Trustees

Mike Goodwin

CHAIRMAN

Mike enjoyed a long and distinguished career in local government, spanning almost 40 years, before retiring in 2011 as chief executive of North East Derbyshire District council. He helped the council achieve excellent status under the audit commission scoring system. During that time the council won over 30 national awards, including the prestigious Most Improved Council in the UK award. Mike has been a qualified accountant for over 30 years and is proud to use the letters CIPFA in relation to his professional body. Mike has also been a CIPFA examiner as well as a guest lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. Other positions that Mike has held include chairman of the board of governors at Hasland Community School and chairman/president of Chesterfield Cricket Club. He joined the board of trustees in 2015. 

Dave Simmonds

VICE-CHAIRMAN

Dave started his working life in the Valuation Office of the Inland Revenue before leaving to train as a PE teacher. His teaching career started in 1980 as a sports lecturer at Chesterfield College. A qualified FA coach, Dave was vice-chairman of Derbyshire Schools Football Association for many years and for a time was manager of the under 19 team. He set up the Chesterfield FC academy, run by the college on behalf of the club, which once established after a few years was passed on to the club. Dave progressed to the position of assistant principal at the college before retiring in 2016 after 36 years’ service. He has been a Chesterfield FC supporter for over 60 years. Dave was appointed a trustee in 2015. 

Jane Cooper

Jane has a background in training, previously working for Boots the Chemists on strategic projects and business development. Her experience in the charity sector includes being co-founder of Accessible Derbyshire and a director of Access for All UK. Jane has been a Changing Places campaigner and trainer since 2003 and lectured on inclusive tourism at Sheffield Hallam University since 2015. She became a trustee in 2018. 

Nick Johnson

Nick has worked in the media for around 30 years and has headed Chesterfield FC’s media department since 2012. After studying broadcast journalism, he started out as a broadcast journalist at Rapid Sportslines and later became northern editor for Hayters Teamwork press agency. As a freelance journalist and broadcaster, Nick has worked for various organisations including Reuters, Press Association Sport and Sky Sports. He is the longest-serving reporter on Sky’s popular Soccer Saturday show, covering around 800 matches since 1996. Nick is the author/co-author of six published books and has been engaged by the University of Derby as an associate lecturer. He also acts as an event host, specialising in Q&A events featuring sporting personalities. Nick has been a trustee since 2017.  

Paul Roberts

A trustee since 2013, Paul is an accountant who was formerly employed by Chesterfield FC, specialising in the hospitality side of the business.  

Dr Paul Stankard

Dr Paul Stankard was appointed as a trustee in 2019. Paul graduated as a medical doctor 30 years ago. He is currently working in both clinical and managerial roles within healthcare. He is a consultant forensic psychiatrist with extensive experience within hospitals and prisons. He has published and presented nationally and internationally. His clinical focus is on meeting the needs of vulnerable and hard-to- reach people to ensure adequate support is in place and their mental health needs are met. He has further expertise in supporting the emotional well-being of employees within organizations. Paul has a strong interest in ensuring safeguarding policy and procedures are comprehensive and robust alongside a passion for driving innovation. Paul is our link trustee for Social Prescribing and Safeguarding. 

Martin Thacker MBE

Martin is Chesterfield born and bred. He is proud of his Chesterfield FC connections that include being related to Frank Thacker, a former player and assistant manager. Martin taught locally for almost 30 years and was headteacher in two schools. He was county president of the National Association of Headteachers and regional president for the East Midlands. He has been involved in local Scouting for over 30 years and president of the Staveley branch of the Royal British Legion. Martin is also president of the following organisations: Staveley Armed Forces Veterans’ Association, the Chesterfield & North Derbyshire branch of the RSPCA, Chesterfield Male Voice Choir and Ireland Colliery Brass Band. He continues to work tirelessly with the Chesterfield deaf community and is Chesterfield Champion for the Deaf. Martin served as an elected member of Chesterfield Borough Council and is a Councillor on North East Derbyshire District Council. He has been a trustee since 2016.

Terry Ward

After qualifying as an architect, Terry worked for several architectural consultancy practices and later for large-scale multi-disciplinary companies. In 1997, he formed his own architectural and town planning practice, Ward McHugh Associates, which he managed successfully for nearly 18 years. He sold the practice to his staff in 2014 and became semi-retired. He was the project director/architect for a number of sporting projects, including the phased redevelopment of Twickenham Stadium and the design of a new stadium for Chesterfield FC following the club’s move from Saltergate. Other local projects Terry has been involved in include new facilities at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Ashgate Hospicecare. He became a trustee in 2019.