Former BBC DG Greg Dyke to become FA chairman
Greg Dyke will be the next independent FA chairman, taking over from David Bernstein when he leaves the post after two-and-a-half years in July – subject to approval by The FA Council.
In an extensive broadcasting industry career, Dyke worked as director-general of the BBC and managing director of London Weekend Television. He also has a long history in football, serving as a director of Manchester Union in the ‘90s and, since 2006, non-executive chairman of Brentford Football Club – a role he will relinquish at the end of the season to take up his new post at The FA.
“Football has always been a big part of my life whether playing 11-a-side on Sunday mornings or six-a-side on Thursday evenings [now],” he says. “I got involved in how the game was run when I was first involved in buying sports rights as chairman of ITV Sport in the late ‘80s and later at the BBC. I learnt a lot in the years when I was on the board of Manchester United and have seen the other side of the professional game at Brentford.”
Currently chairman of both the British Film Institute and Europe’s largest theatre group, ATG, Dyke will give up both his role at Brentford and as a non-executive director at German broadcaster Pro Sieben in the next few months.
“I am very excited to take on this role with The FA,” says Dyke. “At the grass roots seven million people play football every weekend, women’s football is booming and the ambition is for it to be the second biggest team participation sport in England behind only the men’s game, we have the best known, most successful league in the world with the Premier League, and the Football League is so much stronger than it was eight years or nine ago.
“Having said that I am a big supporter of financial fair play which, in both the Premier League and the Football League, will have a big impact and hopefully bring a degree of financial sanity to the professional game.
“I do see one of the most important tasks for The FA is, over time, to make thoughtful changes which will benefit the England team. The FA have made a great start by rebuilding Wembley and developing great facilities at St. George’s Park but it is essential that The FA finds a way to ensure that more talented young English footballers are given their chance in the professional game at the highest level.”