Wembley Stadium appoints Paul Smyth as General Manager

Wembley Stadium head of event operations Paul Smyth has been promoted to the role of general manager at the 90,000-capacity venue.

Smyth, who started at Wembley Stadium as sports head of ticketing in 2011, will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of events at the stadium, in addition to managing day-to-day operations.

Smyth has worked with Wembley Stadium owner the Football Association since 2005. His recent work includes introducing two sensory rooms and British Sign Language (BSL) at the venue.

Smyth’s promotion coincides with the departure of stadium director Liam Boylan, who, after nine  years, is understood to be embarking on a new venture in the music industry next year.

The FA said Chris Bryant, the current director of tournaments & events, will serve as the interim stadium director while the search for Boylan’s successor is underway.

On the back of the stadium having its busiest year on record with a collective attendance of 2.6 million across 35 major events in 2022, this year has seen the celebration of Wembley Stadium’s 100^th anniversary. More than one million people visited the  North London stadium this summer, across 13 events including concerts by The Weeknd, Harry Styles and Blur along with AEW’s All-In wrestling show. Forthcoming events include eight shows by Taylor Swift starting on 21 June.