Swansea City: Trevor Birch appointed chairman of Championship club
- Published
Former professional footballer Trevor Birch led the sale of Chelsea to Roman Abramovich
Trevor Birch has been appointed Swansea City chairman following the resignation of Huw Jenkins in February.
Birch, 61, has been chief executive of Chelsea, Everton, Leeds, Sheffield United and Derby and will take up his new role in April.
He said the job was about "re-balancing" the club both on and off the pitch and will work closely with Swansea City Supporters' Trust.
"It's a great opportunity to build something long-term," said Birch.
"Perhaps this is a return to basics for Swansea, a club with a strong belief in its culture, that was run lean and mean and building a fantastic reputation for the football it played.
"I think under Graham [Potter], there is a real determination to return to that philosophy."
Swansea said their new chairman will be in "complete day-to-day control of all football and business matters" and will report directly to majority owners Steve Kaplan and Jason Levien.
A joint statement from Kaplan and Levien said: "Trevor's track record in the game speaks for itself. He has the experience we need and a business reputation that is second to none.
"Quite frankly, he is one of the finest football executives currently in the game."
Jenkins resigned after 17 years in the post, during which the club rose from the brink of non-League football to the Premier League and won the League Cup.
The Swans were relegated to the Championship in 2017-18 with Jenkins the target for criticism by some Swansea supporters since the takeover of the club in 2016 by American pair Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan.