The Club can today confirm that Darren Kelly will step down as Sporting Director in September, once the majority of the Club’s summer business is complete.
The Club and Darren have been in conversation about this for some time and have mutually agreed due to Darren’s personal circumstances and his need to spend more time with family at this point.
Darren has been completing an extended handover into the start of 2023/24 campaign working closely with both the Board and the Manager.
The former Oldham Manager and Newport Director of Football has played a key role in 1st team player signings as well as working with wider football operations including the Academy.
Club Chairman, Raj Singh stated:
“We’d like to thank Darren for all his hard work since joining the club. It was clear from the start that Darren would provide great support to the Manager to help build a squad that was ready to compete in whichever league we were in.”
“We are disappointed to lose him but family always comes first. Darren has done a great job and the search for a new Sporting Director is underway. The Sporting Director role is something that we will ideally look to retain as we move forward.”
Darren Kelly commented:
“I'm very proud of the work that we have done this summer in preparation of trying to get the Club back to where it truly belongs in the football league. I’ve created some fantastic friendships and reflection is always an important thing to do in these types of roles.”
“I’ve had the utmost pleasure of working with some great people at the football club and I want to thank the Chairman and Lee, who have been brilliant and so supportive in my role. The Chairman has fully backed John and I, which is evident in the signings that have been made.”
“John as manager has been an absolute joy to work with from day 1, as have all the first team and academy staff. Rose and the office staff are also first class in their professional standards and reflect just how far the Club has come off the field.”
“Finally I want to thank the supporters for their kindness towards me since I’ve been in the role, your passion for your Club is amazing. I am grateful for this journey and I’m looking forward to taking some time out before assessing what my next challenge might be.”