Appointments

People on the move: Australian Professional Leagues, NFL and more

Featured image credit: A-Leagues

Australian Professional Leagues (APL) has confirmed the departure of chief executive Danny Townsend, who will take up a new role based in the Middle East.

A-Leagues commissioner Nick Garcia will lead APL alongside James Rushton, managing director of Keepup, the governing body’s digital platform. Garcia (pictured) and Rushton will report to the APL board and newly appointed independent chair Stephen Conroy.

Townsend was chief executive of Sydney FC before joining the APL in December 2021. He led the APL through its start-up phase following its separation from Football Australia.

Following Townsend’s departure, Garcia will continue to oversee the A-Leagues’ strategic and tactical business operations and administration.

The NFL American football league has announced that commissioner Roger Goodell has signed a new three-year contract, running until March 2027.

Goodell has served as NFL commissioner since 2006 and the extension will take his tenure beyond the 20-year mark. The extension was announced last week by the NFL’s compensation committee.

The Los Angeles Chargers NFL team has appointed Corey Norkin as its new chief partnerships officer.

Norkin will join the Chargers in November from Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, where he serves as senior vice-president of global partnerships. He has previously worked with the NFL’s New York Jets and MLB’s Kansas City Royals.

At the Chargers, Norkin will focus on expanding sponsorship opportunities, selling assets related to the team’s upcoming training facility, and enhancing content and game-day hospitality at SoFi Stadium.

English League One football club Shrewsbury Town has appointed Liam Dooley as its new chief executive with immediate effect.

Dooley joins Shrewsbury having spent more than four years at Sheffield Wednesday.

The US-based Major League Pickleball has announced that Steve Kuhn has resigned from his leadership positions.

Kuhn founded the league and his departure comes after MLP recently announced a merger with the rival PPA Tour.

Glownet, an event technology solutions provider, has appointed David Mitchell as vice-president of North America, marking the start of the company’s expansion plans into the US. 

Mitchell boasts over two decades of experience in the events and leisure industries. He will be responsible for driving Glownet’s expansion and overseeing the growth of the company’s partner programme for ticketing and payments solutions across US resorts, venues and attractions. 

Do you have news of an appointment that we should know about? Get in touch by emailing news.editor@thestadiumbusiness.com and we’ll include it in our next round-up.