The Client

Imperial Sports ground is run by South Bristol Sports Centre CIC (SBSC), a registered charity, on behalf of Bristol City Council and the local Community.

The stated aim of the charity is - To advance the education and health of the general public and in particular children and young people through the provision of sports, leisure and recreational facilities for the Community, so as to develop their physical and mental capacities, and other incidental or associated activities for the benefit of the Community.

Imperial Sports Ground is a lively place, positioned on a 45-acre site with easy access from the A37, plenty of parking and a newly refurbished sports centre, with a function room upstairs (with a new bar) and downstairs a licenced bar and restaurant, squash courts, sports bar, gym, dance studio and pitches outside. TISG is also very proud to be the home of several sports teams including Imperial Rugby seniors and juniors, Imperial Football and Whitchurch JFC.

The Chair and Trustee board were seeking to appoint a new role of General Manager to run the operations who could offer experience of food and beverage, sports, venue hire, membership management, as well as a strong community presence.   

The Challenge

The Sports Ground offers a wonderful site with a rich heritage and a lovely, newly refurbished sports centre. It is well known locally, and so we immediately identified that understanding the community feel and reach was hugely important to the search criteria. Prospective candidates would be expected to lead all aspects of the Sports ground development, and, in turn, they would be supported by a committed, and motivated team. We were seeking candidates from a range of areas, either from another sports ground, visitor attraction, or hospitality venue or from multi-use venues for weddings, party hires, and community events. This role was ‘mission critical’ for the business, insofar as the person would be required to offer a high-level of strategic insight and specific market knowledge to add genuine value to the operation.

Our Approach

Founding Director, Vanessa Moon and her team carried out extensive research into the sector and promoted the search through our established connections from the local business and professional services community.  

After identifying prospective target candidates, we then obtained Expressions of Interest and conducted detailed candidate interviews which gave careful consideration to all the nuances of the briefing requirements. Due to restrictions at the time, the interviews and conversations with the client were all carried out virtually.

The Solution

A strong short list was presented to the board from a range of sectors including cinema, sports, wellbeing, hotels and hospitality. We ultimately hired Matt Sach who joined from Tenpin in Bristol. Matt is an experienced Centre and Venue manager with a long history of working in the entertainment industry. He is skilled in Food & Beverage, Operations Management, Customer Satisfaction, Event Management, and People Development

John Laycock, Chair of the Board said:

“We were very impressed with the range of contacts and networks at Moon, and we were also pleased with the rigour that the team showed in sourcing candidates and assessing their suitability. We were seeking someone who would not only run the day-to-day operations of the organisation but also support the implementation of strategies to extend and develop our networks and partnerships with key contacts and organisations. Matt certainly brings those connections”.

Lee West, Trustee said:

“The whole process was very smooth from start to finish. Vanessa and her team kept us regularly updated and made sure all the candidates were fully briefed and prepped for their interviews. We will work with Moon again”.

Vanessa Moon, further comments:

“Having visited Imperial Sports Ground, I could see what a great venue this was, so I was keen to bring in a new General manager who had the ambition to not only grow the site, but maintain the great community roots the organisation holds. For me, this was such a great campaign, bringing together a combination of grass roots knowledge with a vision to grow”.