Chair & CEO

Barry Hunter

Barry is a leading strategic and operating professional from the sports and leisure sector. His formative management years were founded at Boots PLC, British Airways, and HJ Heinz before a 10-year career at Adidas UK as Head of Football, Rugby, Running and Tennis, before becoming UK Marketing Director. Barry became Managing Director of the Benelux and UK countries and was a member of the European Strategic Group.

Most recently Barry has developed and built businesses in the Recreational sport sector, the basis upon which WePlay Football was founded.

Barry is a rare business professional whose experience spans start-ups, turnarounds, challenger brands and established household brands. He is equipped with an array of leadership tools to address most strategic, commercial, or operating challenge.

Chief Commercial Officer

Steve Bennett

Steve is a senior commercial and operating professional from the multi-site leisure sector.

He began his career in operational and general management for First Leisure PLC spanning both family entertainment centres and premium health and fitness clubs, including General Manager of The Royal Berkshire Health Fitness and Racquets Club, the flagship of Esporta Health Club Group.

With this strong operational foundation, Steve joined the Sports & Leisure Group, a national multi-site leisure company in Health and Fitness Clubs and Recreational 5-a-side Football Centres. As Partnership Director, Steve led the roll out of the leisure estate, working with new venue partners to secure tenure, optimise scheme design, drive community use and maximise revenue. Steve was a key driver of the first managed Services partnership with GLL, the UK’s largest Public Sector Leisure Company, which remains a key partner of We Play Football today.

Steve is a board Director of We Play Football overseeing operational and commercial delivery and is our lead in identifying and establishing venue partnerships to support the companies UK roll out.

Chief Financial Officer

Stuart MacDonald

Stuart is a Fellow Chartered Accountant. He qualified with KPMG and has enjoyed a 30 year career in financial management and planning spanning both corporate and private sectors. Stuart moved to Boots where he held several finance management roles, including special development projects such as also opening health clubs and well-being centres. He has extensive international experience having managed a retention software company that supplied the leisure sector throughout Europe and, worked in Hong Kong and Australia for three and fourteen years respectively.

Chief Technology Officer

Donald Smith

Donald is a senior technology professional working in the small-sided football and multi-site leisure sector for over 20 years. His early career was in technical service provision to enterprises of all sizes including several blue-chip and public sector customers. In 1998 Donald joined Anchor International Limited, the original founders of small-sided football as we know it today, in the position of IT Manager. Donald most recently, completed a 16-year tenure as Head of Information Technology for the Sports and Leisure Group Ltd.

Operations Director

Paul Smith

Paul started his career in sports media sales transitioning into leisure operations including a 10 year stay at GLL the UK’s largest leisure operator. Stepping away from day to day operations Paul lead a national remit working with sporting partners to roll out large scale participation programmes across 250 facilities in the UK. A Prince 2 qualified project manager he combines his experience and skills at WPF to drive and execute a culture of change focusing on how we deliver recreational sport to the consumer. Increasing overall usage, maximising the duration of stay, and centring our product delivery to meet the demand of the modern day customer.

Digital Director

Gary Elliott

Gary is our digital lead, having 20 years experience in digital strategy and consultancy roles with award-winning marketing agencies and some of the world's largest technology brands. He has lead digital transformation projects and fully integrated performance marketing campaigns on behalf of clients globally.