David Gold: West Ham co-chairman dies at 86 | UK News

[ad_1]

West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has died at the age of 86.

The Premier League club said in a statement that Gould had passed away after a short illness.

West Ham joint chairman David Sullivan said: “On behalf of everyone at The Football Club, we are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the passing of our colleague and friend David Gould.

“Of all our joint ventures, none has given us more pride and joy than the day we took ownership of our club West Ham United in January 2010.

David had a long-standing relationship with the Hammers, growing up opposite the Boleyn Ground in Green Street, and representing the club at junior level.

“He always wanted what was best for West Ham United and his passing is a huge loss for all of us.”

Born a West Ham fan

Gould was born in East London in 1936 and grew up in a house in Green Street – opposite the club’s former Boleyn Ground.

Gould represented the West Ham boys’ team between the ages of 13 and 16 and later appeared in the youth team.

Despite showing promise in football in his younger years, Gold would find his fame and fortune in the world of business.

He was the owner of Gold Group International (GGI), the parent company of Ann Summers retailer and Knickerbox underwear chain.

Photo: David Sullivan (left) and David Gold

Gold entered football club ownership in 1996 with long-term business owner David Sullivan, buying a majority stake in Birmingham City.

The pair, along with Karen Brady, helped turn around the fortunes of the struggling Midlands club at the time, although they often remained at odds with fans.

After the club suffered relegation from the Premier League to the Championship in 2008, Gould announced his intention to sell his shares in the club. Sold in 2009.

Buy his childhood club

A year later, in January 2010, it was announced that Gold had bought a 50 per cent stake in West Ham with long-term business partner Sullivan.

Despite his support for the club, Gould and Sullivan have had several confrontations with the West Ham fan base, most notably their decision to move the club from their home Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium in 2016.

Gould and Sullivan stressed the need to move the club to state-of-the-art facilities to help push the team towards European football.

But some of the club’s fans were upset by the decision to move the club from its home of 112 years to a stadium originally built to host the track and field events for the 2012 Olympic Games.

When writing about the decision in his autobiography, David Gold: The Ultimate Rags To Riches Story, he admitted he was torn about the decision.

“On the one hand I was excited by the prospects of moving into the Olympic Stadium,” Gould wrote, “I knew it would mean demolishing Upton Park and redeveloping the site into flats, which really upset me.”

“I also knew that a lot of fans didn’t want to move, but in the end, we all, as fans, want success. We want to win the FA Cup, we want to get into Europe and challenge the top teams in the Premier League.

“We looked at every possibility of rebuilding Upton Park but there were barriers and limitations at every turn. So the reality was that in order to secure the football club’s commercial future we simply had to act.”

However, initial anger over the move has cooled in recent years, particularly in light of the club’s development under current manager David Moyes.

Great source of support

Moyes paid tribute, saying: “I am very saddened to hear this news and on behalf of all the players and my staff at the training ground I would like to express my deepest condolences to David Gould’s family at this very difficult time.

Photo: West Ham Football Club co-owner David Gold (left) with Sir Robin Wills, Mayor of Newham, David Sullivan, co-owner, Kim Bromley-Derry, Chief Executive of Newham Council and Vice-Chairman of the club, Karen Brady, pose in front of the Olympic Stadium

Mr. Gold has been a regular visitor to Rush Green and has always been a source of great support and encouragement to myself and the players.

“It was clear he had a real, sincere love for the club and was a true supporter at heart.

“He took such a great care of the people working behind the scenes and was always eager to help in any way he could. He will be sorely missed.”

Gould had two daughters, Jacqueline and Vanessa, with his first wife, Beryl Hunt, whom he married in 1957.

The couple divorced in 1972. Although Gould never remarried, he has lived with his fiancée, Leslie, at their home in Surrey since 2012.

[ad_2]