Club statement: John Katz

Woking Football Club can confirm that after 3 years of dedicated service to the Club, John Katz has taken the decision to step down from his post as Chief Executive Officer to return to his family in the United States. He will remain active on the Board of Directors and will continue his non-matchday duties as Football Secretary.

In March, John informed the Club of his desire to return to the US to focus on and prioritise his family. Since joining the Club nearly three years ago, he has had limited opportunities to be with, support and connect with his loved ones after a prolonged period in which he’s spent more than 90% of his time in Woking.

“I fell in love with this club the first time I came to the Laithwaite Community Stadium in April of 2019,” said Katz “I took in my first match in September of 2019 and my second in January of 2020 with my son. This Club is my passion, and I will be involved with the Club for the future.”

During his tenure at the club, he was part of the team that developed a successful rebrand of the club’s marks, the transformation from part-time to full-time football and the club’s record-setting 2022/23 season — seeing the club’s top points return in more than 20 years and the club’s first National League playoff appearance in its history.

“I will truly miss the day-to-day grind of working with the great members of our administrative team, our board and our football management team,” Katz added. “Our supporters have lots to look forward to in our first full season of Doylerball.”

The Board of Directors would like to thank John for his excellent leadership and dedication to Woking Football Club. In particular, he has devoted an incredible amount of time and effort in supporting all the Club’s activities including travelling to almost all of our away games throughout the seasons, managing the Women’s team when they were without a Manager, and providing assistance to the football management team.

The Club is also pleased to announce that Emanuele Palladino has been named Interim CEO and will oversee Club operations for the next several months as the Club restructures its management team. Emanuele’s key roles will include working on a future investment strategy and helping drive revenue growth for the team with an eye on reducing operating deficits.

Dave Curtis, the Club’s long-time General Manager, has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer and will continue to lead the Club forward working closely with Emanuele. He will also take on the matchday duties of the Football Secretary in conjunction with John.