JACK SULLIVAN believes his age will never define him on his journey to the top of football.
At just 20-years-old Sullivan has completely transformed West Ham Women since taking charge as managing director three years ago.
Jack Sullivan took over as managing director in 2017
The team has gone from semi-professional with players earning a mere £70-a-week to a squad of 20 internationals with full-time contracts.
Sullivan juggles seeing his mates for Karaoke Thursdays with chasing the Women’s Super League title and is clearly not your average young man.
But the son of Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan said: “I see my age as the complete opposite to a setback.
“I view it as a real positive, a fresh pair of eyes. The most important thing is to listen to as many people as possible, sometimes you will be right sometimes they will be right.
“You could be 80 and not know what you’re doing. Just because you’re young doesn’t mean you’re not smart enough to do it.”
David Sullivan has been co-chairman of West Ham with David Gold for nine years
Sullivan was just 14 when he turned to his mum on holiday in Spain to ask her to buy the women’s team for him.
His father may well be a billionaire but Sullivan remains incredibly humble despite his obvious head-start in life.
He said: “Dad went home to deal with transfers during the summer and I suppose in my naive mind I thought I would be able to run the club at that age.
“Obviously three or four years later we managed to do it. I knew there would be a great support around me.
“When I’ve got my dad and Karren Brady backing me I can’t go wrong – they really know how to run football.
Sullivan joins the West Ham Women official team photos
Since he took charge the women’s side have shot up from the third tier of the National League into the WSL- the first full-time professional division for female players in England.
They were promoted into the top flight last season and reached the FA Cup final in their first year, losing out to Manchester City.
The sale of season tickets have more than doubled to over a 1000 but Jack credits the rapid growth of the women’s side to the club’s core family values.
He said: “We are a family club I’ve always said that, we are all very approachable and we want everything to work in the best possible way.
“We know not everything is always going to be perfect like in a family but at the same time we do our best.
“Everyone’s very welcoming and there’s a real team spirit here which is what makes the club so special.
“We try and take the same values from the men’s side, we share a lot of the staff and the academy of football is something really important here.”
Not only has Sullivan driven for change within the club but he has encouraged his mates to get on board and support the women’s game, working hard to rally new faces to Rush Green where the women play.
Sullivan said: “I’ve got mates at uni and some are working. I think it’s important that I see them a lot, we have Karaoke Thursdays.
“They come to games, they were all at the FA Cup final and I saw them after which was great.
“Hopefully they think I’m doing a good job but. They’re very supportive and I think I’ve changed a lot of my friends’ perceptions around women’s football.
“I think the more people can bring their mates to try and change their perceptions around the sport then the better.”
But what lessons has Sullivan learnt from his father?
Sullivan Sr took over the Hammers with David Gold in 2010 and Jack said: “I’m in touch with dad every day and he’s very keen to make the women’s team work, he sees it as a great thing for the club.
“His best bit of advice is persistence and perseverance, keep going at something if you believe in it.
“And specialisation of trade. Leave the professionals to do their thing and focus on what you’re good at.”
The Hammers are eighth in the table and were thrashed 5-0 by Manchester City yesterday at the Academy Stadium, off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea.
And for Sullivan, when he gets suited and booted for a weekend of football, he means business.
“My favourite player on both the women’s and men’s side is whoever scores at the weekend.
“Our budget for the playing and backroom staff has increased not only to solidify our place in the WSL but to push on from last year.
“City are unbelievable, they’ve got a big budget and our men’s team face the same difficulties against them.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
