An experienced EFL leader appointed CEO of one of English football’s most historic clubs, a search built on a relationship years in the making
Overview
Founded in 1875, Blackburn Rovers is one of English football’s most historic clubs, with a proud heritage and a passionate supporter base.
As the club continued to strengthen its senior leadership, Blackburn Rovers appointed Executives in Sport Group to lead the search for its next Chief Executive Officer, a leader who could provide direction across the organisation and create the environment for both the football and business functions to perform.
Challenge
The CEO would occupy a pivotal position at Blackburn Rovers, overseeing the club’s operational, administrative, commercial and infrastructure functions and, crucially, giving the club’s football leadership the resources, structures and organisational support required to succeed.
A deep understanding of the English Football League mattered. The CEO needed to know the day-to-day realities of running a professional football club alongside the regulatory, governance and wider football environment in which Blackburn Rovers operates.
The role also carried significant stakeholder responsibility. As a highly visible senior figure, the CEO would connect ownership, the Board, employees, football leadership and supporters. Blackburn Rovers placed particular emphasis on emotional intelligence, self-awareness and communication, the judgement to navigate different perspectives, build trusted relationships and speak credibly to a passionate fanbase.
Solution
Some searches start from a blank sheet. This one didn’t.
Steve Curwood had been on Executives in Sports radar for years. We built a relationship with him across his time at Fleetwood Town, nearly two decades in which he helped take the club from non-league football into the EFL, delivered modern training and community facilities and established a Category Two academy.
We also knew the respect he commanded among his peers. Steve had served on the EFL Board and represented the Professional Game with The Football Association, the kind of standing that only comes from years of delivering for a club and for the wider game.
Just as importantly, we knew how he worked: a low-ego, hardworking chief executive who had operated in an environment where you do more with less, where you out-think the opposition rather than outspend them. For a club that wanted operational capability and the interpersonal skills to bring an organisation together, his experience and style were a natural cultural fit with Blackburn Rovers’ senior leadership team.
Every candidate was still assessed against the full breadth of the CEO remit, operational leadership, understanding of the EFL environment, club development and the ability to support both football and business functions, with equal weight on communication, emotional intelligence and stakeholder management. Measured against a targeted shortlist of senior football executives, Steve stood out.
Result
Steve Curwood was appointed Chief Executive Officer in May 2026, taking up the role on 1 July.
The club’s Owners and Board described him as “an exceptional candidate” with “a proven track record of leadership and delivery within professional football”, highlighting his leadership experience, strong knowledge of the EFL, record in club development and infrastructure and the respected relationships he had built across the game.
I’m delighted to be joining Blackburn Rovers. It’s a club with a proud history and a passionate fanbase, and I’m excited to get started.
Steve Curwood, Chief Executive Officer, Blackburn Rovers
The appointment gave Blackburn Rovers a chief executive who combines detailed EFL knowledge, club development experience and established relationships across the professional game, and a stable platform for progress on and off the pitch.