James started work at Sheffield & Hallamshire FA in 1992 where he was promoted to the position of Chief Executive Officer from September 2000 until leaving the organisation in June 2012. He transformed the organisation as it moved from solely governance to developing and promoting the opportunities of grassroots football in the community.
He formed Onside Sports in August 2012 as he wanted to combine his personal & professional experience in sport to deliver successful projects and use the power of sport to affect people’s lives for good. Onside Sports offered business & sport solutions to a wide range of commercial, not-for-profit and charitable organisations within and around the world of sport.
From September 2015, James was appointed as CEO of Skateboard England. Due a re-structure in the sport, he has been the CEO of Skateboard GB since November 2017. This role initially focused on setting up the structures and systems to support growth of the sport in the UK and prepare for skateboarding’s first Olympic inclusion in Tokyo 2020. The organisation has seen significant growth in the last few years as funding has been secured. During this time James has been a member of the World Skateboarding Commission, and has a remit within the international federation for leading on adaptive-skateboarding.
