Polly Bancroft: My Leadership Journey
fcbusiness travelled to North Lincolnshire to chat to Polly Bancroft as she settles into life as CEO at Grimsby Town and reflects on her leadership journey.
Starting out as a football coach for Nottingham City Council some 20 years ago, Polly Bancroft always knew working in the game was for her. Now CEO at Grimsby Town FC via The FA, UEFA, Brighton and Manchester United Women, she is now firmly placed as one of the game’s leading executives. Shunning the favoured route of working in shops like many of her friends, she embarked on a journey that saw her acquire coaching badges before heading to university to study sports development.
“Football’s my passion. As I played, I felt the natural job progression was to then work in the game. From a young age I wanted to be a leader in terms of being a coach or managing people,” she told fcbusiness.
Rather uniquely, Bancroft looked beyond just football to grow her knowledge and leadership skillset, picking up coaching qualifications in other sports such as tennis, which allowed her to understand the process for individual sporting development as opposed to just team sport dynamics. With her eyes set on becoming a leader in the game, she embarked on a job as a Football Development Officer within a County FA, which she now admits she wasn’t fully prepared for.
What makes a good leader?
A good leader has a vision, even if there’s no plan. Having a vision and being able to communicate that effectively is a strong start. Just as important are integrity and accountability and acting ethically. Leaders need to take responsibility for their actions. If it’s their decision, then they need to stand by it and take responsibility.
You are part of the advisory board for Carnegie School of Sport’s Executive Leadership course. How did that come about and what do you hope to bring to the table?
I’m an alumnus of the university, so it was really nice to be able to go back for the launch of the programme. I couldn’t believe the amount of investment that’s gone into the infrastructure there and it’s great to see the university developing. There wasn’t an executive leadership course while I was studying, and I’d love to have done that when I was still on my early education pathway. What I can bring are my experiences from domestic and international football. It’s not just the ‘what’ I’ve learned but also the ‘how’ alongside it. Hopefully, I can give something back to a university that I thoroughly enjoyed studying at. Equality, diversity and inclusion is a core theme of the programme. Being one of only five female Chief Executives in the 92 professional clubs, I can offer my experience in this area.
Do you think that will help more women get into the position that you’re in now?
Yes, but I hope it’s not just women either. I’d like the cohort to be diverse. The expert panel is diverse and anything that brings diversity of thought brings challenge. It doesn’t have to just be an equal gender split, but a diverse range of participants.
“In one of my first jobs, I was probably a bit ill-prepared for leadership,” she recalled. “My professional career started at 21, I was line managing three people and I wasn’t ready. I thought because I coached I knew how to lead.”
Her mistake was to believe everyone’s work ambitions would be the same.
“That was a sharp awakening for me as a leader because I realised at that time, not everyone comes to work for the same reasons. Some want to clock in at 9am and out at 5pm. Some are more concerned about the paycheck and some don’t care about the hours or the money and just want to make a difference and would work every waking hour.
“That was a good lesson for me. You have to treat people differently – whilst you want parity, everyone is different, and taking that bespoke approach was an early lesson.”
Over the term of her career, Bancroft has picked up bits and pieces from different people she’s worked with which has informed her leadership understanding. At The FA she observed how a colleague would use research and data to influence their decision-making whilst in her next role at UEFA, there was an environment where mistakes were used as the basis for learning.
“I try to bring those lessons into my leadership style by letting the team know that I’ve got their back if anything happens, I’ll help them through it and I’m not going to hang anyone out to dry.
“Having a good amount of time under my belt and investing in my own leadership style has allowed me to refine the bits that I like.”
So what is her leadership style and how has she adapted to the experiences in her different roles over the years?
“I’d say I’m emotionally intelligent, I show empathy. I’ve got my own drive, but I don’t micromanage, I inherently trust people until I have a reason not to. Hopefully I might inspire and encourage some people as well.
“I’ve made mistakes along the way that I’ve learned from. I’m by no means the finished article and knowing that I make sure I keep investing in myself and keep improving.”
In football, anything can happen and not everything will run smoothly 100% of the time, something Bancroft is fully aware of. Knowing this has made her more adaptable and resilient.
“Effective leadership involves understanding that perfection is unattainable. When challenges arise, it’s crucial to focus on your reaction instead of feeling let down by deviation from the plan.
In October 2022, Bancroft joined Manchester United as Head of Women’s Football charged with overseeing the development of the team. That included delivering major improvements in infrastructure for the women’s team, including a new elite training facility at Carrington. During that time, United’s women won The FA Cup, finished second in the Women’s Super League and sealed UEFA Champions League qualification for the first time.
Before that she was General Manager of the women’s team at Brighton & Hove Albion but says the pressure of having her name above the door at United carried more interest with the club’s global fanbase, something that helped her build up a resilience to any criticism that came via social media.
Sliding Doors Moment
In March 2023, Bancroft attended a Women in Football conference where then Grimsby Town CEO, Debbie Cook was speaking. It was a moment of inspiration for Bancroft to hear one of the few female CEOs in the Football League.
“That really sowed the seed for me,” she recalled. “Never did I think 12 months later, I would be in her seat.” After asking the organiser of the conference to connect her with Cook, they provided her with invaluable advice on how to approach the conversation, suggesting she be specific about what she wanted to speak to her about.
“I thought, okay, I’ll rise to the challenge. I think she’s an amazing role model, and I was interested to hear about her pathway into the job, whilst sharing some of my experiences from Manchester United or UEFA in exchange for some of her time.
“She was gracious enough to take my call and we really hit it off. She’s from Derby and I’m from Nottingham, so straight away the football rivalries entered the conversation. It was nice to spend some time connecting with Debbie.
“Then she let me know that she was leaving to go to the EFL to take up the Community Director position.
“I spent a lot of time talking to her about the role and what it might look like. I was enthusiastic about it and after spending a lot of time doing due diligence and speaking to the owners, I realised culturally this was the right position for me.
“Having the oversight of both football and the business in the men’s and women’s game was something I wanted to do. I spent a lot of time preparing for the role. I’d read ‘The First 100 Days’ book, studied the club’s accounts and spoke to a few of the staff before I started so I knew I wasn’t going to be at ground zero on day one. I’d done a lot of prep work to understand some of the context of how the club operates.”
The challenge at Grimsby Town isn’t for the fainthearted and Bancroft is grounded enough to understand that no less than 100% commitment is required to be successful.
“Culturally, this is a working town, people graft and people really help each other out. You really get that sense of community here. Local businesses are helping the club and in turn the club is helping the community.
“The staff are fantastic. We’ve got some that have been here 38 years. There’s nothing they don’t know about Grimsby Town, I’m new in town so having the blend of my business background and experience with their local knowledge has been a nice mix.”
So what challenges has she faced here so far and how has she overcome them? Off the pitch, Blundell Park is one of England’s oldest stadiums having celebrated its 125th birthday in September. With infrastructure of that age, it brings its challenges.
“It constantly needs investment,” she said. “We’ve put a new roof on the main stand this off-season. Here today there’s wiring going in to make us compliant for Sky Sports coverage. It constantly needs work.
“There are priorities across the club but clearly the men’s and women’s first teams are the main priority. They are the bread-and-butter of the football club, so making sure that player recruitment, staff development and services to players are in tiptop shape is vital.
“But the biggest challenge is balancing all of the needs across the club.”
That balancing act is testing of all football CEOs and knowing what, when and where to prioritise resources is a key skill to ensuring the success of a club on and off the pitch, as Bancroft confesses.
“Firstly, we look at compliance – we must be safe to operate – that must be the priority. However, those tend to be some of the more expensive items, unfortunately. Making sure that we’re compliant with the local safety advisory group, with the EFL and the various agencies is essential.
“After that, it is a case of creating a matrix of priority, what is critically important and what is nice to have and then weighing up some of the costs associated with each.”
With the club in League Two, budgets are tight so they often rely on smarter ways of working such as doubling up human resources – can stewards also take on safeguarding roles, for example. But that also extends to the club’s commercial revenue generation.
“Commercial revenue is always a priority,” Bancroft says. “It’s not just about trying to bring in hard cash. We’re trying to be clever with what we’ve got. Invariably, we might not be able to do everything. It’s like finding pieces of a jigsaw to fix together.”
Growth in commercial revenues are key to the club’s continued success on the pitch and the EFL’s new broadcasting deal starting this season has been a significant boost to the club’s reach and engagement, and something they hope to capitalise on.
“The new broadcasting deal will see us feature on Sky Sports 20 times this season, which is a great opportunity, and a big step change for us. But it’s also for the whole of the EFL, so all League One and all League Two clubs will feature on Sky 20 times.
“That means the sea level has risen for everyone, which brings an amazing opportunity for us to achieve a broader reach. When we feature on the main Sky Sports channel, the reach is over 300 million across the Americas, so it’s a fantastic prospect, but it’s the same for everyone else. The key is who can activate against it the most effectively.
“We’re looking at income diversification, we’re not putting all of our eggs in one basket. We’re thinking smartly around our matchday. How can we maximise P&L on matchdays, how can we operate effectively, or are there any savings that we can make through how we work?
“Yes, revenue through our commercial partners is key for us, but it’s also about finding partners that align with our values, that are in it for the long run, that have similar priorities, whether that’s engaging with the community, being environmentally sustainable or working with women and girls.
“We’re using data to help inform our decisions and trying to find partners that align with us on those values and objectives. We’re fortunate to have, for example, myenergi as our current front of shirt sponsor.
“They’re exactly the type of company that we want to work with. We’re working with them on installing EV chargers here at Blundell Park and at the training ground. They’re working with us on our solar panels, so they are the perfect example of a partner where we’re fully aligned in our values and objectives.”
Grimsby Town Women
Bancroft’s background in, and passion for, the women’s game is helping the club’s women’s team strive to reach exciting new heights. With a focus on promoting and supporting the team, they are now sharing many of the club’s resources and gaining more of the limelight in the town.
“We’re starting to align the women’s team a lot more closely with the men’s team,” Bancroft explained.
“For example, our marketing and communications is the same for men and the women. We’re starting to do player appearances where we’re using the men’s and the women’s team players at the same events to help elevate their profile.”
Currently in the East Midlands Regional Football League Division One North, the team play their home matches at nearby Clee Fields, but have played matches at Blundell Park this season, with a recent game against Chesterfield attracting a record attendance of 535. “For too long, women’s football has been separate to the main club and I want them to be an integral part of it.
“They’ve got their names on the backs of the shirts for the first time, we’re giving them transport to away games. For the match here at Blundell Park, they’re featured on the main advertising board by the main road. Sometimes it’s those small things that can make a big difference.”
Whilst there has been significant investment in the women’s game overall there is still the view that women’s teams are a cost or that they do not generate enough commercial income, something Bancroft rebukes.
“I think it’s a strange rationale. There are very few clubs breaking even in men’s football, so to tarnish the women’s game with that narrative when the men cost significantly more is just not fair. There are some clubs closer to breaking even than others and clearly we’ll try and be one of those.
“The match that we had here for the women back in September made a profit, but for me, this is about making an investment. We’re investing in something that should rightly grow. It’s been behind the men’s game because it was banned for 50 years, and it’s got so far to go to catch up because of that.”
There’s a lot of things on Bancroft’s to do list but with her focus and ambition she is clearly one of football’s most driven executives and will help Grimsby Town thrive on and off the pitch.
Image: Grimsby Town FC
