Mark Kelly in Ashton Gate big-picture role

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The Ashton Gate Limited recently announced the appointment of Mark Kelly as the new Chair of its Board of Directors.

A ‘LinkedIn Post By Ashton Gate’ stated that Kelly takes over from Martin Griffiths and will transition from the day-to-day operational management of the stadium to focus on his Pula Group roles as the Director of Global Property Investments and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ashton Gate’s Sporting Quarter development.

Bristol (UK)-based the Ashton Gate Limited is a company that operates the Ashton Gate Stadium, a sports and events venue in Bristol, England.

The 27,000-capacity Ashton Gate Stadium is a multiuse stadium in Ashton Gate, Bristol, England (UK) and is the home of the Bristol City F.C. and the Bristol Bears rugby union team.

The Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England (UK). The team competes in the English Football League (EFL) Championship, the second level of the English football league system. The Ashton Gate Stadium serves as their home ground.

The Bristol Bears are a professional rugby union club based in Bristol, England (UK). They play in Premiership Rugby, England’s top division of rugby. The Ashton Gate Stadium serves as their residence.

Preston (UK)-based the English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales (UK). Founded in 1888 as the Football League it is the oldest football league in the world and was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992 when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League (the top of the English football league system). The Football League was rebranded as the English Football League (EFL) starting with the 2016-2017 seasons.

The Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter development aims to use sport and leisure to make a positive difference in the community and as a cornerstone of a mixed-use commercial scheme surrounding the Bristol City F.C.’s stadium. It includes a 5,200-seat mixed-use arena, hotel, multistory car park, as well as commercial, residential, retail, and office buildings.

Steve Lansdown CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire), Owner of Pula, which includes the Bristol Sport Group of clubs and Ashton Gate, said, “After more than a decade of running the day-to-day operational management of the Ashton Gate Stadium I’m delighted that Mark will now take on the Chair role. This will enable him to concentrate more fully on overseeing the Pula projects in Africa and Guernsey (one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel near the French Coast and is a self-governing British Crown dependency) and furthering Pula’s international property ventures. With Ashton Gate’s Sporting Quarter development soon to get underway Mark’s continued stewardship as the CEO of this project will be critical to driving its commercial development and enables him to use his extensive experience and vision to guide the future growth of Ashton Gate and its related ventures.”

The ‘LinkedIn Post By Ashton Gate’ further stated that the appointment follows a decade of significant contributions to the Bristol Sport Group during which Kelly has held several key leadership roles including Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ashton Gate during the stadium development and opening, Managing Director of Ashton Gate and Bristol Sport.

Bristol (UK)-based the Bristol Sport Group is a privately-held sports company that includes the Bristol City F.C., the Bristol Bears and the Bristol Flyers Basketball (an English professional basketball team). The group also owns the Ashton Gate Stadium.

Griffiths has stepped down after more than 12 years of dedicated service to focus on the delivery of the Longmoor Village (a planned residential development on the edge of Bristol, England) and the Ashton Gate Sporting Quarter projects.

Griffiths, who joined the sporting group at its inception in late 2012, was instrumental in the redevelopment of the Ashton Gate Stadium from the early design through to delivery of the two-year £50m redevelopment.

The rebuild began in 2014 and was completed on-time and on-budget in 2016 and led to Ashton Gate becoming the leading multiuse sporting and entertainment hub in the South West of England. Many of his early recruits to the development and delivery teams including Mark Kelly (then as the Chief Operating Officer) are still with the business today.

Driving the venue’s diversification by attracting a wider range of events and contributing to the stadium’s financial sustainability Griffiths has provided stable and considered leadership during key periods of growth and throughout the uncertainty of the COVID pandemic.

In parallel, Griffiths was also Chair of the Bristol Sport Foundation and oversaw its launch and growth into one of Bristol’s leading sports charities standing down in 2022.

Bristol (UK)-based the Bristol Sport Foundation has a long-term commitment to use the power of sport and physical activity to inspire the young people, families and communities to lead ACTIVE, HEALTHY and HAPPY lives.

Observed Lansdown, “Martin has been instrumental in providing our sporting group and the City with a stadium fit for the top-flight. His strategic focus and considered leadership were central to the success of the rebuild project and he has contributed hugely to the stadium’s sustainable future seeing it become the leading multiuse sporting and entertainment hub in the South West of England. I’m sure the entire group will join me in thanking Martin for his contribution, his lasting legacy on Ashton Gate and indeed the broader community. We now look forward to the Sporting Quarter and Longmoor projects getting underway later this year.”

With Kelly’s position as the Chair, Ross Wormald steps up from Operations Director to Interim Chief Operating Officer (Interim COO) and will assume full accountability for the day-to-day operations of the Ashton Gate Limited.

Ross’ extensive experience will ensure the smooth and efficient ongoing management of the stadium.

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