Major named new Sussex FA chairman

Former Worthing Football Club commercial director and Shoreham Football Club chairman Major, 55, has a wealth of experience in the beautiful game, having previously been a sponsor at Oxford United in the late 1980s. He was then commercial director at Worthing between 1995 and 2000, which was a role that saw him help bring Brighton & Hove Albion back to Sussex from Gillingham, when he struck a deal with former Albion chairman Dick Knight to host all Albion Reserve matches at Worthing’s home ground, Woodside Road.

Major took over as chairman at Shoreham Football Club in 2007, where he successfully introduced and integrated youth football at the club. He left Mussels in April, 2013, to concentrate on his role with the Sussex County FA, where he has been a council member since 2009 and a director since 2011. In September, Major was elected as deputy chairman of the Sussex County FA, following the relocation to Somerset of the previous deputy, Phil Chaplin. With the loss of Peter Bentley through illness in November, he was duly elected as the new chairman.

Major said: “There are many challenges ahead and I am confident that we can meet them. I want to make football more inclusive to everyone in Sussex and that means an expansion of disability football as well as women’s, girls’ and youth football.

“We also have to compete with other sports, as well as other activities such as the internet, social media and computer games.”

Sussex County FA chief executive Ken Benham said: “Mathew will be bringing new ideas and thoughts to the role, and will continue the good work that Peter Bentley did during his term of office.

“He will, with his business skills, add further development to the Sussex County FA in these challenging times and I am delighted to be working alongside him.”