Sullivan in the スポットライト as West Ham 準備する for Wembley showpiece
Jack Sullivan was 14 when he first asked his mother if they could buy the West Ham ladies team.
Dubbed ‘Britain’s Youngest Football Boss’ by a BBC 文書の, Sullivan, now 19, became the managing director of West Ham 部隊d Women in 2017.
The teenage son of 億万長者 West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has had to grow up quickly, 新採用するing an entire new squad last summer as the club turned professional and entered the Women’s 最高の League.
Under 経営者／支配人 Matt 耐えるd the 大打撃を与えるs have not only 安全な・保証するd a comfortable 中央の-（米）棚上げする／（英）提議する finish, they have also reached a first-ever Women’s FA Cup final, to the delight of Sullivan ? and the 文書の-製造者s.
Sullivan, who worked at the club in さまざまな 役割s from 法人組織の／企業の sales to the ticket office since leaving school, said: “I’ve always been やめる driven, if I’ve 手配中の，お尋ね者 to do something I go and do it. But I do think I’ve 円熟したd a lot.
“It’s been an 利益／興味ing year, all the way 支援する from the summer where we brought in 16 new players.
Jack Sullivan, left, takes West Ham Women to Wembley on Saturday (Nick Potts/PA)
“When the FA gave us the green light to come into the 最高の，を越す 分割 we were over the moon.
“We 手配中の，お尋ね者 to get more eyeballs on women’s football and we hope we’ve done that. And in getting to the final hopefully the FA can say they made the 権利 決定／判定勝ち（する）.”
In the past some 飛行機で行く-on-the-塀で囲む football 文書のs have not painted their 支配するs in a 特に good light.
“It was a 賭事,” Sullivan 収容する／認めるs. “But the 賭事 paid off.
“We’re on BBC1 every Saturday night after Match of the Day and the 見解（をとる）ing 人物／姿／数字s for that have been 1.3 million, which the BBC have been 絶対 over the moon with.
“支持者s from all over are 説 how brilliant it’s been to have that 肉親，親類d of 接近 into women’s football. We believed in what we were doing. If what you’re doing is good, it’s not a problem.”
West Ham have developed a s tructured pathway for aspiring young women to go from grassroots football to their 学院.
Such has been the 殺到する in 利益／興味 that some fans are planning to leave the men’s match against Southampton on Saturday at half-time ーするために get across London and support the women at Wembley.
But West Ham are big underdogs, 直面するing a Manchester City 味方する unbeaten 国内で all season and who thrashed them 7-1 in October.
A 敗北・負かす would not take the 向こうずね off their 業績／成就s this season, though.
“It’s the biggest game in women’s club football, they’re 推定する／予想するing 50,000 people there,” said Sullivan.
“So it’s an incredible way to cap off the year, and the 文書の team are 絶対 thrilled because they’ll have a fantastic ending.”
As for any 地位，任命する-match 祝賀s, Sullivan borrowed a phrase coined by former 経営者／支配人 Harry Redknapp from his playing days at the club:?“As they used to say here ? 勝利，勝つ or lose, on the booze!”
