Phil Gartside

Phil Gartside
Gartside pictured in 2008
Born	Philip Andrew Gartside 27 April 1952 Leigh, England
Died	10 February 2016(2016-02-10) (aged 63) Cheshire, England
Occupation	Chairman of Bolton Wanderers FA board member
Years active	1999–2015

Philip Andrew "Phil" Gartside (27 April 1952 – 10 February 2016) was an English businessman who was chairman of Bolton Wanderers Football Club.

Gartside was born in 1952 at Leigh, England. He joined the board of Bolton in April 1989, having been a fan of the club since his days as a pupil at Leigh Grammar School.

He became chairman of Wanderers in October 1999 at the same time Sam Allardyce was appointed as manager. While Gartside was chairman, the club gained promotion to the Premier League and reached the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history. He was unable to hold on to Sam Allardyce, allowing him to resign (only to be appointed manager of Newcastle United weeks later). Bolton were relegated to the Championship in 2012.

He oversaw a number of high-profile arrivals to the playing staff at the club, including Nicolas Anelka, Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha, Fernando Hierro and Iván Campo. He was a prominent football administrator, a Football Association Board Member and an executive director of the new Wembley Stadium.

On 23 April 2009, Gartside proposed a plan to his fellow Premier League chairmen about splitting the Premier League into two divisions of eighteen teams in each and allowing Scottish Premier League clubs Celtic and Rangers to join.UEFA have said they will not veto the proposed move.

In early December 2015 it was reported that he was gravely ill and his family requested privacy. He died on 10 February 2016 at his home in Cheshire at the age of 63.