Newport County: Chairman Gavin Foxall resigns because of ill health

Image source, Huw Evans picture agency

Image caption, Newport County narrowly missed out on promotion to League One in 2021, losing the play-off final 1-0 to Morecambe

Newport County chairman Gavin Foxall has resigned from the board and Supporters' Trust because of ill health.

Foxall, who has not been present at Newport games since January, first joined the Supporters Trust in October 2015 before becoming Newport's operational chairman in 2017.

"We would like to place on record our thanks to Gavin for his significant contribution and hard work over the years," the club said.

"We wish Gavin a speedy recovery."

Foxall leaves in the wake of director Kevin Ward's decision to step down because of a conflict of interest with Newport Live, where he is chairman.

Newport are currently 16th in League Two, 12 points clear of the relegation zone with nine games left to play.

After the club struggled in League Two initially under the supporters' stewardship, Foxall was among the County decision-makers that appointed former captain Mike Flynn as manager in 2017 with the side 11 points adrift from safety with 12 games to go.

A final-day victory over Notts County provided a springboard for success for the south Wales club, who went on to make headlines with a string of high-profile FA Cup runs.

County also came close to promotion to the third-tier during Foxall's reign, twice losing in a Wembley play-off under Flynn before he departed in 2021.

Foxall had also been a leading figure in English Football League (EFL) discussions around returning to play during Covid-19 restrictions in 2020.

He had also served as been interim-chair for Fair Game, a campaign group involving clubs from across the EFL that called for a changes to the running of the game across the UK and saw Foxall present proposals to Tracy Crouch, the Conservative MP who chaired the fan-led review into football governance.