Phil Gartside, English businessman and football chairman, Died at 63

  Sports

Philip “Phil” Gartside was born in April 1952 and died on February 10, 2016.

He was an English businessman.

He was chairman of Bolton Wanderers Football Club.

Phil joined the board of Bolton in April 1989, having been a fan of the club since his days as a pupil at Leigh Grammar School.

Gartside became chairman of Wanderers in October 1999 at the same time Sam Allardyce was appointed as manager.

Whilst he was chairman, the club gained promotion to the Premier League and reached the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history.

Gartside was unable to hold on to Sam Allardyce, allowing him to resign (only to be appointed manager of Newcastle United weeks later).

However, Bolton was relegated to the Championship in 2012.

Gartside oversaw a number of high-profile arrivals to the playing staff at the club, including Nicolas Anelka, Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha, Fernando Hierro and Iván Campo.

Gartside was a notable football administrator, a Football Association Board Member and an executive director of the new Wembley Stadium.

During April 23, 2009, he proposed a plan to his fellow Premier League chairmen about splitting the Premier League into two divisions of eighteen teams in each and allowing Scottish Premier League clubs Celtic and Rangers to join.

During early December 2015, it was reported that he was gravely ill and his family requested privacy.

Phil Gartside passed away at 63 yrs old.