Burton Albion Football Club
Commercial Director for Burton Albion, Fleur Robinson has been with the football club through its meteoric rise, from the Southern Football League to the Championship. The climb through five divisions in 20 years has placed the club in the second highest league in the most competitive footballing nation in the world.
“When we took over the club in 1997, in our wildest dreams we never thought we’d be playing Championship football,” Fleur said. “It has been fantastic to exceed even our highest expectations. Now we’re aiming to stay in the Championship for a second season.”
When Fleur joined Burton Albion, its business side was almost non-existent, but she has overseen huge changes. Last season alone, the club welcomed 105,000 spectators, 8,000 people enjoyed match day hospitality and around 30,000 guests attended a conference or event.
Football business
Fleur grew up in Burton on Trent and took a keen interest in business having worked at her father’s Financial Services firm in the school holidays, “filing and making tea, as you do,” she recalled.
While attending Burton College, studying a BTEC qualification, she saw a notice for a new course at Staffordshire University and, being close to home, applied so she could continue working at her father’s business in the holidays.
Fleur remembered: “I enjoyed my time at the University. It was a completely different environment from college and I learned a lot. The sales and marketing side of things I found particularly interesting, but the course covered a wide variety of subjects.”
After graduating in 1995, Fleur started full-time at her father’s business and took financial services qualifications to bolster her knowledge. She later got involved in Burton Albion when her family took a majority share in 1997. In early 2000, Fleur took on the role of Football Club Secretary. Soon after she added the position of Commercial Manager to her remit and she carried out both roles in unison for over a decade.
“It’s really a story you couldn’t write,” Fleur said. “In those days, we saw an average of 300 supporters at matches, with a stadium typical of the league we were in. I can remember constantly looking for new ways we could grow the club and generate more income, especially on non-match days.”
Diversity in football
The rising fortunes of the club saw them outgrow their Eton Park stadium and, in 2005, after securing a site and funding, they moved to their new £7.2 million Pirelli Stadium.
Fleur was later promoted to Commercial Director, during which time she had her daughters, Darcey and Betsey. “My position at the club today is more of a Chief Executive role, dealing with all commercial aspects of the business and overseeing the day to day management of the club facilities,” she explained.
Fleur is one of only eight women elected to the 120-member FA Council and, having been involved in football since the 90s, has seen a great deal of diversification over the years.
“My first commercial managers meeting with other football clubs was in Walsall and I was the only woman there,” she recalled. “That has changed. Women are the back bones of a lot of clubs now. There are still not enough senior positions across all divisions, but things are changing and I am confident this will improve over time.”
Fleur is passionate about extending the club’s success into the local community and supporting charities, such as Prostate Cancer UK. She is proud to be a Trustee of the award-winning Burton Albion Community Trust, a thriving community involvement programme to inspire, engage and educate local people. The Trust welcomes 8,000 participants a week from across the community.
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