Earlier on this year, the Board of Directors approved the appointment of Ken Schofield CBE as President of Aldershot Town Football Club.
This position was left vacant following the passing of former Club President Jack Rollins earlier in the year after being involved in the football club for over 45 years.
Ken recently came along to our most recent Vanarama National League game, our 1-0 home victory against Torquay United at the EBB Stadium.
Schofield joins the club after starting out his career as the Executive Director of the European Tour from 1975 to 2004.
During his tenure, the tour grew from 17 events to 45, expanded around the world, and added the Challenge Tour and European Seniors Tour.
Schofield was appointed CBE in the 1996 Birthday Honours and awarded the Ambassador of Golf Award by the PGA Tour in 2006 and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013.
Schofield has however always had a keen interest in football and also sports in general.
In 2007, he was appointed to chair an ECB committee to review the previous winter’s Ashes tour of Australia by the England cricket team, which subsequently endorsed 17 of the committee’s 19 recommendations.
Following his appointment of Club President of Aldershot Town, both Chairman Shahid Azeem and Ken Schofield offered the following quotes:
Shahid Azeem – “I have known Ken for the past 8 years, as we are both trustees of the Bedser Foundation promoting cricket in the in the name of Bedser Foundation state schools.
“Ken has been involved in many Aldershot Activities, such as our golf day.
“Ken is extremely well-known in the Golf and Cricket world and will certainly make a great President for the football club.
“Ken has also taken over as the president of Surrey Golf Society from our celebrity supporter Peter Allis who sadly passed away a year ago.”
Ken Schofield CBE – “I’ve loved football and cricket from the first moment.
“My late Father taught me to trap and kick a ball (and catch, bowl & bat at cricket) – indeed my boyhood ambition was to play for my local senior team, St Johnstone.
“Although representing Perthshire county at schoolboy level and the under 21’s at Junior level -I didn’t make senior grade!
“While supporting ‘Saints’ in the 1960’s we first saw a young attacking striker called Alex Ferguson! It never then occurred to me that we were watching the man – who would go on to become one of the world’s great team managers.
Through my boyhood friendship with Archie Knox, (Assistant to Alex at Aberdeen & United), Sir Alex has become a good friend over the past 30 years or so.
I’m very much looking forward to supporting Aldershot Town FC in any way possible as I’ve developed a very real respect and friendship with Shahid through our work with the Bedser Foundation in Woking.
“I also feel that Football Clubs at every level are essential parts of their local communities – with Aldershot being a prime example.”
Everyone at the club would like to officially welcome Ken to Aldershot Town Football Club as we look forward to seeing Ken help the club to be promoted well and close-networked with the wider audience.
