ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the evolving and crucial role that the chief financial officer (CFO) plays within a modern club. The focus of the first part of the chapter is upon contextualising the individual’s role as the ‘financial steward’ of a highly complex and evolving business. The background provided within the chapter identifies the CFO as a ‘financial pragmatist’ working to improve the club’s financial performance via data-driven questions and formulating financial solutions around them. The second half of the chapter affords privileged access to a high-ranking EPL CFO. The interview provides insight into the complex financial evaluations that any club board requires and the constant search for new and innovative sources of financial data that can drive the business forwards.
