Stockport County Appoint Simon Wilson As Chief Executive Officer

Stockport County Football Club has announced the appointment of Simon Wilson as their new Chief Executive Officer.

Wilson will replace current CEO Jonathan Vaughan, who will move into an Executive Board position after five successful years in the role, leaving to focus his time on other businesses within the wider Group.

Wilson joined Southampton Football Club as a Performance Analyst in 2002, becoming only the second full-time analyst employed by a UK team.

He left Southampton in the summer of 2006 to take on the role of Head of Performance Analysis at Manchester City. After three-and-a-half years in that role, he was appointed Strategy and Performance Manager which saw him take responsibility for the development of all first team and academy departments alongside the club’s Director of Football.

He went on to become Director of Football Services for the City Football Group which owns Manchester City, New York City, and Melbourne City. Following Manchester City, Wilson was appointed Chief Football Officer at Sunderland AFC.

In 2018 he started a football consultancy working with topflight clubs and organisations including The Premier League, UEFA, AFC Ajax, FC Copenhagen, Sparta Prague, Levski Sofia and Leicester City.

Wilson joined forces with Mark Stott as part of the club takeover in January 2020, and as the Director of Football has strategically led the success on the pitch, resulting in two promotions in three years.

As club CEO, Wilson will continue to oversee football strategy as well as taking strategic and commercial leadership for the wider club.

Speaking of his appointment Wilson, said: “Over the last five years, the club has grown incredibly under Jonny’s leadership, against every metric, while retaining its sense of soul and meaning to the community it serves.

“I’m incredibly grateful and proud to be given the opportunity to lead the brilliant staff at the club; we are going to aim high and work hard to push the boundaries of what Stockport County can achieve, on and off the pitch.”

Mark Stott, added: “Simon has been my trusted partner on this journey from the start, and under his leadership we have transformed our football infrastructure, developed a top-class Academy, secured promotion to League One and are now pushing for a place in the Championship.

“Simon is a progressive, big thinker whose skill set expands way beyond football, and I’m really excited for the next chapter under his leadership.”