Parklife founder takes charge of football club

Sacha Lord (left) is taking over as chairman from Carl Barratt (right)

The co-founder of music festival Parklife has been named as the new chairman of a non-league football club.

Sacha Lord, who was also behind The Warehouse Project club nights and acts as Greater Manchester's night-time economy adviser, is set to take over at newly-promoted Wythenshawe Amateurs.

Lord, who was born in the Manchester district, said it was an opportunity he "couldn't turn down".

He will take charge of the club, who recently pipped Stockport Town to the North West Counties Division One South title, when they face Division One North champions Pilkington on Saturday.

The club said Lord would take over from the present chairman Carl Barratt, who will remain as vice-chairman and chairman of the junior section.

Lord said he believed the Ammies had "so much potential" and he was "looking forward to helping to lead the next part of the journey at Wythenshawe".

He added that the club had big plans to grow attendances at Hollyhedge Park and make it a "thriving ground with a hugely diverse fan base”.

Barratt said the club's board were "incredibly excited to take the club forward with Sacha at the helm".

He said they were "proud" of what they had achieved since opening the new ground at Hollyhedge Park in 2017 and were "delighted Sacha has identified for himself the true potential of our community-owned club".

He said Mr Lord had "a superb track record of building destination venues with passionate and active communities and I know that we are in very capable hands".

He added that Mr Lord's tenure would coincide with a rebranding of the club, after the FA, Lancashire County FA and leagues approved the removal of Amateurs from their name.

He said the move had been taken to "reflect the progress the club has made" and the promotion was a "solid moment" in the club's 77-year history.