Norwich City Appoint MP Ed Balls As Chairman

Former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer Ed Balls has been announced as the new chairman of Norwich City.The 48 years old is a boyhood Canaries fans and will start his role with immediate effect in an unpaid capacity, it was announced on Sunday afternoon.

Balls, who will be in attendance for Norwich's Premier League clash at home to Aston Villa on Monday was a Labour MP for 10 years and he had this to say about his appointment “It's an honour and a privilege to be asked to join the Board of Directors at Norwich City as Chairman,' Balls said in a statement released via the club's official website. From the moment my dad first took me to watch City from the terraces at Carrow Road in 1973, my earliest ambition was to play for the Club I loved. But the next best thing is to become Chairman of Norwich City, and do what I can off the pitch to help City succeed on the pitch. The Club's immediate priority and focus is, of course, the retention of our hard-earned Premier League status, and the hard work of my fellow Directors and all of my colleagues at the Club means Norwich City is in great shape on and off the pitch going into 2016. With that foundation, the challenge for all of us at Norwich is to go from the up-and-down fortunes I have known since I was a boy to an era of sustained success, and I will be proud to play my part in that”.

Delia Smith and Michael Wynn who are Norwich's joint majority shareholders have welcomed the appointment of Balls citing his vast economic knowledge and extensive experience with both the public and private sectors as a huge asset for the Norfolk outfit. In a statement also released via the club's website they said “we're absolutely delighted to confirm that Ed Balls is the new Chairman of Norwich City. His economic know-how and experience, coupled with his passion for all things Norwich City, will be a major asset for the Board and we're excited about working closely together with Ed, David McNally and the other Directors in this new era for the Club. Ed will work closely with all of us on the short, medium and long-term strategy to shape the future of this great football club”.

Balls will be undertaking his role at Norwich in an unpaid capacity, alongside his ongoing academic, commercial, charitable and media activities. Norwich were promoted back to the top flight under manager Alex Neil last season. They are currently 17th having moved out of the relegation zone last week with a 2-1 win at Manchester United, their first victory at Old Trafford since 1989.