words Richard Thomas pictures Steve Pope
As we head towards the first Ashes Test match between England and
Australia at the SWALEC Stadium, the pressure will increase on Glamorgan
to deliver a seamless five days of top-end sport.
The controversy and scrutiny that surrounded father hails from Monmouth - and he has been “We achieved that and had a hugely successful
the Welsh county when they were awarded the here ever since. four and a half years, which include taking over
Test in favour of traditional venues such as Old the management of Hereford Racecourse.”
Trafford and Trent Bridge was intense to say His fi rst post in Wales saw him take up the role
the least. of marketing director of Newport RFC during But despite his impressive portfolio of jobs in
Tony Brown’s time as the club’s benefactor in sport Simon still had not fulfi lled his ambition
And even when chairman Paul Russell the years before Welsh rugby went regional. of a job within cricket - his fi rst love.
transformed Sophia Gardens into the
15,000-seater SWALEC Stadium in order to “It was a great time to be involved in the “I play tennis and squash and I’m a keen
accommodate such a Test match, that was still club. Tony invested heavily in the club and rugby fan, but cricket is my main sport,” he
not good enough for many detractors. the players and it was at that time the club explained. “While at Aberystwyth University
signed the likes of Gary Teichmann and Shane I played for the British Universities team and
The rain-ruined one-day international between Howarth,” said Simon. when I was in the army I also represented the
England and South Africa in September, as a infantry at cricket.
dress rehearsal for the England-Australia clash, “Newport won the Principality Cup under
led to much criticism in the London press. The Teichmann and it put the club back on the map. “So when the opportunity came up to work
fall-out from that saw the club part company Season tickets went through the roof and there for Glamorgan I was very keen to take it and it
with a chief executive (Mike Fatkin) and a head were quite a few other clubs who looked at was a huge honour to get the job.”
groundsman (Len Smith) in a matter of days in what we were doing.”
September. But now he knows there is a mountain of work
But after three years Simon swapped Rodney to do before the fi rst ball is bowled in that fi rst
So for Simon Lee, who took up the post of Parade for the Millennium Stadium where he Ashes Test.
Glamorgan’s operations director in October, was appointed commercial director in 2000.
the next weeks are set to be a challenging time He arrived at the SWALEC Stadium as the
at the very least with the eyes of the cricket “That was a huge learning curve for me,” he outfi eld is undergoing a £600,000 drainage and
world on Cardiff. admitted. irrigation refi t. In his fi rst week he helped to
launch a crack down on ticket touts trying to
But 47-year-old Simon has a wealth of “We will make sure no stone sell Ashes tickets on the Internet.
experience in the world of sports marketing
and administration, not to mention a glowing is left unturned in delivering a One punter found himself banned from buying
CV to back it up, to cope with the pressures tickets from the club for fi ve years because of
which might come his way as the countdown to successful Test match.” his black market activities.
July 8 gets serious.
“It involved a very varied programme of events “My feet haven’t touched the ground since
Because since leaving the Royal Welsh of putting on not just rugby but FA Cup fi nals, I have arrived. We are hugely busy,” Simon
Regiment at the rank of captain, Simon has play-offs and pop concerts. It was a fantastic added.
held a number of high profi le positions across a opportunity and inevitably was a 24/7 sort of
wide range of sports in England and Wales. job.” “The Ashes planning is the big thing and there
are various working groups pulling together to
“When I was in the army I got a taste for It was during his two years there that Simon make sure we deliver a successful Test match.
sports administration and after I left the army was responsible for staging Power Cricket, an
that was the career path I went down,” he event which attracted 15,000 a night for two “I am pleased with what the club has achieved
explained. nights. so far and have been very encouraged and
impressed. “However, everything the chairman
His fi rst port of call on his sporting adventure After the Millennium Stadium experience has planned is moving apace.
was at Queen’s Club in London where he was Simon moved to the Celtic Manor, the home
in charge of setting up the Stella Artois men’s of the 2010 Ryder Cup, as marketing director “I am aware of previous press comments on
tennis tournament, which is the recognised and after two years there he took up a similar the stadium staging a Test match but we are
curtain raiser for Wimbledon every year. position at Chepstow Racecourse. looking forward not back.
He spent three years in that job before “I came in at the end of an £8.5m “We will make sure no stone is left unturned in
deciding to come back home to Wales and his refurbishment with the brief of maximising delivering a successful Test match.”
roots - his mother is from Abergavenny and his revenue, improving facilities and increasing the
amount of race fi xtures.
sportingwales
issue7twothousand&nine
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