David is a long-standing supporter of Sunderland AFC and in December 2019 fulfilled a lifetime ambition by joining the board as a non-executive director.

His role is to advise the owner on football matters and structure, whilst liaising with the manager, head of recruitment, head of the academy and the football operations director.

He also works closely with the Sunderland AFC Foundation and is building relationships with local media and community groups.

David’s first non-exec role in professional football was at Oxford United where he was an active board member from 2015-2018.

Then chairman Darryl Eales described David’s role as providing “football intelligence” through the knowledge he had picked up in 20 years of working in the industry and his network of contacts.

He worked closely with the club’s recruitment team and offered support to the team management and board on football issues.

During his time at the club, Oxford were promoted from League Two to League One, and reached back to back EFL Trophy finals at Wembley Stadium.

He was also involved in the negotiation process for several multi-million pound transfers, and twice led the club’s recruitment of a new manager.