Blackpool CEO discusses his career in football- and what he's learnt with the likes of Watford, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday

The former Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United defender arrived at Bloomfield Road back in July, after undertaking similar roles with a number of clubs in the EFL and the Premier League.

Winter states the passion of the Blackpool owner and other people around the club convinced him to take the job of chief executive.

“I was introduced to Simon (Sadler) in relation to something completely different,” he said.

“I had left Swansea, and I was quite enjoying not having a job.

"It was my 30th wedding anniversary in the summer and I booked a holiday with my wife to celebrate that, and when I came back I reconnected with Simon and he asked if I fancied it.

“He’s a very personable guy- and there’s a lot to like about Blackpool, but he’s the one that drew me to the club. It was a combination of his personality and the fact the club is an exciting place to be around.

“The fans are great and make a tremendous noise here, and you see that in Simon.

“I got to know everyone pretty quickly, which was good. Although the club had been relegated, it never felt like that to me. From the moment I walked in, there was positivity around the place; it wasn’t negative.

“The season the club had in the Championship doesn’t define Blackpool. It’s been there before and will be there again. It’s about building that competitive environment.”

Winter’s career in football stretches back to the 1980s, with his range of roles helping him to see the sport from a number of different perspectives.

“I played and suffered a knee injury, so I went back into education and did a degree in leisure and recreation management,” he added.

"I did lots of other things at the same time, I trained to be a gym instructor and a football coach. I thought I was heading into a life of sports development, and then I had a phone call from the PFA to catch up with me.

“I went into community development at Grimsby Town- they offered me the job and said they’d keep it open for me until I finished my degree- that doesn’t happen often. My desire was down the administrative route, but I had coaching qualifications and understood the context of it.

“I moved around a little bit. I went to work for the National Agency where I was a regional director looking after community programmes. I learnt a hell of a lot about different football clubs and their structures.

“I did that for four years and then I went to Sheffield Wednesday to help them to set up their charity, and then I went to Watford where I was community director and sat on the senior leadership team, which was a unique thing.”

It was during Winter’s time at Vicarage Role that he got his first taste of being a CEO, while also enjoying a period working alongside a former England manager.

“It’s a club that’s a leader in family and community built on the back of an amazing guy called Graham Taylor- who later became my chairman,” he stated.

“I was there for five years. I became deputy CEO and then in a moment of crisis I became CEO. It was a real step change for me in terms of experience and challenge. The opportunity was pretty transformational for me.

“When the club got sold I didn’t like it so I moved on to something new. I did two years at Sheffield United, a brief stint at Notts County, and then the opportunity at Huddersfield came up.

“It was wonderful to be the CEO of two clubs I played for- Sheffield United and Huddersfield. Going back to the latter was a really big decision for me because I never thought I would return, but I really enjoyed my time there.

“It was very strange- there’s been amazing changes. I signed schoolboy forms there when I was 14. There’s really good people there, and we kicked on and got to the Premier League.”

Winter admits he’s experienced different things at every club he’s worked for, but believes it’s important to always look forward.

“Most recently I spent three years at Swansea, and I always say football clubs are similar but never the same,” he noted.

“Life is about experiences, and you have some good and you have some bad. I don’t get too up and I don’t get too down about circumstances. I take the view that once you’ve done your work you’ve got to move on pretty quickly and not dwell on things.

“I don’t spend too much time looking back because you can get preoccupied with the history of your career but what matters is where I am now.

“All those experiences will help me, but I won't dwell on them. The dynamics are always slightly different.”