ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the evolving role of director of football (DoF) within modern football club leadership structures. While many aspects of the management of football clubs have involved increasing professionalisation and bureaucratisation, the role and perceived status of the first-team manager has proven remarkably resistant to these processes. The first part of this chapter provides a theoretical overview of the DoF role and the business-driven imperative for any club to rationalise its executive’s roles and responsibilities. The potential for the DoF to act as a bridge between the board and the first-team staff is explored in detail, with a tentative suggestion of prospective core roles and responsibilities. The second half of the chapter affords privileged access to a high-ranking EPL DoF. The interview provides insight into the complex, multidimensional responsibilities of a modern-day DoF and the accountability that is often held for the club’s sporting strategy.
