Terry Harrop

Vice-Chair

Gary Cliffe

Independent - Board Safeguarding Champion

Gary is currently the Head of Safeguarding at Port Vale Football Club having recently retired as a Detective Constable. He has over 22 years experience in serious and complex crime departments, most recently working in child and adult protection.

Gary has a number of experiences relating to Safeguarding that include being a member of The FA Survivor Support Safeguarding Advisory Group; holding the FA to account and working on initiatives for best practice and support for victims of abuse across football.

As a keen supporter of grassroots to professional football, Gary has always had a passion for working to ensure that children and vulnerable persons can enjoy football in a safe environment without fear of being abused in any way.

Colin Garlick

Football Administration - Leagues

Colin has been a key member of Cheshire FA through his role on Council from 1997-2024, and from 2018, he has had the privilege of representing the County on the National FA Council. 
 
Colin has 23 years of experience in the dairy industry working in retail and wholesale distribution; he progressed through the management structure to head some of the largest distribution depots in the Greater Manchester Area.

Having played and refereed in local grassroots football, Colin moved into the administration side of the game initially operating at district and county level. In 1993, he became Club Secretary of his hometown club, Macclesfield Town, and in 2000 he became their first Chief Executive/Secretary.

During his career, Colin has also held the role of Chief Executive/Secretary at both AFC Rochdale and Port Vale while both clubs moved between Leagues 1 and 2; his involvement in the professional game with these clubs spanned 23 years.

Throughout his career, Colin has had a wide range of experiences in business, as well as in grassroots and professional football having have served on numerous boards, committees, and working groups covering finance, fixtures, competitions, discipline, and governance. Prudent financial management has always been important to Colin, and key to the success that he has enjoyed. 

Colin recognises the impact that football can have on all stakeholders; he has always initiated a strong relationship with supporter’s groups as well as having an active role in the Community Trusts at the clubs where he has been employed. Colin has always tried to ensure his clubs fulfil their social responsibilities, and that the power of football serves the widest community possible.

In 2023, Colin became an FA Club Consultant working on the Club Accreditation Programme with clubs at steps 4 & 5 of the National League System.  He is also advising Salford City and currently has their Club Secretary responsibilities.

Colin has had a wide and varied experience in football as a player, referee, and administrator and has enjoyed every moment. Colin is still enjoying his football journey, and is particularly looking forward to ensuring the continued growth and development of Football for All in the County of Cheshire.

Sean Humphreys

Senior Independent

Suzie Li

Independent - HR

Suzie Li is a seasoned HR professional, psychotherapist, and transformative coach. She brings a wealth of experience from her leadership roles at renowned organisations such as Oxford HR Consultants, the African Development Bank, The World Bank Group, and the International Finance Corporation. Her career has been marked by strategic HR transformations across multiple continents, where she restructured departments to enhance employee engagement, compliance, and diversity. 
 
Suzie has led initiatives to improve recruitment efficiency by increasing diverse hiring through implementing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles. She is adept at coaching, therapeutic support, and psychometric assessments, which have been integral in guiding hiring processes and improving team dynamics. Suzie's hands-on experience with global recruitment, HR technology implementation, and HRBP model transformation has driven measurable improvements in organisational performance. 
 
Her qualifications include a Master's in Human Resources Management from Middlesex University, a Diploma in Transformative Coaching, and a Degree in Counselling for Counselling. With a focus on continuous improvement and strategic leadership, Suzie is committed to fostering inclusive cultures and enhancing organisational capabilities, aligning closely with Cheshire FA's mission of developing grassroots football sustainably.

David Mansfield

Finance

David has served the Cheshire County Football Association as a main board director responsible for finance since 2005. 

He has been involved in grassroots football for over 50 years, as a player, a referee and in the administration of the game at both District and County level.

David's major contributions to in football have been as a referee where he refereed at National League level and also officiated at Football League level. His early roles in football administration were as Treasurer and Secretary of the Macclesfield & District Sunday League, later holding the same roles for the District Football Association. David is proud to have been associated with the Manchester International Football Tournament since its inception, and has served as its fixtures secretary for over 30 years.

In his business life, David is a qualified accountant and have worked for the same company for over 45 years. When he first joined the company it was as an employed accountant, in 2000, David became a Partner and Director of the company as well as taking over the role as Company Secretary, positions which he still holds. During his time with the company, he has navigated the business through some difficult times, which included the Covid pandemic.

David's day to day business activities compliment his main responsibilities with his role as Finance Director at Cheshire FA. He prides himself on always understanding the objectives of the businesses where he has a financial responsibility and ensuring that these objectives are met, and targets and budgets are also achieved. 

David believes that teamwork is as important off the field as it is on the field. It is a privilege to be a Director of Cheshire FA and it is also a privilege to be a part of the team that has the overall responsibility for governing football in the County and David is committed to playing his part.

Mel Pomfret

Football Administration - Volunteers

Mel's career was in local government, mainly as an education administrator for Cheshire County Council until his early retirement as Area Education Manager for the Macclesfield District in 1994.

Following this, Mel then worked for one year in the Cheshire FA office as an administrative assistant followed by a part time role in the Social Services Department of Stockport Borough Council until 2022.

Mel's involvement with grassroots football began in 1966 as Secretary of Woodbury Lads playing in the Stockport District Sunday League. In the early 1970s, he joined the League's Management Committee serving as Treasurer, then Secretary and finally as Chairman.

In 1982, Mel was elected as Secretary of Stockport District FA, and also became the District's representative on the Council of Cheshire FA. On the County's incorporation as a Limited Company, he became a Director on the Board. For three years, Mel was also Chairman of the County Discipline Committee.

In 2016, Mel received a long service award from the FA in recognition of 50 years' service to grassroots football, which was a highlight of his football career.

Mel's professional qualification is an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (ACIS).

Laura Pudvine

Independent - Health & Wellbeing

After graduating from the University of Chester with a Masters in Sociology of Sport and Exercise, Laura started her career in Welfare to Work where she supported people of all ages transition into education, employment and training.

Subsequently, Laura has worked in the charity sector, leading and delivering youth programmes whilst engaging with young people to develop work related skills, provide access to training, and secure sustainable employment and accommodation.    

In 2019, Laura progressed into her first managerial role where she gained substantial experience in the health and wellbeing sector, becoming an advocate for both our employees and service users. Laura also organised and developed the delivery of a range of projects with the aim of getting residents leading a healthier lifestyle. 

More recently, Laura has worked for the NHS as a Workforce Planning Manager, where she led on the development of strategies to ensure appropriate levels of staff were available to deliver safe, high-quality care to patients. 

Laura currently works in Commissioning for a Local Authority, where she leads and manages commissioning projects, including the procurement, mobilisation and management of contracts within the ageing well portfolio.   

During her spare time, Laura enjoys volunteering for her son’s football club, walking with her dog, and visiting the beautiful beaches of Anglesey.