Cardiff announce new CEO

The Cardiff Devils are delighted to announce the appointment of Paul Ragan as Chief Executive of the Devils. Multi-Millionaire Cardiff based businessman Ragan (featured this week on Channel 4’s “The Secret Millionaire” programme) built up and recently sold his very successful insurance company, ProtectaGroup.

 

Matt Burge commented, “I am absolutely delighted that Paul has come on board, he is a great guy that I trust completely. He is an extremely successful local businessman and is definitely the right man to drive the business side of the Devils forward. Crucially he is local, passionate about sport, has a young family based in Cardiff and is completely focussed on developing the good work being done both with the Devils professional team and the associated charity, the Devils Community Foundation”.

 

The Devils are certainly riding a wave of new found popularity with fans old and new; crowd attendances are up nearly 50% over the last two years, season ticket holders have increased by more than 100% over the same period and the junior development programme (as part of the Community Foundation) are flourishing with a new found energy and enthusiasm.

 

Shannon Hope, Director of Hockey for the Devils said, “It has been a hugely successful couple of years for the Devils and there is no doubt the ‘buzz ‘ is back. Our match nights are receiving great acclaim and really are a great family night out. The huge growth in crowd numbers is a testament to that. We have a fantastic squad this year that are now firing on all cylinders. We are competing in the Challenge Cup Final in Nottingham this week, which is the closest we have come to silverware in the last few years. Our on ice performance is strong as we head into the end of the season. With Paul (Ragan) taking the position as Chief Executive, the future couldn’t be brighter.

 

Paul Ragan had this to say: “I am thrilled to be joining the Devils team. So much good work has been done in turning the club around and driving it forward and I am really looking forward to using my skills, experience and contacts to take the club to even greater heights”.

 

With regard to the new arena for the Devils Ragan commented, “Securing the new arena as a permanent home for the Devils is my top priority and will be getting my full attention. Every professional sporting club deserves to have its own home, especially a club with the past pedigree and future potential of the Devils. A new professional arena for the Devils in the International Sports Village (Cardiff Bay) is what Cardiff Council has promised and it is absolutely what the club needs.”

 

“A fantastic new arena will not only help drive sponsorship and commercial revenue but will enable the club to benefit from the other income streams that come from owning your own venue. Other prominent local clubs such as Cardiff City Football Club and Glamorgan Cricket Club clearly illustrate the enormous benefits of owning and controlling their own new, improved venues. The ability to leverage that additional income to support the sporting teams and junior development is key in building the foundations of a strong organisation” he added.

 

Shannon Hope added,”We have been working very closely with Cardiff Council. They have openly and very publicly promised that we will have a new home by December 2012 after we lost our old home in the city centre (the site of the new St David’s 2 shopping centre) and I know they are very keen to ensure this promise is kept. We have been working hard to bring together the very best team of architects, surveyors and contractors to guarantee that we are the most credible and capable contender to develop our new home and now with Paul in as CEO, our proposition couldn’t be stronger.

 

Next season we see a new team, the Braehead Clan, join the Elite League meaning our league is deeper and even more competitive. The Devils have been building our brand and our business over the last few years so with a new team and new Chief executive we are all very excited.

 

Of course there are many other extremely important users of the rink and will naturally their requirements are a priority for future developments, but it is only right that the Devils have control of the build and management of our home going forward”.

 

Glynne Dummett, Chairman of SORAC (Save Our Rink Action Committee, the organisation representing all ice rink users in Cardiff) commented, “We are 100% behind the Devils and are delighted to hear about the appointment of Paul Ragan. Everybody knows that the Devils should be developing and managing the new arena and we will do everything in our power to drive that message home to the Council. We have been holding back very patiently since we lost the WNIR (Welsh National Ice Rink) waiting for the Council to deliver what they promised but believe me when I say there is a huge number of Devils fans that are extremely passionate about this issue and are determined to ensure the Council will do the right thing and the Devils will get the rights to build and run the new arena”.

 

Brent Pope, Head of the Devils Community Foundation has just returned from a hugely successful Winter Olympics commentary role with the BBC in Canada. He took time out to show Ragan the vast range of work being done by the Foundation. “I was hugely impressed with the projects and work undertaken by Brent and the DCF; this is a truly committed team of people. They are a great asset to the people of Cardiff and while many are talking the talk, Brent and his team are out there delivering. The Junior Development Programme is outstanding, the Schools and Community Programme is achieving great things and their programmes such as “Learn to Play” and “Play the Game” are all at full capacity – it is all very exciting and so encouraging to see!”

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