Surrey Cricket Club poaches Premier League director

Surrey Cricket Club (SCC) has poached Premier League Southampton Football Club’s marketing director to lead its marketing team amid an overhaul of its management structure.

Paul Blanchard will join the cricket club at the end of March as sales and marketing director. Blanchard, who will also hold a board position, will oversee marketing and sponsorship, as well as the club’s retail and hospitality businesses.

Southampton FC has not yet found a replacement for Blanchard, who joined the club in 2000 from his position as marketing director for the Scottish Premier League (MW June 15, 2000).

Blanchard’s appointment is the final part of a wider revamp of the club’s management to create a board structure. The club has brought in ex-deputy finance director of the Football Association Nigel Roissetter as finance director, while Carl Partridge has been appointed operations director.

Meanwhile, Toby Codrington, who headed sponsorship at the club as its corporate development manager, has left to join Saracens Rugby Club as sponsorship director. He has not yet been replaced.

SCC recently signed Brit Insurance as a headline sponsor for the club and its home ground, the Oval (MW January 29). The company replaced Australian financial services company AMP following its exit from the UK (MWFebruary 6, 2003). The club is still searching for companies to sponsor its grassroots and youth development programmes.