRELL'S QPR'S NEW CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
The appointment of Graham Mackrell in the new position of QPR's Chief Operating Officer comes a year to the day after QPR's Board Meeting which saw Mark Devlin's position as Chief Operating Officer, made redundant (and of course also saw QPR Chairman Bill Power ousted).

QPR OFFICIAL SITE - GRAHAM MACKRELL APPOINT CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

QPR are delighted to announce the appointment of Graham Mackrell, as Chief Operating Officer.

A qualified accountant, Mackrell will offer assistance to the board, with the focus on improving the Club's off-the-field activities.

"I'm really looking forward to the challenge ahead,'' Mackrell told qpr.co.uk.

"QPR is a club with fantastic tradition and I'm excited about the prospect of working with the strong team we already have in place here.

"I'm here to add professionalism and my aim is to ensure the Club's off-the-field ambitions match those on it.''

Mackrell has worked in professional football for 25 years, including spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Luton Town, AFC Bournemouth and West Ham United.

He is also a Venue Director for UEFA.

Chairman Gianni Paladini is delighted to have Mackrell on board, commenting: "Graham will raise our profile within football thanks to his extensive work with UEFA and the League Managers Association.

"He is extremely well-known and respected within the game and also benefits from being a qualified accountant.

"I would like to wish Graham all the best and welcome him to QPR.''

QPR OFFICIAL SITE

League Managers Association Mini Profile
Graham Mackrell - Commercial Consultant

Graham is responsible for handling the Association's Commercial and Sponsorship relationships, including the LMA website.

He has spent over 25 years in professional football and worked in the game at all levels during his time at AFC Bournemouth, Luton Town, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham United. In addition he has gained international Event Management experience with The Football Association and UEFA

A Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and a Trustee of the Football League Pension Scheme, he is also a UEFA Venue Director in the Champions League and a Match Delegate in the Barclays Premiership

League Managers Association


Mackrell is - or was- listed as one of two directors of Sports Assets Management Ltd.


Graham Mackrell Company Secretary
West Ham Football Club Describing his job


YOU REALLY have to be a football fan to make the most of this job. However, by the same token you can't do the job properly if you aren't able to stand removed from the emotion of football. It's a very delicate balance. You need to have, and keep, strong business discipline in what is an extremely emotive sport. And the decisions you make are important ones, especially with salaries starting to accelerate in the way they are at the moment. Like Marks & Spencer, you are judged by the product you've got in the shops. But you have to balance that with what it'll cost you. You've also got to be a good communicator. Again, it's a question of balance - opinions need to be translated into language accessible to professionals and to the fans. Over the past few years Peter Robinson, vice-chairman of Liverpool, is the person who has brought the greatest amount of professionalism to the industry.

Independent


From Ten Years Ago

STOKED MACKRELL TAKES OVER NEW ROLE
Tuesday 24 December 1996
Sheffield Wednesday's growing in influence off the field in the corridors of football power can be seen by the appointment of secretary Graham Mackrell to yet another prestigious role.

During the summer he was the centre director for Euro 96 at Hillsborough and he has now been chosen as chairman of the Institute of Football Management and Administration.

There has been increasing speculation linking him with the top job of chief executive to the Premier League which is currently held by Rick Parry who will be soon joining Liverpool when his notice has been served.

Mackrell has been an important figure at the FA over the past few years and is tipped as a man to lead the FA into the millennium.

Graham Mackrell said: "It's quite an honour."

The areas of responsibility include four separate associations which govern the affairs of managers, commercial managers, administrators and management staff and its brief is also concerned with training and organisation.

This appointment adds to the role of Owls' chairman Dave Richards who is a member of the FA Council and was recently a Premier League candidate who contested the election to find a new FA Chairman.

Mackrell will take up the new appointment in the New Year.

4 The Game

Resignation from West Ham

Monday, 20 December, 1999,
Hammers' secretary resigns

West Ham company secretary Graham Mackrell has resigned in the wake of the Emmanuel Omoyimni affair.
Omoyimni played for the Hammers in their Worthington Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa, having already represented Gillingham in the same competition this season.

It was a little error but unfortunately it has had large consequences for the club.

Graham Mackrell
Mackrell said: "I thought it was the right decision to make. We acted upon information which was given to me that the player was eligible to play.
"It patently wasn't correct and as a result I'm responsible, and I felt the only honourable thing to do was to resign.

"The club have won a match and they're being forced to replay it.

"That's very unfortunate for the players and particularly our supporters."

Aston Villa have been given a second chance

It was revealed on Friday that the Hammers, who have not played at Wembley since 1981, had fielded an ineligible player.
Villa, who went out of the Worthington Cup after Gareth Southgate missed the crucial penalty, immediately demanded they be reinstated in the competition and on Saturday the Football League announced the game would be replayed at Upton Park next year.

Mackrell has been at the club for just six months after moving from Sheffield Wednesday. He will stay with West Ham until a new appointment is made.

Hammers' football secretary Alison O'Dowd has also resigned.

West Ham chairman Terence Brown said: "The board would like to thank Mr Mackrell for all his hard work on behalf of the club since his appointment in June.

"We feel Graham has made an honourable decision but it seems a high price to have to pay for what was a small and genuine administrative error."

BBC