Football League appoints Philips boss as Championship director

The Football League has poached Andy Knee, head of sponsorship at electronics giant Philips, to be a director of The Championship.

Knee has been given a brief to raise the profile of the 24 teams in English football’s second tier, in a bid to attract sponsorship and investment.

He spent four years at Philips, and will work alongside Andy Williamson, chief operating officer of the league, and commercial director Stewart Thomson in a three-man executive team reporting to league chairman Lord Mawhinney.

Mawhinney says: "In financial terms, The Football League Championship is Europe’s sixth-most important league with an annual turnover of more than £300m. Andy’s appointment is a boost to clubs and will help them maintain forward momentum."

Knee, who begins the role at the end of October, adds: "Since its rebranding as the flagship competition of The Football League, The Championship has made rapid progress. I look forward to working with the clubs to raise the competition’s profile and revenues further."