Chief executive/club secretary will leave Vale Park this weekend, having made significant contribution in six-and-a-half years at the club.

• Colin Garlick to leave Port Vale
• Chief executive/club secretary will leave Vale Park after six-and-a-half years, in which time he has played an important role in the club’s survival and the acquisition of the club by the Shanahan family in 2019
• Carol Shanahan OBE: “We would like to place on record our sincere appreciation to Colin for his support and commitment, especially in the early days when we purchased the club, during which time his football administration knowledge, understanding of the industry and experience was invaluable to us.”

Colin Garlick is set to leave his role as chief executive/secretary at Port Vale Football Club following this weekend’s League One fixture against Cambridge United.

Garlick, who joined the Valiants in September 2016, will leave Vale Park following a restructure of the club’s Board of Directors and leadership group. The leadership group will deliver the club’s long-term objectives in an exciting new chapter as the club continues to build towards operating as a healthy League One club, as part of the overarching objective of creating a Championship ready Port Vale.

Colin moves on with sincere gratitude for his contribution to the club during his six-and-a-half years at Vale Park, having played an integral role in convincing the Shanahan family to save the club from the threat of administration in 2019.

Commenting on Colin’s departure, co-owner and chair Carol Shanahan OBE said:

“We would like to place on record our sincere appreciation to Colin for his support and commitment, especially in the early days when we purchased the club, during which time his football administration knowledge, understanding of the industry and experience was invaluable to us.

“Colin is a good man, a friend and somebody we will always be grateful to for his advice and guidance when we became custodians in 2019. Colin and his family will always be welcome back at Vale Park and we wish both Colin and his family well in the future.

“I am really excited about the leadership team we have built and the plans we have in place, initially in the short-term in what will be our first full close season since we became custodians, and then also in the longer-term as we continue to grow and improve to fulfil the objective of becoming a Championship ready club, on and off the pitch.

“We will communicate further details on the new leadership group in the coming days and weeks. Clearly, it was important to us that we showed our gratitude to Colin and informed Vale supporters of the changes before Colin leaves us.”

On behalf of the staff and supporters, Port Vale Football Club would like to place on record its appreciation to Colin for his contribution and service to the club. We wish him and his family all the very best for the future.

Colin will also leave his role as a Trustee of the Port Vale Foundation.

This weekend, Colin will be at Vale Park for his final match at the club in an official capacity and will be on the pitch at half-time to receive thanks from staff and supporters for his dedication during his time at the club.