Bristol City CEO’s new job to be confirmed in ‘coming days’ after being linked to ECB role

He played a major part in the day-to-day running of Bristol City
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Bristol City have been dealt a major blow after news broke of their chief executive Richard Gould landing a new role with the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Gould is the son of former City player and ex-Wales manager Bobby Gould. He has held one of the most senior roles at the club for 17 months after his appointment in March 2021. He succeeded Mark Ashton, who later took up the same role at League One outfit Ipswich Town. Gould is reportedly departing for the second time having held a commercial director role from 2001 to 2005.

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The 52-year-old is responsible for the business management side of the club. He holds a key role in the distributing of finances that are available to the disposal of the football. He has the important role of acting as the go-between between the club’s owner Stephen Lansdown and the manager Nigel Pearson.

City have had to navigate through the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in record losses of £38.4m. As a result, the first-team playing staff has been overhauled with several long-serving players departing the club and the wage bill reduced. Younger players from the lower leagues have been a preference since Pearson and Gould have worked together. The likes of Rob Atkinson and George Tanner were signed last season, whilst Mark Sykes and Kane Wilson arrived at Ashton Gate this summer.

A report from The Telegraph claims that Gould will be announced as the new chief executive of the ECB, where he will reunite with Richard Thompson.

Gould has reportedly beaten off competition from Tim Bostock, the boss at Durham to the job, after the final stages of interviews on Wednesday. The Telegraph added that the ECB Board met on Friday and that the news will be made public in the coming days.

He had been a contender for the role back in 2014 but missed out to Tom Harrison. Gould had previously been the CEO of Surrey Cricket Club, a position he had held for a decade.

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