It was the kind of announcement that football fans rarely take much of an interest in or care about too deeply.
Earlier this month, Chelsea released a statement on their website confirming that Jason Gannon had been promoted from his role as chief operating officer to president & chief operating officer. Now when it comes to communications from a club, supporters tend to focus on things like the arrival of a new signing, the departure of a popular or unpopular head coach and ticket prices. What is going on among the suits in senior management does not usually get the pulse racing too much.
Without making out this latest development is akin to Cole Palmer being given a contract extension, Gannon’s presence and growing influence at Chelsea is significant. He is someone people who follow the club should, and surely will, take an interest in because he is going to play a very major part in what happens to Stamford Bridge.
This is a very sensitive topic, after all. Stamford Bridge has been Chelsea’s home since the club formed in 1905 and to redevelop it is a very complicated and expensive project. Moving to a plot of land nearby at Earl’s Court would allow Chelsea to build a ground to rival the much-revered Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but going to a different site would upset a lot of people.
Gannon’s experience as managing director behind the development of the much-respected SoFi Stadium, which is home to NFL teams the LA Rams and LA Chargers, is a major reason why he was targeted by the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium as a possible hire to head up their stadium plans soon after they bought Chelsea in 2022. The SoFi Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 70,000, opened in 2020. It has already been the venue for one Super Bowl, is going to be the setting for eight matches during the 2026 World Cup and will stage the opening ceremony of the 2028 Olympics. Significantly, it is also able to bring in extra revenue from music concerts. Even WrestleMania 39 was held there last year.
Chelsea had to be patient to prise their man away from Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. Yes, the same organisation that Stan Kroenke, owner of London rivals Arsenal, heads up and includes the LA Rams, the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche in its portfolio.
Having over 15 years of knowledge from being employed in various positions for such a sport-centric company, let alone his sizeable contribution to the SoFi Stadium project, appealed to the Chelsea hierarchy. It took over a year for them to get their man and he celebrates his first anniversary of starting work at the club next month.
Some reading this may be doing so with a shrug of the shoulders or, perhaps worse, will be treating any positive words about Gannon with suspicion, cynicism or caution. Chelsea’s record regarding senior hires over the years, including the Roman Abramovich era, has been somewhat hit and miss, especially when it comes to establishing a good rapport with the fanbase.
It feels like there have been a lot of comings and goings during the Todd Boehly-Clearlake regime alone. As part of the article detailing Gannon’s promotion three weeks ago, it was confirmed that Chris Jurasek was stepping down from his position as chief executive to go back to being an operating executive with Clearlake Capital.
As far as Chelsea were concerned, Jurasek had very much completed the task he was hired to do. The plan all along was for him to be in situ for one to two years — it ended up being 15 months — to help make strong hires for the management committee the owners wanted. As president, Gannon heads the committee but is not seen as all-powerful. Other key positions that have been filled and will work with him are Casper Stylsvig (chief revenue officer), Adriel Lares (chief financial officer) and James Murray (chief strategy officer and head of business operations). Chelsea have also convinced Todd Kline to resign as Tottenham’s chief commercial officer to join them instead, while Phil Lynch is going to be global head of digital after quitting Manchester United.
But in the short time that Jurasek was in place he did not exactly endear himself with Chelsea followers. It was during his tenure that a long-running coach subsidy for away fans was removed and there was a first rise in general admission season ticket prices for more than a decade. Following his departure, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust released a damning appraisal of Jurasek’s ability to engage saying: “The CST first met Mr Jurasek in August 2023 ahead of the League Cup tie vs. AFC Wimbledon. During the feisty meeting, he hoped that the team performed well that night and secured three points… this set the manner for his tone-deaf tenure as CEO in which he made no effort to build a relationship with any supporter group.
“The CST looks forward to working with Jason Gannon as he is promoted to president & chief operating officer. This is a positive change that the club should use to rebuild the trust and confidence of supporters.”
Sources at the club, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to The Athletic to protect their jobs, say Jurasek was not shy in admitting to those around him that he did not have much interest in football. He did not attend every match and, more tellingly, failed to hold one meeting with Chelsea Pitch Owners, the company that actually owns the freehold of Stamford Bridge stadium and the name Chelsea FC.
On the odd occasion Jurasek did meet with fans, the encounters did not go positively, as the messaging from the CST above indicates. So, in some ways, Gannon had an advantage with supporters from the get-go.
In saying that, Gannon has helped himself by making much more of an effort to engage. He met with CPO within a week of starting work at Chelsea and has spoken with them, as well as CST, on other occasions since. His background in sport comes across in conversations — that he is truly passionate about what he is doing rather than seeing his role as just a job.
While Gannon has made it clear that he is not just going to tell people what they want to hear, he is not going through the motions or just box-ticking by interacting with supporters either. He conveys information that is useful and genuinely listens. He is more of a people person, which has come across in the way potentially divisive subject matter has sometimes been lightened with a bit of humour. Employees at the club have the same positive impression of him and highlight how he is a much more visible presence too.
Despite holding such a senior position, he is regarded as someone without a big ego. He is frank, but does not mind if someone has a different opinion to his and is seen as a dynamic, approachable individual. In a period where co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake are not on the best of terms and each is exploring the possibility of buying the other party out, there have been no disagreements when it comes to giving Gannon more responsibility.
Whether Chelsea rebuild Stamford Bridge or go to Earl’s Court, there are a lot of conversations to be had. For example, much was made recently of Gannon meeting with Transport for London. Talk of Chelsea making a final decision is far too premature, but sources — kept anonymous as they did not have permission to speak — stress that the club’s links with all the bodies they need to talk to about the new stadium are much stronger than they have been because of Gannon.
Gannon has not pretended to know it all, but has done his utmost to learn all the intricacies as quickly as possible. Perhaps that is not too surprising given he has a doctorate in law from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
The future of Stamford Bridge is going to be a huge focus, but is not the be-all and end-all. Chairing the management committee means he will help run the business side of club (the sporting side is still headed up by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart) and has to report to the co-owners regularly. Making improvements to the current stadium as it stands, even what could be considered something as minor as the quality of the Wi-Fi access, is on his agenda. Upgrading the training ground at Cobham, where Chelsea have been based since 2005, is also on Gannon’s to-do list for the next 12 months.
As part of the club’s press release earlier this month, Gannon was quoted saying: “I am honoured to assume this elevated position within a club so rich in history and well-renowned across the globe. I have developed relationships with many supporters over the past year since joining Chelsea, and it is an enormous privilege to be here.”
Rather than just an empty platitude, Chelsea fans might take some comfort that Gannon means what he says.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
