Henry Hodgson and Charlotte Offord have been announced as the new General Managers of the National Football League (NFL) for the UK and Australia respectively.
Hodgson is promoted from his current Vice-President of International Marketing role which is based in Los Angeles, and will now move back to his native UK to lead the NFL’s UK business, reporting to Brett Gosper – Head of Europe and UK.
Offord, who comes from New Zealand, will move from her current position as Senior Director of Marketing, NFL UK, to drive business in Australia and New Zealand. Reporting to Damani Leech, Chief Operating Officer, International, she will be the League’s first full-time employee in Australia.
Leech commented: “International is one of the League’s fastest-growing business areas and a key strategic priority. Within that we have identified two leadership positions that will play a critical role in our future success and development of our sport.
“Henry and Charlotte have proved themselves as talented, creative individuals and we are excited about the opportunities for growth in their respective areas that these appointments create.”
After initially working for the league in 1995 as a PR assistant in London, Hodgson later became editor of nfluk.com before moving to LA to become a Director of digital content in 2010.
Since 2016 he has overseen the League’s international marketing efforts. The NFL has stated that his new role will involve an ‘overarching responsibility for the successful delivery of NFL UK’s strategic priorities’. This includes: growth, maximising live games, the overall development of the sport and supporting continued commercial growth and monetisation in the UK.
On his appointment, Hodgson stated: “I am excited to return to the UK and to have the opportunity to build on the incredible momentum of the past decade.
“The growth is evident in the size of the fanbase and how NFL fans engage with the sport on TV, social media, at the games in London and across multiple other touchpoints. I look forward to working with the talented NFL UK team to continue that growth.”
Gosper added: “The NFL’s development in the UK and the scale and complexity of the market requires the focus of a dedicated UK General Manager to take it to the next level.”
Moreover, Offord’s new role establishes the League’s first on-the-ground presence in what has been described as a fast growing emerging market, as she looks to drive fan growth, football development and support on revenue generation.
She explained: “Having been a part of the NFL’s development in the UK for the past 10 years, I am excited to be taking on this opportunity to drive further fan growth and football development across these markets.
“Australia and New Zealand are both countries that already have a rich sporting culture so I am looking forward to bringing sports fans in these territories closer to the game of American football.”
