West Ham United have appointed former captain and legend Mark Noble as the club’s sporting director from 2 January, 2023.
The ex-midfielder retired from football this summer after making 550 appearances for the Hammers. He will return to occupy the newly created role and work along with manager David Moyes and the club’s board of directors across all aspects of its football operation.
“I’m really happy to be coming back, it’s a great honour to take up this role at West Ham United. I see it as a position that I can grow and develop in both personally and professionally. Noble said.
He added “The last two seasons have been a time of great progress, and I want to help us to continue moving forwards in the right direction.”
The 35-year-old work will include Academy development, player recruitment, and player and staff wellbeing – with a particular focus on ensuring players both progressing through the ranks and new to the Club are nurtured in the West Ham United football philosophy and values.
The 35-year-old will also play a key role in supporting football development and ensuring strategic alignment across the Club including the club’s partners and supporters at home and across the globe.
Earlier this summer, Noble completed an Entertainment, Media and Sports Business leadership course at the prestigious Harvard Business School in the US.
“There is nobody better qualified when it comes to understanding West Ham United and its ethos,” said Hammers manager David Moyes.
West Ham’s joint-chairman David Sullivan added: “Mark rightly wanted to spend some precious time with his family after 18 years of non-stop devoted service as a player, but there was never any doubt that he would come back in a senior role in the near future.”
Noble spent almost his entire career with West Ham and helped the Hammers reach the Europa League semi-finals in his final season.