Chairman

Roy Schafer

Joined the Gloucestershire FA Council in 1985. Roy was elected as County Chairman in 2021. Roy is currently Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and is the Association’s representative on the FA Council.

Deputy-Chair

Sue Henson-Green

Sue was elected to the board in 2013 and is the Safeguarding Champion. She is the chair of the County Match Committee alongside being the president of the Gloucestershire County Women's League that has been recognised for its success. Sue was elected Deputy-Chair in 2021.

Finance Director

Graham Papworth

Graham joined the board in 2019 and provides financial oversight of the Association’s accounts and investments.

Independent Non-Executive Director

Mohammed Patel

Mo joined the board in 2020 to assist in the business affairs of the Association, determining the vision and strategy, the plans, policies and financial investment required to achieve the Association's aims.

Mo has a family business based in Gloucester, where he also gives up his time with local community football club Rising Stars FC.

Council

Errol Thompson

Errol has also been a football volunteer since 1979 and has been Club Secretary and latterly Treasurer of Bristol based Club, Lebeq since 1985. He has also been a member of the Bristol & District and Bristol Premier Combination League management committees. 

Errol has also been a football volunteer since 1979 and has been Club Secretary and latterly Treasurer of Bristol based Club, Lebeq since 1985. He has also been a member of the Bristol & District and Bristol Premier Combination League management committees. Errol was elected to the board in 2021.

Independent Non-Executive Director

Clive Rawlings

Clive has been one of the UK’s leading education/disability/public law barristers for over 25 years. For over 16 years, Clive was volunteer Chair of his local Youth Football Club Committee growing it from 8 to 27 teams in that time. Clive has returned to Cheltenham where he was a founding player of Cleeve Colts FC in 1972. He became a Trustee with the Cheltenham Trust in 2020 and is currently Chair of the Sport and Leisure Committee and Vice-Chair of the Governance Committee. Clive was elected to the board in 2021.

Independent Non-Executive Director

Hitesh Patel

Elected to the board in 2024, Hitesh represents the Inclusion Advisory Group of which he has been a member since 2018, and Chair since 2022. He has a unique perspective on the challenges faced by underrepresented communities, which fuels his dedication to breaking down barriers in all aspects of life, particularly in football.

Hitesh currently works as a Procurement and Contracts Manager, where he is responsible for overseeing procurement processes and managing contracts. He brings a wealth of experience from his previous role as a Senior Sourcing Manager for a Financial Services company who he had worked for over 25 years.

He currently coaches both mainstream and learning disability youth teams and is an FA-qualified referee.

Independent Non-Executive Director

Paul Ainslie

Paul brings a wealth of commercial experience as Head of Marketing for a leading FTSE100 financial services firm. He has worked across the Public, Private and NGO sectors including a stint within a County Sports Partnership responsible for government grant funding allocation, whilst also being a part of the organising committee of the London 2012 Olympics. Paul has been an active participant in grassroots football all his life and his two young children are now just embarking on that adventure.

Paul was elected to the board in 2024.