Premier League football club Newcastle United has appointed an experienced North East property professional to sit on its board of directors.
Roger Thornton joined the club earlier this month and works for Jamie Reuben's Motcomb Estates, a global asset management company, where he is head of property. Reuben is a co-owner of Newcastle United Football Club along with Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.
The football club said Thornton has played a key role in recent developments in Newcastle city centre, including the city's Pilgrims Quarter project, while he has also supported property matters for Newcastle Racecourse.
Born in South Shields, Thornton's grandfather, Ben Sullivan, was an administrator who moved from Lincoln City to relaunch the Newcastle United Development Association in the mid-1960s.
He played a key role in supporting ground improvements at St James' Park, including securing funding to build the existing East Stand structure, which opened in the early 1970s.
The Magpies are exploring all options to expand their stadium, with its chief operating officer Brad Miller telling the Independent this summer that the club was ready to sign a "once-in-a-generation" cheque to achieve its goal.
But the club and its owners are unsure whether the Toon will stay at its historic ground or look to move elsewhere in the city. Last year, it agreed a deal to purchase a 2.7-acre development site behind its existing ground, as reported here.