By Martin Walker
Newton Aycliffe FC have appointed a former university director as their new general manager.
Dan Lewis, who spent seven years as deputy director of sport at Durham University before leaving to set up his own business last year, is now heading up Newton Aycliffe’s off-field affairs.
The 34-year-old, who is currently managing director of the Soccer Factory Ltd, a company looking to build a new £1.7m football complex on Aycliffe Business Park, is tasked with trying to bring more business to the Northern League club.
Aycliffe chairman Gary Farley said: “It’s a fantastic appointment for us. With his experience in business and local sport, Dan promises to be a brilliant acquisition.
“We’ve been looking to expand our management team this summer. We have a lot of young people on the committee, a lot of doers, and we’ve been looking for someone to expand the business and bring expertise.”
Mr Lewis, who now lives in Aycliffe, has also worked as a part-time fitness coach at Hartlepool United from 2003 to 2010.
He has already got to work on a number of exciting new projects for Aycliffe.
“Hopefully I can help the club off the field to take the next step forward and to try to professionalise things a bit,” he said.
“We’re looking to organise a Sportsman’s Dinner and hopefully attract a high-profile speaker for that, which would be a nice event to bring people through the door and hopefully raise some money so we can continue to type of players that the management is after.
“If we can get things right off the pitch then we can get the players we want on the pitch and hopefully everything will work hand-in-hand.”
SEE OUR INTERVIEW WITH DAN LEWIS IN OUR VIDEO VAULT
Mr Lewis, an Aston Villa fan, is originally from Shrewsbury and after his A-levels came to the North-East to study a BA (Hons) in Sport in the Community at the University of Durham, where he gained a 2:1 in 1999.
He was director of Sport in Action Ltd from 1999-2000 before taking up a strength and conditioning coaching role at Durham University, becoming director of high performance sport in 2003 before he was appointed deputy director of sport at the university a year later.
Mr Lewis, who also spent four years as a part-time strength and conditioning coach with the English Institute of Sport (2004-08), was selected to play cricket for Shropshire CCC, from u11-senior Minor Counties squad, and was also selected for national cricket representation with England Schools u19, Midlands u19, and National Association of Young Cricketers.