Matt Houghton: From Football MBA to Tranmere Rovers

Posted on: 23 September 2025 in Where are they now?

Picture Credit - Tony Coombes, Tranmere Rovers Football Club

Matt Houghton tells us about his role at Tranmere Rovers, shares advice for students and reveals the best football match he’s ever watched.

What was your first role in the football industry and how did you break into the field?

Before enrolling on the FIMBA programme, I was employed as a producer working on various football/sport radio talk shows. Whilst this role wasn't strictly in the football industry, it involved daily interactions and collaboration with domestic and international footballers and ex managers, as well as journalists and other stakeholders working in the game. During the Covid pandemic, the radio station ceased broadcasting and I enrolled on the FIMBA course. I quickly gained employment as a Commercial Executive at Wigan Athletic Football Club during my studies and helped launch two initiatives winning the 'Best Fan Engagement by a Club' at the Football Business Awards and the 'Fan Engagement Award' at the Sports Industry Awards. After a successful year which saw the Club win League One and gain promotion to the Championship, I moved to Tranmere Rovers to be part of the Senior Management Team.

How has your career path evolved since studying on the FIMBA programme - any unexpected turns or opportunities?

My career has evolved quite quickly since studying on the FIMBA programme. From my role as a Commercial Executive at Wigan, I moved to Tranmere Rovers to take up the position of Senior Community Manager. Naturally, a lower league professional club has fewer resources than Championship and Premier League clubs, so there was multiple opportunities to work across various departments and lead on a broad range of projects. I was then made Head of Business Development and Community which involved managing club facilities as well as the commercial department and my job role has recently been refined to Head of Commercial and Communications. I'm now responsible for managing the Club's commercial operations and performance and overseeing the communications department. I'm also the Club's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead and Fan Engagement Officer, demonstrating the broad nature of responsibilities I have.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

It sounds cliché but no two days in football are the same. Each day, I'll have a written 'To Do' list, but that can quickly go out of the window before I've even arrived at the stadium given the 24/7 nature of the industry. It's important to have a plan of what you need to achieve each day but also have the flexibility to change those plans if needed. Within the space of a day, I could be responding to emails, talking to potential sponsors about commercial opportunities, working on longer-term club strategies or contributing to Senior Management Team meetings with the club owner. Every task in some way contributes to us being 'matchday ready' and in a position to welcome our loyal supporters and commercial partners to Prenton Park.

Which aspects of your university experience helped prepare you for the unique challenges of working in football?

The FIMBA programme complimented the knowledge, skills and experience I'd gained from my previous employment whilst also opening up further opportunities to network with industry professionals. The guest speaker series offered great insight to the realities of working in the industry and the finance modules were really important, as almost every aspect of my role requires me to make decisions based on financial analysis. My final project was a piece of research looking at 'The Role and Recruitment of the Sporting Director.' I spoke to club owners, CEOs, sporting directors and Directors of Football about their roles and how they're recruited by clubs and this helped build relationships with people in the game. One club manager that I've worked with was really interested in my research and asked to read it, which showed a real openness from some for knowledge exchange that could enhance their work.

What trends or changes in the football industry are impacting your role/ club?

The recent success of Wrexham AFC has given the English Football League (EFL) global recognition and piqued the interest of both sports fans and investors from across The Atlantic. There's been multiple clubs in the EFL that have received American investment recently and the likes of Wrexham, Birmingham City and Swansea City have all seen an added element of celebrity involvement, so that's definitely a trend that's gathering momentum within the game. The EFL/CBS Sport deal is a great opportunity for all EFL clubs to try and engage with international fans too and the exposure that the game is getting in the US is a change from where the industry was a few years ago.

Like many industries, AI is becoming unavoidable and there's huge potential for clubs to use AI in various ways whilst still maintaining an authentic voice when engaging with supporters and partners. I've used AI tools for various aspects of my role and the implementation of AI is something I imagine will become more common.

Finally, the business and financial side of the game has gained lots of traction over the last few years and almost every football pundit on TV and radio and journalists will delve deep into the game's finances. Similarly, fans are becoming more interested in the financial side of the game too and it's imperative for anyone working in football to understand how their role contributes to generating revenues and how they contribute to the club's Salary Cost Management Protocols (SCMP) or profit and sustainability rules (PSR) calculations. Everyone has to be aware of regulation changes and how they affect the department they're working in and their role.

What advice would you give to recent graduates hoping to build their career in football, especially in such a competitive environment?

Football is a relatively small industry and relationship building is key to forging a successful career. Of course, you've got to have the skills and competencies to do the job, but I'd advise graduates to attend networking events if possible, see if you can either volunteer or intern at a club whilst you're studying or upon graduating and be open to any learning opportunities. I'm in my car for a couple of hours every day and I'll listen to football business and finance podcasts to stay informed but also for inspiration for ideas to implement in my role. I'd also advise graduates to ask questions too. I make a point of asking colleagues lots of questions about their departments and why they do things the way they do.

Coming from outside the football industry gave me a different perspective on how the football industry works and that can bring added value to problem solving and strategising.

And the best football match you have ever watched?

I'm a Tranmere Rovers fan and have watched football for over thirty years and seen so many great games, but the one that immediately comes to mind is the National League Play-off Final in 2018. Boreham Wood vs Tranmere Rovers at Wembley with the prize being a place in the English Football League (EFL). Tranmere had been out of the EFL for three years and within the first minute of the game we were reduced to 10 men after one of our defenders was shown a red card. We went 1-0 up, then Boreham Wood levelled before we scored the winner in the 80th minute. The feeling was more relief than happiness but it got us back to the football league.

Thank you to Matt for sharing his career journey so far.

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Keywords: Where are they now?.