New Exiles CEO aims to be a busy Boddy right away (From South Wales Argus)

New Exiles CEO aims to be a busy Boddy right away

8:00am Friday 4th January 2013 in Latest Football By Michael Pearlman

NEW MAN IN: County director of football Tim Harris (left), chairman Les Scadding (second from left) and director Howard Greenhaf (right) welcome new Exiles CEO Dave Boddy to the club

NEWPORT County’s new chief executive Dave Boddy believes the club can benefit from his experience working for the Football Conference.

The former Worcester City chairman left his role as the assistant general manager of the Conference after a three-year stint and feels his extensive knowledge of the game at this level can be transferred immediately to his new role.

“As someone who has worked for the Conference I think I have an insight into some of the things certain clubs do very well and on the other hand things done less well,” he said.

“I’ve seen a lot of things throughout the Conference, and the Conference South and North.

“At Worcester we looked at other people’s operations and that’s far more the case at the Conference, I’m always noticing things clubs do well, or less well!

“I’m a firm believer that the best ideas are pinched and there are things I think we can implement, though I can’t declare them today.

“I feel my contacts as well will allow me to hit the ground running.”

Boddy echoed the sentiments of the Exiles board who have made clear that having a full-time person running the club on a day-to-day basis is essential.

“The potential at Newport is tremendous, that’s clear for all to see, especially being at Rodney Parade,” he said.

“I know the club well having worked for the last three years for the Conference and I’ve been heavily involved with the club.

“Howard Greenhaf and Tim Harris I’ve known for years and I’ve got to know Les Scadding in the past three months.

“It’s a great opportunity for me as well,” he added.

“For five years when I was at Worcester City I owned my own business and football is a 24/7 business, you can’t do it well on a part-time basis, it was impossible.”

Boddy had no qualms about defending his record at Worcester, standing down as chairman and quitting as a director with a degree of fan dissatisfaction.

“You learn from every experience but I am very proud of my achievements at Worcester City,” he said.

“People can believe what they want to believe but only the people in the situation at the time know what happened. I walked away with my head held high and what people choose to think isn’t something I can address.”

Boddy believes he essentially has to “pay for himself,” in terms of increasing commercial enterprises from the club and is expecting close scrutiny as a paid employee.

“We have to tap the commercial potential, that’s the short-term aim but we want to develop the structure of the club going forward and for the foreseeable future,” he explained.

“Football is a labour of love for me, it’s a drug, I live and breathe it, it is a passion.

“But I’m coming in to run the day to day operations and the directors will want to see a return. That’s a task I am relishing.”

Director Howard Greenhaf believes Boddy’s appointment is as significant as any business Newport might do this January.

“This is a big step for us, a move as important as signing a Michael Smith or Christian Jolley,” he said.

“To be professional on the field you need to be professional off it.”

Director of football Tim Harris feels Boddy’s appointment puts the seal on Newport’s most productive season since reformation.

“We’ve come so far in the past two or three years, but the toughest achievement is promotion to the Football League and we are currently in a good position to do that, despite the recent set back,” he said.

“But what we are in dire need of is more professional people to take this club forward.

“In terms of running the club, what people need to realise is we are all people with our own businesses and it’s difficult to do the two things, we need professional people whose focus can be 100% on Newport County.

“It’s been a difficult period of time, we’ve experienced some teething problems with the move to Rodney Parade, but things are moving well and that’s why it is the right time to make the appointment. Hopefully people will see that this move is part of us taking that next step.”