Lee Power
Encyclopedia
Lee Michael Power is a former professional footballer
and a former chairman of Cambridge United
. Despite being born in London
, his Irish
ancestry allowed him to be capped by Republic of Ireland
at Youth, Under-21 and B level. He played at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=164117/index.html.
, making his first team debut against Aston Villa
in April 1990, prior to turning professional in June the same year. His initial form was good enough to earn a call up to the Republic of Ireland Under-21 side and he went on to make a record number of appearances (13) for them.
Despite a promising start to his Norwich career, Power struggled to maintain a regular place in the first team, particularly with competition from the likes of Chris Sutton
and Efan Ekoku
. He requested a transfer and moved to Charlton Athletic
on loan in December 1992. Further loan spells with Sunderland
(in August 1993) and Portsmouth
(in October 1993) followed before a £200,000 move to Bradford City
in March 1994.
He scored on his Bradford debut, a 2–1 win at home to Swansea City
on March 12, 1994, but his progress was impeded by a virus which threatened his career.
In July 1995 he moved to Peterborough United
for a fee of £80,000, moving to Scottish Premier League
side Dundee
in December 1996. He scored twice on his Dundee debut, a 6–0 victory over East Fife
in the Scottish Cup
and his form soon attracted the attention of other clubs.
In March 1997, Power moved to Hibernian
, Hibs paying Dundee a combined fee of £200,000 for Power and his teammate Paul Tosh
. He was a regular for the remainder of the 1996–97 season, but lost his place when Alex McLeish
took over as manager and was allowed to join Ayr United
on a free transfer in March 1998 until the end of the season.
In July 1998, Power had a trial with Carlisle United
, playing in friendly against Rangers
, but joined Plymouth Argyle
later that month. He struggled to settle at Plymouth and in December 1998 joined Halifax Town
on loan, the move becoming permanent in January 1999.
His final footballing move, on the playing side, came in November 1999 when he joined Southern League
side Boston United
for a fee of £25,000. He also coached Boston, but left in January 2001. His early retirement from football coming at the relatively early age of 28, but not entirely surprising after two broken legs.
In May 2003, Power was part of a consortium aiming to take over Luton Town
. The proposed move was not well received by Luton fans, particularly as it involved sacking the popular manager Joe Kinnear
.
He subsequently joined the board at Cambridge United
and took over as chairman of the Conference National
side in August 2006. In September 2006 he acted as caretaker manager following the dismissal of Cambridge manager Rob Newman
and his assistant Tony Spearing
.
On the 22 January 2008, on the same night that Cambridge United beat Droylsdon 5–0, Power resigned as chairman of the club, citing personal differences with fellow board members as the chief reason. In April 2008, Power joined the board of Cambridge's Conference rivals Rushden and Diamonds.
Power is also a racehorse
owner.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and a former chairman of Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
. Despite being born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, his Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
ancestry allowed him to be capped by Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
at Youth, Under-21 and B level. He played at the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=164117/index.html.
Playing career
Power began his career as a trainee with Norwich CityNorwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, making his first team debut against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
in April 1990, prior to turning professional in June the same year. His initial form was good enough to earn a call up to the Republic of Ireland Under-21 side and he went on to make a record number of appearances (13) for them.
Despite a promising start to his Norwich career, Power struggled to maintain a regular place in the first team, particularly with competition from the likes of Chris Sutton
Chris Sutton
Christopher Roy "Chris" Sutton is an English football manager and former player.In his career, Sutton played for Norwich City, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Celtic, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. Sutton scored over 150 career goals in over 400 league appearances spanning 16 years in the English...
and Efan Ekoku
Efan Ekoku
Efangwu Goziem "Efan" Ekoku is an English-born Nigerian former footballer who played as a striker.- Playing career :...
. He requested a transfer and moved to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
on loan in December 1992. Further loan spells with Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
(in August 1993) and Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
(in October 1993) followed before a £200,000 move to Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
in March 1994.
He scored on his Bradford debut, a 2–1 win at home to Swansea City
Swansea City A.F.C.
Swansea City Association Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Swansea, Wales. One of the most successful clubs in Welsh football, it has won 10 Welsh Cups and led the English Football League First Division in December 1981, before finishing the season in 6th position...
on March 12, 1994, but his progress was impeded by a virus which threatened his career.
In July 1995 he moved to Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
for a fee of £80,000, moving to Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Dundee
Dundee F.C.
Dundee Football Club, founded in 1893, are a football club based in the city of Dundee, Scotland. They are nicknamed The Dee or The Dark Blues and play their home matches at Dens Park. Their shirt colour is dark blue. Dundee currently play in the Scottish First Division, having been relegated from...
in December 1996. He scored twice on his Dundee debut, a 6–0 victory over East Fife
East Fife F.C.
East Fife Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the Fife coastal town of Methil...
in the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
and his form soon attracted the attention of other clubs.
In March 1997, Power moved to Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
, Hibs paying Dundee a combined fee of £200,000 for Power and his teammate Paul Tosh
Paul Tosh
Paul Tosh is a Scottish association football player. He started his career with his local club Arbroath before a move in 1993 to Tayside neighbours Dundee who paid an Arbroath club record fee of £120,000 to take Paul to Dens Park.Following three years at Dens Park, he moved to Hibernian with Lee...
. He was a regular for the remainder of the 1996–97 season, but lost his place when Alex McLeish
Alex McLeish
Alexander "Alex" McLeish , is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager, who is currently managing English Premier League club Aston Villa...
took over as manager and was allowed to join Ayr United
Ayr United F.C.
Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...
on a free transfer in March 1998 until the end of the season.
In July 1998, Power had a trial with Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, playing in friendly against Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, but joined Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
later that month. He struggled to settle at Plymouth and in December 1998 joined Halifax Town
Halifax Town A.F.C.
Halifax Town Association Football Club were an English football team who most recently played in the Conference National, although prior to that they participated in the Football League for over eighty years...
on loan, the move becoming permanent in January 1999.
His final footballing move, on the playing side, came in November 1999 when he joined Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
side Boston United
Boston United F.C.
Boston United Football Club are an association football club based in Boston, Lincolnshire, England. They currently play in the Conference North. The club is known as 'the Pilgrims' in reference to the Pilgrim Fathers, who fled from Boston to the USA and founded Boston, Massachusetts. The club's...
for a fee of £25,000. He also coached Boston, but left in January 2001. His early retirement from football coming at the relatively early age of 28, but not entirely surprising after two broken legs.
Post-playing career
Power worked as a football agent, before joining forces with Lenny Drake and setting up the sports publishing company CRE8.In May 2003, Power was part of a consortium aiming to take over Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
. The proposed move was not well received by Luton fans, particularly as it involved sacking the popular manager Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....
.
He subsequently joined the board at Cambridge United
Cambridge United F.C.
Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing the 2011-2012 season in the Conference National, the fifth tier of the English league system, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League...
and took over as chairman of the Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
side in August 2006. In September 2006 he acted as caretaker manager following the dismissal of Cambridge manager Rob Newman
Rob Newman (footballer)
Robert "Rob" Newman is an English football coach and former player.-Career:Newman signed for Bristol City as an apprentice in October 1981 and played 483 games for the club, serving as club captain before being sold to Norwich City for £600,000 in 1991...
and his assistant Tony Spearing
Tony Spearing
Tony Spearing is a former professional footballer.A former assistant manager to Rob Newman at Cambridge United, Spearing is currently Head of European Recruitment for West Bromwich Albion.-Playing career:...
.
On the 22 January 2008, on the same night that Cambridge United beat Droylsdon 5–0, Power resigned as chairman of the club, citing personal differences with fellow board members as the chief reason. In April 2008, Power joined the board of Cambridge's Conference rivals Rushden and Diamonds.
Power is also a racehorse
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
owner.