AFTER leading the club for the past five years, Greg Coulson has stepped down as chairman of Westbury United FC.
Greg, who was originally the club secretary, has been involved with the club for the past seven and a half years and leaves the club in the capable hands of the new chairman, Sam Gooding.
Greg leaves Westbury United in its highest ever league position, as the club waits to make its Southern League debut this year.
Greg explained why he took the decision to leave, “I am an airworthiness engineer in my day job – this involves managing everything that is required to be done on an aircraft before it is released for flight. It’s taken me 20 years of experience in the military air environment to get to the role I am in now, and to progress beyond this point I need to achieve chartered engineer status, which means I need to invest more time into my career outside my paid hours to achieve my goal.
“Since holding a committee role at Westbury United, I have dedicated fulltime hours to help the club operate – essentially working two fulltime jobs. To give more time to my career, a step back from Westbury United was my only option. I could accept that I have a good job and stay in this role for the foreseeable future, but it isn’t in my nature to accept stagnation.
“What I have left behind is a group of people who are super enthusiastic and passionate about doing what is best for Westbury United. The last couple of years have been amazing, I’ve built close bonds with committee members, the managers and players, and I know they will continue to do a great job.”
Speaking on the club’s new appointment, Greg said, “Sam Gooding has now been appointed as the new chairman and I honestly couldn’t think of anyone better to take the role. Sam has experience of the club and local football; he is a successful businessman, so he will move the club forward to empower the different areas of the football club operations departments, to improve and continue to drive forward.”
Greg’s highlights and laying down the foundations for success
Greg added, “In my first game as chairman, we faced Bradford at home during the mid-week and we won 3-2 after extra time. That was a special night for so many reasons; Bradford were flying high in Step 5 and we were still at Step 6, but that night I knew we had the squad on the pitch to compete at Step 5 and it’s great that we’ve gone on to prove that.
“Other highlights include the two promotions – it was always a target to reach Southern League football and I’m super proud of the current team along with all the players, coaches and managers that have made it possible.
“One I won’t forget in a while is beating Swindon in the Wiltshire Shield – to beat the only professional club in the county 4-0 is a memory that will stay with me forever.
“I’d like to say a big thank you to the supporters, there are several supporters who attend most home games who have always reached out and said hello and taken the time to chat with me. The match day experience as a chairman was always super hectic, to finally get a chance to stop and chat to a few long-term supporters during each game, on my way to the far side of the ground to watch the game myself, was always a pleasure.
“All in all, I’m very proud of what I have achieved during my time with Westbury United. The club is in a much better condition now than when I first got involved, and I’m so proud to say that I was part of that. I’ve laid down the foundations for the club to move forward and shown what we can achieve when we all pull in the same direction. I wish Sam and all my friends on the committee and at the club all the best for the future, they all know where I am if they need anything that can’t wait until I see them on a match day.
“Finally, I’d like to say thank you to every single person who has been part of the journey, the players, the managers, coaches, committee members, volunteers, league members, sponsors, partners, companies and people we worked with, the media and most importantly, the supporters. I’ve had a great time and I will continue to support the club going forward.”
