I have been CEO of Berks & Bucks FA since 2013 and involved in roles in the county FA environment since 2000. 

I also bring experience from a variety of volunteer roles over several sports; ranging from playing and coaching to Club Welfare Officer and Chairperson of a grassroots club.

My ambition is to be realise the potential that football has in every community, to realise the value that sport can bring to individuals and communities and to instrumental in the development of a workforce that is diverse in thought, voice and action both internally but also within our member clubs and leagues. Only then can we ensure that EVERYONE can benefit from football.

As an organisation, we continue to change lives and connect people and strive to reduce the gap between the decision makers and those that are affected by the decisions we make.

As CEO, Liz is responsible for leading and managing the overall operations and resources of the organisation, responsible for the overall success of the company vision and aspirations for grassroots football across Berks & Bucks.

Contact Liz on 01235 558457 or via Liz.Verrall@Berks-BucksFA.com

Paul Thorogood MBE is an experienced senior leader with a wealth of experience, initially in the Royal Air Force, which included active service in the Falkland Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. He rose to the rank of group captain before making a mid-career change in 2006 to accept the role of CEO of the Football Foundation.

After 14 years, Paul retired for a second time in 2020 to develop a portfolio of non-executive roles that allows him to employ the experience he has gained over more than four decades to aid the development of a number of organisations, particularly in the sports, charitable, procurement and regulatory sectors. Paul is no stranger to being a County FA Chair, as he was Chair of the RAF FA for the final three years of his Service career.

Until recently, Paul was the Chair of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, a global professional membership, vocational training and awarding organisation for procurement and supply professionals around the world and spent six years as a lay (independent) member of the House of Commons Standards Committee, the latter few years of which have been tumultuous and historic for parliamentary standards.

Paul is now a Non-executive Director on the House of Commons & Lords Investment Committee, responsible for oversight of the £1.3 billion Parliament-wide investment portfolio and is a Non-executive Director on the Board of Pitchbooking, the market-leading scheduling and payment solution for sports facilities. Paul is Chair of the Welsh Boxing Association and a Director on the Board of Great Britain Boxing. He is the independent member on the Harrow School Complaints and Appeals Committee and maintains his link with RAF Sport as independent Chair of the RAF Sports Federation, responsible for funding and regulating 54 individual RAF sports.

Paul has an MA from Kings College, London, a post-graduate diploma in Engineering Business Management from the University of Warwick, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Procurement and Supply and was awarded an MBE in 2021 for services to football.

I was born in Oxford and moved to Milton Keynes at the age of 18 due to work commitments. I have been married 41 years and we have had 3 children and 3 very special grandchildren aged 3, 6 & 10 and 2 lovely step granddaughters.

I cannot write this profile without mentioning my love for Everton FC. They are my boyhood team and I have fond memories of my Dad taking me to watch them in London and also to Goodison Park. My own family are also true blues and until recently we regularly saw the team 3 times per season. My eldest granddaughter has also made the trip and is a confirmed blue nose. Other sports I enjoy are Horse Racing, Cricket & Golf (although I am not as good at Golf as I would like to be).   

I was able to take an early retirement and currently I child care 2 days per week. In addition I work as an Invigilator at a school in Milton Keynes and act as a presiding officer for Milton Keynes Council at Election time. As well as holding the office of Deputy Chair, I am the ‘Board Champion’ for Safeguarding in our County and I act as an FA accredited Discipline Chair.  

My Football life began at the age of 9 when playing for my local cub group. As a young boy I played for Marston Saints FC who were a very successful team at that time. My whole life has been football and at this age I only ever wanted to be a professional footballer. At the age of 16/17 I played for Reading FC in their ‘A’ Team (Would be known as an academy team today). My highlight being selected for a Reserve Team fixture at Elm Park. Despite making a good start to my career at Reading, unfortunately my form dropped and I received a very nice letter saying ‘No thank you’. I then played for Oxford City in their Youth, Reserve and 1^st Teams in the then Isthmian League. My 1^st appearance in the first team was away to Dagenham in front of over 1000 people where we lost 3-0 but I enjoyed every minute of it including fish & Chips on the way home in the coach. My work commitments took me to Milton Keynes so after a short break in playing I then played briefly for Buckingham Athletic, then moved to Milton Keynes City (who played in the Southern League). I then played for Wolverton Town & Newport Pagnell Town in the United Counties League ending up my playing career at Bicester Town in the Hellenic League. The highlight being an Oxford Senior Cup Final played against Oxford Utd FC at the Manor Ground which we lost after extra time 1-0.

I then turned my hand to Football Management where I started off at Stony Stratford FC, followed by Buckingham Athletic (League & Cup Wnrs), Wolverton Town, Newport Pagnell, Wootton Blue Cross, Potton Utd & finally Buckingham Town in the Southern League (with my dear friend Steve Curley). Unfortunately we were relegated that season and were subsequently dismissed from our role!

I am also a Level 5 Referee and continue to Referee today for MK Dons Academy Teams, MK Dons SET, MK College & MK Dons Ladies. Until recently I also refereed in the United Counties League where I was an appointed official in a Reserve Cup Final. My refereeing career commenced whilst ‘running the line’ for my sons teams. It was often that we had no appointed referee and I would do the job (much to my son’s disgust!). I decided to complete the Referee’s course so at least I could do the job in a proper kit. It was here that my passion and enjoyment of refereeing started and I moved forward from level 7 to 5 and was The MKRA Referee of the Year in 2007. I have been fortunate enough to officiate many youth and adult cup finals.       

My association with the Berks & Bucks FA started when I became manager of the County’s U18 Youth Team. A position I held for 7 years (Winning the South West Counties Championship and Cup) before work commitments ended my association with the team. During this period I had made strong friendships with the late Mr Dick Custance (Youth Chair) and David Grainge (Youth Secretary at that time). I had an insight into the organisation which I had really enjoyed. A few years later an opportunity arose and I became a member of Council for the association in 2007. I became Deputy Chair in 2010. In addition I served as Chair of The Rules Revision Committee. I did not realise how many Rules I did not know until I held this position. I shall be forever in debt to Robin Woolman for his guidance throughout this period. During this time together with David Grainge (Now Chair) we have overseen many changes to the organisation and I believe we have moved considerably forward to keep up with today’s ever changing society. Looking to the future we need to continue to develop the Board and our Council. We have a great team of staff who have a willingness to help and assist football in our community which I am very proud of.

I am also the Safeguarding Champion for the Board of Directors. It is a responsibility that I take very seriously, and I am very proud of our approach to Safeguarding as a Board.

Contact John via harryhors17@gmail.com

Geoff is our Finance Director and his ‘day job’ is owner of Financial Advice firm Lewis Christopher Ltd.

The business specialises in investment management, pre and post-retirement planning, mortgages and protection and as well as being a Director of this business, he also owns Limestone Residential Sales & Lettings.

Geoff lives in Newport Pagnell and is a keen cyclist and tries to get to the Gym at least a couple of times a week… although he doesn’t need much of an excuse not to! In his spare time he is Treasurer at Newport Pagnell Town Football Club where he has been involved on the committee for 20 years.

Contact Geoff via Geoff@LewisChristopher.co.uk

Kulbir has been involved with the Berks & Bucks Football Association (BBFA) since 2016, when he joined the BBFA Inclusion Advisory Group (IAG). As a member of the IAG he has advised on, and contributed to, initiatives that encourage participation in grassroots football from underrepresented groups.

In January 2019 Kulbir joined the Board of the BBFA as a Non-Executive Director for Inclusion, a role which he was keen to take on. One of the first tasks that he embarked upon was to create a Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Plan for the organisation to work from. 

Kulbir is committed to ensuring that everyone who is involved in football at a grassroots, county level, has a great experience, regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, ability or disability, faith or age. 

He has extensive experience of working in both private and public sector organisations, delivering on D&I initiatives and targets. Specific areas of work have included the recruitment and retention of BAME personnel. Designing and delivering diversity and cultural awareness training. Chairing workplace diversity boards to address issues of discrimination and to support staff with career development. Management training of unconscious bias and the negative impact on individuals and teams within an organisation. Collaborating with community organisations to tackle discrimination and hate crime through education and awareness. Coaching and mentoring marginalised young people who lack aspiration, confidence and often self-esteem.

Having worked in the airline industry, retail management and executive coaching in the USA and the UK, Kulbir has spent the last fifteen years working in the public sector with underrepresented, hard to reach communities. In 2018 Kulbir was recognised by Her Majesty the Queen in The New Year’s Honours List for this work. He was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to Community Cohesion and is now a proud member of The Order of The British Empire. Also in 2018, Kulbir was the recipient of a British Community Honours Award presented at The House of Lords. This was also for services to community cohesion and his work on equality, diversity and inclusion in the community. 

As a member of the Board, Kulbir will draw upon his vast experience to ensure that as the County FA, we provide everyone an opportunity to be part of the game. He will support and advise on our inclusion priorities over the coming years. These are underpinned by three principles of change which are:

• Ensuring governance and leadership is diverse and modern;
• Removing any obstacles to access and progression in coaching, talent development or personal development pathways; and
• Enshrining equality, diversity and inclusion in our day to day operations.

Contact Kulbir via Kulbir.Brar@Berks-BucksFA.com

Nikki joined the Board as People Director in July 2021, providing a strategic lead on all Human Resources related matters. 

She previously volunteered as an Independent Disciplinary Commissioner for the Berks & Bucks FA and maintains a strong interest in grassroots football through her children, who play for a local club.
 
Nikki brings a wealth of HR experience from both the public and private sectors, having worked at the National Audit Office for 25 years, before taking a short career break to focus on her family, and joining Heathrow Airport as a Senior HR Business Partner in 2019. 

Nikki is passionate about delivering people solutions that achieve a high performance and inclusive culture. She is delighted to be working with the Board to help the County FA achieve its aims of connecting people and changing lives through football, ensuring that all communities are able to benefit from the grassroots game.

Director of Commercial at Berks & Bucks FA, Munnawar joined the Board of Directors because she was motivated by the purpose of connecting people and changing lives through football and the inclusive nature of this purpose. She is also passionate about the physical and emotional benefits team sports can bring to all, such as; personal development, team work & collaboration, mental health and well-being.

Munnawar felt she could bring a wealth of expertise from her professional experience to help the Berks & Bucks FA team and our commercial strategy and activities. 

She hopes to help the team deliver a compelling and focused commercial strategy that will drive stronger engagement with everyone the Berks & Bucks FA team work with and support.