Newport County to consider structure after Jon Pratt joins board

The Exiles announced on Monday that Pratt had joined his hometown club as a co-opted director.

He joins a board featuring chairman Gavin Foxall and directors Shaun Johnson, Mike Everett, Kevin Ward, Bob Herrin, Mark Crook, Peter Madigan, Paul Marks and Joe Crocker.

Conversations with Pratt had been taking place for several months and his appointment means an addition of business acumen rather than financial investment.

County are a Trust-owned club and any changes to the structure would require the backing of 75 per cent of members after an EGM, which needs 28 days’ notice and information about proposals.

With the Exiles looking to avoid being dragged into a League Two relegation battle, the board are keen to steer clear of any off-field distractions for Graham Coughlan’s side.

It will also allow Pratt to get settled in the role and discuss with his fellow board members what, if any, changes could be made to the club set-up.

Newport County are a Trust-owned club (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

“It’s early days with Jon, he knows the club and he has a certain perspective on things,” said director Madigan, who joined the board in 2017.

“Him joining the club strengthens the group that we have got and he can offer advice on what he thinks we could do and how we could go about it.

“I certainly know that when I joined I never quite appreciated how being involved in a football club could be so complicated for such a small business.

“He is not coming in as King Arthur, he is coming to join a team and he is up for doing that.

“Once we have all got our feet under the desk together we can affect a plan to take us forward.

“That might mean staying where we are or it might be a hybrid approach, but we haven’t decided yet.

"If there was to be change then we would need to come up with the details, then there would need to be an EGM but there is no plan for that at the moment.”

The club’s announcement of the Pratt arrival stated he is a “passionate and lifelong Newport County fan who attended his first match at the age of eight.

“He is senior vice president of a Fortune 500 company [a list compiled by the publication of the 500 largest companies in the United States] and has led multiple global businesses ranging in scale for a few million pounds revenue up to over two billion pounds,” read a statement.

“He serves on the board of directors of companies in the UK, USA, Germany, Japan, and Australia.”

The County trust was formed in 2001 and took a controlling stake in October, 2015 after owner Les Scadding signed over his shareholding.