Huddersfield Town owner Dean Hoyle has announced that he is stepping back from day to day operation of the Championship club.
Dean Hoyle Appoints Dave Baldwin
Dean Hoyle has today announced that he will be stepping back from the day-to-day operations of #htafc.
Dave Baldwin has been appointed Managing Director and will now lead the Club alongside the Board of Directors and Senior Management Team.
Full details ⤵
— Huddersfield Town (@htafc) October 25, 2022
Dean Hoyle and His Time at Huddersfield
Huddersfield Town Chairman and Owner Dean Hoyle has announced that he once again is stepping back from the day-to-day running of the club.
Hoyle has been suffering ill health for several years but had hoped that in the last two years for some improvement. Unfortunately, this has not happened, and despite his best efforts, Hoyle has made the important decision to put his health first.
As a result, he has stepped away from the day-to-day running of Huddersfield Town. The 55-year-old Yorkshireman issued a statement to make the announcement. Hoyle also acknowledged some supporters’ feelings that they wanted a change of leadership at the club. He admitted that although he understood it, it also hurt.
Hoyle took ownership of the Championship club in 2009 and took the Terriers to the Premier League before ill health struck and Hoyle decided to sell to Phil Hodgkinson. When the pandemic hit, the new Chairman Hodgkinson found several of his businesses in financial trouble, and Hoyle had to step back in.
Thank You, Mr Dean Hoyle — A Chairman Like No Other #htafc #https://t.co/gF3WyegYM7 pic.twitter.com/pByS9zGM4U
— Sivan John 🇦🇷 ⭐⭐⭐ (@SivanJohn_) May 4, 2019
Dave Baldwin Takes the Helm
Baldwin does have experience in CEO roles, having been in the role at Burnley whilst in the Premier League and also as the CEO of the EFL. Baldwin is not a stranger to the Terriers either, having worked at the club as Strategic Advisor since May 2022.
Baldwin has worked alongside Hoyle for the last five months in order to progress two specific projects, the transfer of shares in the club (Hoyle being the primary shareholder), and ownership of the John Smiths Stadium. The stadium is currently owned jointly by Huddersfield Town, Huddersfield Giants and Kirklees Council.
In addition to the day-to-day running of the football club, Baldwin will work alongside Hoyle in securing a new owner and financial backer for the club. This could be a tricky and long process. Hoyle is likely to try and sell to someone with the same ethos for the club.
What the future holds regarding the ownership of Huddersfield Town is certainly up in the air, but for the time being nothing has changed regarding the day-to-day running other than the name in charge. Baldwin issued a statement upon his appointment to the role.
“Day-to-day, it will be ‘business as usual’ at the Club. Alongside our search for a new owner, the other focus is clear; to do everything we can to support the football side in maintaining our position in the Sky Bet Championship.
“I will communicate any updates to supporters as we go, and I look forward to meeting you all in due course, starting with the ‘All Together Town’ group in early November.”
So the focus, for now, is remaining in the Championship, which everyone at the club and the fans want before all else.
