Matt Hancock appointed Port Vale FC CEO

Port Vale Football Club have today announced that Matt Hancock has been appointed as their Chief Executive.

Matt joined Port Vale in a newly created Community and CSR Director Role in January 2023 having spent 11 years at Burton Albion Football Club.

According to the club, in his new role, Hancock will be responsible for the off-the-pitch growth of the football club and will become accountable for the day-to-day running of Port Vale.

Commenting on Matt’s appointment, Carol Shanahan OBE said:

“We are delighted to be appointing Matt as CEO of Port Vale Football Club, the impact he has made in the 12 months across the whole club has been immeasurable and it has given myself and Kevin the confidence in knowing he is the right person to lead us forward during this next phase of the football club.

“His values alongside his drive and determination to put the best interests of Port Vale at the heart of everything we do means that he will work with us in giving the club the best chance of success on and off the pitch.

“There are several exciting projects that we want to see come to fruition over the next few years and Matt is the right person to lead us in this exciting new era.

“He will become accountable for all none-footballing decisions and will work closely with David Flitcroft who will continue to drive the on-the-pitch decisions.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Matt and helping him to realise the potential of the football club in our local community”

Port Vale’s New CEO, Matt Hancock said:  

“I’ve really enjoyed the last 12 months at the club and would like to thank Carol, Kevin and the Shanahan family for this amazing opportunity to become the CEO of Port Vale.

“I have already had first-hand experience of the ambition that is at the football club with the great staff that are already in situ giving their all for this football club.

“We have a fantastic opportunity on the horizon which will allow us to create a legacy where elite and professional can meet community and will allow us to expand our fantastic community outreach without sacrificing or underestimating the need to be a successful club on the pitch.

“My short-term goal is to ensure that we become a very good and stable League One football club with infrastructure and facilities at the heart of this. We have already had positive conversations with the local council and other partners around the training ground, Vale Park and community opportunities and we will also be progressing with the Vale Park Campus that was announced last year.

“I’m also looking forward to building stronger relationships with our supporters be that through our relationship we have with our Supporters Club or continuing to grow the Supporters Summit to ensure that decisions that impact our supporters are made in collaboration and that all voices are heard.

“This is a really exciting time for the football club and I fully believe that with high performance across all departments, we can ensure a better experience for supporters and the community."