Championship · Championship · Est. 1881 · Vicarage Road
Watford Football Club
Current Leadership
Owner
Italian businessman Gino Pozzo, son of Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo, acquired Watford in 2012 and has run the club using a network model that links scouting and player development across the Pozzo family's football interests. His ownership has delivered multiple Premier League promotions and an FA Cup final, but is also defined by extraordinary managerial turnover - over a dozen managers in just over a decade. The Pozzo model prioritises results and data-driven decisions over managerial continuity.
Manager
| Name | Position | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Cleverley | Manager | 2024 |
Coaching Staff
| Name | Position | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Danny Webber | Assistant Manager | 2024 |
| Ashley Bayes | Goalkeeping Coach | 2022 |
Historical Figures
Former Chairman & Lifetime President
Pop superstar and lifelong Watford fan Sir Elton John first became chairman in 1976, bankrolling the Graham Taylor revolution that took the club from the Fourth Division to the First. He sold the club in 1987 but returned as chairman in 1997, helping to fund another promotion before stepping back in 2002. John remains the club's honorary life president and the most famous supporter in Watford's history.
Former Owner
Laurence Bassini owned Watford briefly before selling to the Pozzo family in 2012. His tenure was marked by financial difficulties and controversy, and the sale to the Pozzos was widely welcomed by supporters as a more stable and ambitious ownership model.