Steve Hamer (footballer)

Steve Hamer

Personal information
Date of birth	June 14th 1951
Place of birth	Glynneath
Playing position	Defender (association football)
Club information
Current team	Bristol Rovers (chairman)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1969–1971	Corinthian-Casuals
1971–1972	Tooting & Mitcham United
1972–1973	Sutton United
1973–1975	Carshalton Athletic
1975	Berea Park F.C.
1976	Bromley
1976–1978	Corinthian-Casuals (player-manager)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Steve Hamer is the chairman of Bristol Rovers Football Club. He was appointed to the position in February 2016,^[1] having previously been chairman of Swansea City from 1997 to 2000.^[2]

He played as a central defender in non-League football making his Isthmian League debut aged 18 against Clapton F C in 1970 for the Corinthian-Casuals F.C. He left the Corinthian Casuals in February 1971 and joined local rivals Tooting & Mitcham United F.C. In 1972 Manager Sid Cann signed him for Sutton United F.C. A serious knee injury kept him out of the game for most of that season before he rejoined former Tooting and Mitcham Utd Manager Doug Flack at Carshalton Athletic F.C where he was a team mate of future England national football team Manager Roy Hodgson. In 1975 he left Carshalton Athletic and signed as a full-time professional for Berea Park F C based in Pretoria and playing in the South African National League.In the early part of 1976 due to personal reasons he returned to the UK and signed for Bromley F.C. At the start of the 1976/77 season he became Player/Manager of the Corinthian Casuals bringing with him his schoolboy friend and former West Ham Utd player Paul Sussams as his Assistant Manager. In 1978 due to a serious knee injury he was forced to retire from the game as a player and resigned the position of Manager of the Corinthian Casuals handing over the reigns to Paul Sussams. In 1981 he joined London Weekend Television's Big Match programme working alongside Brian Moore for over 10 years, continuing to do so, even after acquiring the National Sporting Club from Lord Forte in 1987 which was based in the Cafe Royal, Piccadilly, London W1 with former Corinthian Casuals goalkeeping team mate, past England Cricket Captain Bob Willis MBE. He was sacked as Swansea's chairman in September 2000 after expressing concerns about the club's flotation on the Alternative Investment Market and it's misrepresentation of the offer to the Club's supporters. He was later vindicated by the demise of Silver Shield the Plc that owned the Club at the time who handed the Club over for £1 pound to its commercial manager who in turn handed the Club over some months later when destitute to the very colourful South East London/ Australian resident Tony Petty. In 2002 he sold his interest in the National Sporting Club and worked as a consultant in football club brokerage alongside Keith Harris until his appointment as Chairman of Bristol Rovers FC in February 2016.^[3]

References

1. "League Two club Bristol Rovers taken over by Jordanian Al-Qadi family". The Guardian. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
2. Phil Blanche (8 November 2009). "Former Swansea chairman Hamer in middle of boardroom 'misunderstanding'". Wales Online. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
3. {{cite web http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/swansea_city/937174.stm |title=Hamer hits out after Swansea sacking |date=22 September 2000 |publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=15 April 2016}}