FA has Chris Pilling on final shortlist to replace Martin Glenn
Saturday 23 March 2019 15:16, UK
A director of Barclays' retail bank is a leading candidate to become the most senior figure in English football.
Sky News has learnt that Chris Pilling, who stepped down from the helm of the Yorkshire Building Society just over two years ago, is among a small number of candidates to replace Martin Glenn as chief executive of the Football Association.
City insiders said that Mr Pilling, who has built a portfolio of non-executive roles since 2017, had emerged as the leading external contender for the FA role.
Reports this week suggested that Mark Bullingham, the governing body's chief commercial and football development officer, was also on the FA's shortlist.
A decision about the appointment, which is being overseen by FA chairman Greg Clarke, is expected to be made by the end of the season, when Glenn is scheduled to step down.
Pilling is seen as a somewhat unexpected contender for arguably the most important job in British sport.
Since stepping down as the boss of one of the UK's biggest financial services mutuals, he has joined the boards of Barclays' UK ring-fenced bank and Musgrave Group, the Irish food retailer and wholesaler.
Pilling, who lives in Harrogate, is also the chair of Yorkshire 2019, which is organising the world cycling championship being staged in the county later this year.
His CV also includes spells at companies including First Direct, Asda, British Airways and Telewest.
The FA declined to comment this weekend, while Mr Pilling could not be reached for comment.
Spencer Stuart, the headhunter, is handling the recruitment process on behalf of the FA's board.
And whoever succeeds Glenn will inherit an organisation in much better financial shape than the one he joined in 2015.
He has overseen a vast increase in participation in women's football and substantial investment in St George's Park, the Staffordshire complex where members of England's World Cup-winning U17 and U20 teams were developed.
