Our Board

The EFL in the Community Board of Directors is responsible for providing the organisation’s strategic direction and supporting the Senior Management Team.

EFL in the Community is committed to achieving greater diversity in all its forms on our Board, senior leadership team and beyond. We have a transparent procedure for the appointment of trustees and all appointments are made in line with the skills and diversity required of the Board.

Whenever a trustee departs, a skills and diversity audit will be done. The skills, experience and diversity required for the new position will determine the approach to the open recruitment process.

This will identify the most appropriate sources for advertisement, this will include appropriate social media forums. In particular preference will be given to advertisement in channels that will increase the likelihood of diversity of applicants.

Liam Scully (Chair)

Liam Scully has more than 20 years of experience working in football and communities, having started his career via an apprenticeship and working his way up to become chief executive of Lincoln City. He is responsible for the day to day running of the Imps on behalf of the fans, directors and investors, including heading up a seven-man senior management team, and more than 150 employees. He joined Lincoln City in the summer of 2017 as they returned to the EFL, helping guide the club to a further promotion to League One where they reached the 2020-21 play-off final.

Prior to joining Lincoln, Liam spent 16 years in various roles at Doncaster Rovers and the wider Club Doncaster group – starting as an apprentice funded by the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and graduating to a spell as Foundation chief executive then chief operating officer of Club Doncaster. That rise through the ranks culminated in Liam being inducted into the National Apprenticeship Hall of Fame in 2007. The Hall of Fame recognises outstanding achievement in enterprise and business from those who started off their working life through an apprenticeship scheme.

Liam also holds voluntary offices including the Chair of the Lincoln Place Board, trustee of Lincoln City Foundation, along with ambassador roles at the Asian Sports Foundation and XP Free School Trust.

Trevor Birch

Trevor Birch has been EFL Chief Executive since January 2021, having previously held a range of prominent roles in the game, including Chief Executive at Chelsea, Everton, Leeds United, Sheffield United and Derby County, Chair of Swansea City and Director of Football at Tottenham Hotspur. Trevor began his life in football as an apprentice at Liverpool aged 16, before going on to represent Shrewsbury Town and Chester in the Football League.

Following retirement from the professional game at 23, Trevor gained a first-class degree in Accountancy before qualifying as a chartered accountant and then Partner with EY.  Trevor’s expertise as an insolvency practitioner included playing a pivotal role in saving Portsmouth Football Club from liquidation, working closely with the Portsmouth Supporters’ Trust and other stakeholders to facilitate a community-led takeover. Trevor has brought a wealth of industry experience and acumen to the League and during his time at the EFL he has played an invaluable role in the game’s recovery from Covid-19 and spearheaded the League’s continued growth both at home and overseas.

Nick Perchard

Nick is Director of Community at The Premier League and is responsible for the delivery of the Premier League’s community strategy, which aims to use the inspiration of the Premier League and professional clubs to; help young people realise their potential, inspire ambition in communities and schools, support young people to improve their skills on and off the sports field, and invest in facilities and create opportunities in high-need areas. In 2016 Nick was appointed as a Trustee of the National League Trust as the Premier League’s representative.

Before joining the Premier League, Nick was CEO of Hertfordshire FA (2009-2014), and County Development Manager at Essex FA (2006-2009) where he also sat on the Board of the County Sports Partnership. His early career was spent at Watford FC’s Community Sports and Education Trust and QPR FC in the Community.

Lauren Sullivan

Lauren is the Director of Community at the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the trade union for all current and former professional footballers and scholars in the Premier League, Women’s Super League and English Football Leagues.Lauren is responsible for leading the PFA’s work supporting members in their engagement in community projects and CSR initiatives, empowering footballers to see their value as people, not just players. Lauren oversees investment of over £12million into the network of football club charities each season, working with football stakeholders to maximise player-led projects and community player engagement inspired by players’ off-field interests and passions. Support is also provided to a network of player foundations, with players making a real difference to peoples’ lives through their own charities.

Lauren brings over 15 years of experience working in football. Before joining the PFA Lauren worked as Head of Community and Workforce Development at the Premier League Charitable Fund and was formerly Head of League Operations for the Women’s Professional Game at The FA. She is a former member of The FA Council, a UEFA B qualified football coach, and is a member of the Gloucestershire FA Inclusion Advisory Group.

Phil Woodward 

Phil is Head of Clubs and Facilities at The FA is responsible for overseeing the growth and development of a network of 12,000 grassroots clubs with over 120,000 teams. Phil also acts as the FA’s executive lead on grassroots facilities matters, working closely with the FA’s network of County FAs and the Football Foundation to invest in the development and improvement of grassroots facilities across England. He is also The FA’s representative on the Football Foundation’s Advisory Group and Grants Panel. With 25 years of experience in sports development, including roles at Local Authority, County FA, and the Football Foundation, Phil has been at The FA for 16 years. He has significant experience in strategy development, operational implementation, and investment.

Carol Shanahan OBE (EFL Nominated Trustee)

Carol Shanahan OBE is Chair of Synectics Solutions and Port Vale FC. Carol started her Career in the IT industry at the tender age of 17 as a main-frame computer operator. In September 2015, Carol was appointed Managing Director of Synectics where she acted as the fulcrum from which the entire business changed, adapted, innovated, and delivered organisational growth and in January 2020 Carol was promoted to the position of Chair.

In 2018, building on her work to tackle food poverty among school children in Stoke-on-Trent, Carol launched the Hubb Foundation which aims to provide fun and engaging activities for youngsters, as well as nutritious meals, in a safe environment during school holiday periods.

In May of 2019 Carol took the reins as Chair of Port Vale FC, following her family’s acquisition of the Club. Carol has been the driving force behind the Vale’s resurgence on and off the field and helped to build the club’s reputation with its supporters and nationally within the industry. When the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdown occurred in March 202o Carol oversaw the creation of the Port Vale Community Hub which brought together club staff, the Hubb Foundation, Synectics Solutions, Summit Hospitality, the Port Vale Foundation, volunteers and local businesses. To date it has delivered more than 170,000 meals to families in need across Stoke-on-Trent.

In the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2020 Carol, aged 62, was awarded an OBE for services to the communities of Stoke-on-Trent.

Caroline Artis (EFL Nominated Trustee)

Caroline Artis is an EFL nominated Trustee having previously joined the EFL Board in June 2023.

Caroline was a partner in EY for 24 years, during which time she became London Office Managing Partner and a member of the UK and Ireland two leadership team.

She remains in an ambassadorial role at EY, as well as holding two non-executive positions and trusteeships of three charities.

Chris Bailey (EFL Nominated Trustee)

As current Chief Executive Officer of Sheffield United Community Foundation, Chris leads the charity’s mission to harness the power of sport, education, and community to create positive change. Passionate about the role of sport and physical activity as a driver of social mobility, Chris is committed to ensuring opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to improve their health, skills, and life chances.

Alongside his executive role, Chris holds several influential non-executive positions. He is Chair of the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry Council, Chair of the CIMSPA Local Skills Accountability Board for Sheffield, and Chair of the “Move More” Active Communities Group, where he champions active lifestyles across the city. He also serves as a Non-Executive Director for Envisage Education and Training, who specialise in fitness industry qualifications across the region.

Through his leadership, Chris brings together expertise in sport development, community engagement, and business strategy to deliver inclusive growth and stronger communities.

Uma Cresswell (Senior Independent Trustee)

Uma Cresswell is an experienced Board Member, currently serving across multiple boards in both the private and third sectors. Her current appointments alongside EFL in the Community include bpha Housing Association and Fair For You CIC. With over 25 years of global experience in investment banking and financial services, Uma has worked across Europe, the Middle East, North America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. She brings strategic insight and commercial acumen to boardrooms, driving ambitious growth strategies and embedding robust governance, EDI, and risk management into organisational culture.

Uma has operated at C-suite level, leading initiatives in regulatory reform, corporate governance, DEIB, HR transformation, and change management.  As a migrant from Uganda, Uma is deeply committed to organisations with a social conscience and a higher purpose. She champions inclusive, supportive cultures that prioritise the wellbeing of employees and communities. She is CIPD accredited, an NLP Practitioner, a Mentor, and a Strengthscope coach, using her rich personal and professional experience to inspire transformation and connection.

Dr Dan Plumley (Independent Trustee)

Dan has been involved in the Sport Business and Finance industry since 2006 and has taught at Sheffield Hallam University since 2011. His main teaching and research interests include performance measurement, governance and regulation and competitive balance, all under the broader research area of the economics and finance of professional team sports which has defined his career.

Dan regularly presents at major international sport management conferences and has a number of peer-reviewed publications in the sport business and finance field. He has published his own textbook titled ‘The Economics and Finance of Professional Team Sport’. He is an active researcher, delivering funded projects for ESRC and regularly consults with the industry on sport finance matters.

Dan is a regular commentator in the media on all matters sport finance and is also a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA). In his currently working role, Dan is an Associate Head in the Sheffield Business School at Senior Staff Grade and responsible for leading on a portfolio of research and knowledge exchange activity.

Roger Shepherd (Independent Trustee)

Roger is an experienced chartered accountant with close to twenty years of board experience both as a director and company secretary in both private and public listed companies.

Having served on both Audit & Risk and Remuneration Committees as both a member and secretary Roger has a keen awareness of what best practice and an effective board looks like.  

Roger brings a breadth of expertise in Finance, HR, Operations, IT, Facilities and Legal matters. Having enjoyed a rewarding career Roger now wants to help organisations achieve their potential by supporting management teams to create and drive a robust strategy and build the operational capabilities to help drive performance to grow safely and sustainably.

Roger holds 3 other Trustee director roles, including that of Chair, in the employee ownership and charity sectors.