Nottingham Forest FC has announced that Michael Dugher, a former MP and betting industry lobbyist, has joined its Board of Directors.
Dugher’s duties on the board have not been fully clarified, but it can be expected that he will utilise his experience in politics, government affairs and business advisory to the role.
The former politician was a Labour Party MP for seven years, first winning a seat in 2010 and standing down in 2017. During his time as an MP he served as Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport between 2015 and 2016, but was removed from the position in Jeremy Corbyn’s first reshuffle as Labour leader.
Both Forest and Dugher state that the new director’s longtime support for the club is his primary motivator in joining its board. Dugher was born in South Yorkshire, a neighbouring county to Nottinghamshire, and attended the University of Nottingham in the 1990s.
“As a massive Forest fan, to be asked join the Board of the greatest football club on planet earth is a huge honour and a privilege,” Dugher remarked.
“Thanks to the superb support and ongoing commitment of our owners, these are exciting times for Nottingham Forest – back where we belong competing amongst the elite of English football.
“I know how important the club is to the local community as well as to fans living across the country and indeed throughout the world. I hope I can use some of my experience to help the owners and the Board continue to build the club from strength to strength.”
Though Dugher’s experience as an MP may prove useful to Forest it is arguably his post-parliamentary career that will have the biggest impact on the role due to his extensive engagement with business.
He served as CEO of UK Music, a trade body for the country’s music industry, between 2017 and 2019, but was most notable as CEO of the Betting and Gaming Council (BGC), a trade association and standards body for the UK betting industry.
Dugher’s tenure as CEO between 2017 and 2024 coincided with the government’s review of the 2005 Gambling Act, which sought to modernise UK gambling regulation. The nearly three-year long process saw extensive scrutiny of the relationship between betting and sports, particularly sponsorships in football.
As Forest maintains three betting partners this season – front-of-shirt partner Kaiyun Sports, official partner Betway and UK betting partner Parimatch – Dugher’s relationships with and experience of the betting sector may come in handy.
Forest Chairman, Nicholas Randall KC, said: ”We are delighted to welcome Michael to our Board of Directors. He is an outstanding candidate as well as fan of the club. His expertise in public affairs and his local knowledge and experience complements perfectly the existing skills on our Board. He joins us at a very exciting time both on and off the field and we look forward to working with him.”