Anthony Kleanthous

Anthony Kleanthous (born 1966) is the current chairman of Barnet Football Club. He became the youngest football chairman to enter the football league when he bought the club in 1994.[1] His background was in telecommunications where he won several industry awards as one of Cellnets' (now O2) largest distributors of mobile phones (NAG Telecom) and also bought Samsung Telecom when chairman of Service Direct UK PLC to form what was then the largest independent supplier and maintainer of telephone systems in the UK.

Kleanthous has seen Barnet Football Club reach its furthest position in the FA Cup, League Cup and League Trophy as well as qualifying four times for the play offs. The relegation of the Club from the Football League was followed four years later by its promotion but the club needed a new modern home. He bought Barnet Cricket Club adjacent to the ground of the club as he thought it would be an ideal site to develop a larger stadium Underhill Stadium which led to a dispute with Barnet Council who did not want the expansion.[2]

Kleanthous was responsible for the planning, construction and opening of "The Hive" in London at the Prince Edward's playing fields, in Edgware, Middlesex. The 44-acre (180,000 m2) initial site cost totalled £11 million, consisting of several astroturf pitches, 10 grass pitches, 14 dressing rooms, physiotherapy rooms and meeting rooms. It was opened as a centre of footballing excellence on 15 December by Fabio Capello and Sir Trevor Brooking. He has subsequently invested a further £20 million to turn the site into an Internationally recognised world class sports training and medical sports science facility and partnered with Toshiba Medical Systems to form the first medical imaging academy in the UK. The site has hosted international teams from Brazil, Germany, Peru, Sweden and many other premier overseas clubs.

Kleanthous was the youngest director of the Football League and youngest ever director of The Football Association as well as serving on The Professional Game Board and sitting on a number of committees for the governance of football in the UK.[3]

He is currently serving his second spell as a director of The Football Conference and has recently formed a new ladies football team, The London Bees, who won a license in 2013 to play in The FA Women's Super League. The London Bees have joined Barnet FC and The London Broncos Rugby Football League team as resident clubs of The Hive.

References

  1. ↑ "Football League Article". Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  2. ↑ "Interview with the Barnet FC Supportors Association". Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  3. ↑ "Official FA committee listings". The FA. Retrieved 2 November 2010.


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