Andrew Fitton is a telecoms specialist, and part owner and former chairman of
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
He works currently for Transcomm plc. as chief executive.
He also worked with
Mobitex
Mobitex is an OSI based open standard, national public access wireless packet-switched data network. Mobitex puts great emphasis on safety and reliability with its use by military, police, firefighters and ambulance services. It was developed in th ...
and United Wireless Holdings.
Swindon Town Football Club
In 2007, after the deal looked like it was about to fall through and while the club looked likely to fall into administration. He bought 75% of the club with a consortium of others for an undisclosed fee from Sir Seton Wills, James Wills and Mike Diamandis in early 2008.
The club at this point was in £4 million of debt but he paid to have the debt cleared, hence removing the transfer embargo and lifting the club out of administration.
Chairmanship
He at first appointed the manager
Maurice Malpas
Maurice Daniel Robert Malpas (born 3 August 1962) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He signed for Dundee United in 1979 and spent his entire professional playing career with the club until his retirement in 2000. With him, United w ...
but fired him in 2008 after the club was in risk of relegation. He then appointed
Danny Wilson as manager who led the club to the 2010 Playoff Final. Wilson was less successful the next season and was replaced by
Paul Hart
Paul Anthony Hart (born 4 May 1953) is an English association football, football manager, coach, and former professional player who made 567 appearances in the English Football League, Football League as a Defender (association football), def ...
.
Fitton was working on expanding the
County Ground, Swindon
The County Ground (currently known as the Energy Check County Ground for sponsorship purposes) is a stadium located near the town centre of Swindon, Wiltshire, England, and has been home to Swindon Town Football Club since 1896. The current c ...
to a 19,000-seat stadium. He was known to not have spent much money on transfers due to his efforts to keep the club financially viable. At the 2011 Annual General Meeting he released a statement, showing that they were the only profitable
League 1 club, partly because Fitton sold striker Simon Cox for £1.5 million to West Bromwich Albion.
He resigned from the chairmanship of the Football Club on 27 April 2011, claiming responsibility for the underperformance of the team in a season which culminated in relegation.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitton, Andrew
English businesspeople
English football chairmen and investors
Living people
Swindon Town F.C. directors and chairmen
Year of birth missing (living people)