Club welcomes Kevin and Georgina as Gerald Kelly departs
Oxford United would like to wish Gerald Kelly all the best for the future while also welcoming two new faces to the backroom team.Marketing Manager Gerald joined the club last summer after a successful spell at Harlequins Rugby club and quickly became one of the first ports of calls for many of the supporters groups as well as building excitement over projects including the Big Match against Plymouth Argyle. Saturday will be his last home game before he moves on to a new challenge as head of the Wycombe Wanderers Community Department and he told us:
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the club. There are so many good people working here and I am going to miss it but the time is right for a new challenge.
“I’d like to thank Ian Lenagan and the board for the opportunity they gave me and also wish Darryl Eales, Mark Ashton and Michael Appleton the best of luck for the future. They have very exciting plans for the future of the club, on and off the pitch and I am sure they will be a massive success.”
Joining the club will be two exciting new appointments who have been working with Gerald on a handover this week.
Kevin Smith is an experienced commercial professional with over 13 years experience in The FA Premier League, The Football League, 1st Class and International Cricket.
His impressive CV includes spells at Bristol City, Birmingham City, Southampton and a period as Business Development Manager at Hampshire Cricket’s Rose Bowl. Most recently he has been acting as a consultant at Northampton Town and he will now join the U’s in a similar consultancy basis to oversee Marketing Strategy.
“This is a club with so much potential” he said. “There is a large, passionate fanbase who want to get behind a successful side here and I am looking forward to helping to move the club forward and build on the great work that already goes on here.”
Joining Kevin is Georgina Fell whose role will be to oversee the Matchday Experience for supporters. Georgina has a proven track record in Event Management having run the team hospitality area for Virgin Racing, Brawn GP and Honda Formula One teams at all Formula 1 race venues around the world. She has also worked at British Touring car events, British Super-bikes races and other international motor racing events. More recently she has co-ordinated the entire corporate hospitality programme for the Marussia Formula 1 team.
She told us:
“I am really looking forward to it. I have been to almost every Oxford game so far this season and thoroughly enjoyed being behind the scenes and then seeing the team play on a Saturday. I have worked with Darryl Eales for a while now and share his belief that getting things right on a matchday off the field works hand in hand with things being right on it.
“I can’t wait to get started and will be working with the matchday staff on Saturday against Stevenage, meeting and listening to fans at the Forum next week, and then hopefully helping to make matchdays something special every week.”