Burnley FC appoint new Chief Executive

The 50-year-old American, who hails from Maryland, has previously held the role at Southampton and Leicester City.

Mr Hoos replaces Paul Fletcher at Turf Moor and starts his new role at Turf Moor on Tuesday, December 13.

He said: “It’s a privilege to be named as Chief Executive of Burnley Football Club and I am absolutely delighted to be joining a club that, in my opinion, is going places.

“Burnley has an excellent Board of Directors and, as a long standing admirer, a very, very good manager in Eddie Howe.

“I know the people - and chairman Barry Kilby in particular - because I have been in football here for a while now and when I heard about the opportunity to work here it was a chance I couldn’t pass up.

“I come here with high hopes and the number one priority has to be to get this club back into the Premier League.

“That’s the shared vision of everybody at the club and in my opinion everybody has a part to play.

“Burnley has already shown that can be achieved and there is no reason at all why we can’t get back there again.”

Mr Hoos’, who becomes the club’s first overseas Chief Executive, first worked in the UK under Mohamed Al Fayed, initially in an executive role at Harrods and then in the boardroom at Fulham following their promotion from the old Division three in 1997.

After spending over eight years at Craven Cottage, he joined Southampton as Chief Executive in 2006 and oversaw troubled financial times at the south coast club.

Mr Hoos then joined Leicester City as CEO in 2008 and was at the helm at the Walkers Stadium during a period of shifting fortunes for the Midlands’ club.

During his time with the Foxes, he helped new Thai owners to adapt following their takeover of the club, before being involved in negotiations to employ former England coach Sven Goran Eriksson and Nigel Pearson as managers.

Mr Hoos added: “I am aware that Burnley Football Club is a local club with many fans on the board and working there.

“But even though I am coming in an ‘outsider’, this is not my first job. When I first started in football here as an executive level it was a culture shock and people probably wondered what a ‘yank’ knew about football!

“But in the football world I’d like to think I’ve proved myself. I’ve worked at three clubs now and gained lots of experience.

“I played football in the States and it was always a dream of mine to make a living in the game.

“I was like a kid in a sweet shop when I worked at Fulham. I got a phone call out of the blue from Mohamed asking me to come and work with him at Harrods and then he got involved with Fulham, which gave me the chance to work with Kevin Keegan.

“I’ve since worked at Southampton and Leicester and I am very much looking forward to working at Burnley.

“It has been a topsy-turvy season but you have to expect that in this league, but all the foundations are in place.

“I will be doing everything I can to help out.

“If you look at the size of the town and the crowds it attracts, it is a very well supported club and they are very demanding fans.

“But I am prepared for that and we all want nothing but success here.”