Excitement as Holland joins Ipswich Town and Gamechanger 20 boards

Last week, the club announced the appointment of Holland, along with the addition of new investors Marc Lasry and Travis Viola to the Bright Path Partners and Gamechanger boards, respectively.

The 50-year-old says the offer of a boardroom role from CEO and now chairman Mark Ashton was a surprise. 

“It came out of the blue really, a bit of a shock,” he told TownTV. “The season had finished and he asked me if I’d like to join the board. 

“It’s a step into the unknown, a real challenge, something that is very different. I obviously know the playing side of things, I know the media side of things because I work in the media, but in terms of the business, it’s something that’s very different and something that I’ll have to learn. 

“But I’m very excited by the challenge and really honoured that Mark has put that faith in me to become a board member.” 

He reflected on how strange it is to have a former player on the board but says it is not necessarily a bad idea. 

“It’s unusual to have an ex-player in the boardroom,” he reflected. “But it does happen, Mark Noble at West Ham and I was here on Saturday and Richard Hughes, who played at Bournemouth where I did as well, he’s involved at Liverpool. I saw him after the game on Saturday, so it does happen. 

“I suppose I do bring a different skillset. My knowledge is more the football side of things and not necessarily all board members have that knowledge and have that understanding. I guess I do have my strengths, but you’d have to ask Mark those.” 

Holland will be part of the Fan Advisory Board and he explained the role further. 

The Fan Advisory board is something that all Premier League clubs have. Ultimately, players will come and go, owners will come and go, chief executives will come and go but the supporters will always be there. So, for them to have a voice, and at the top level is something I think is really important. 

“There has to be a two-way dialogue, ultimately, we’re never going to get everything right. We’re not going to make every decision that supporters enjoy or think is right but all the decisions will be made listening to the supporters and trying to make the best decisions for this football club.”