Mark Palios
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Markos Palios | ||
| Date of birth | 9 November 1952 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1980 | Tranmere Rovers | 190 | (25) |
| 1980–1983 | Crewe Alexandra | 118 | (23) |
| 1983–1985 | Tranmere Rovers | 59 | (7) |
| – | Bangor City | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Mark Palios (born 9 November 1952 in Liverpool) is an English chartered accountant, onetime Licensed Insolvency Practitioner, football administrator and former professional footballer of Greek descent. He studied Psychology at Manchester University. In August 2014 it was announced that he and his wife Nicola were taking ownership of Tranmere Rovers F.C., where he had once been a player.
Palios played in the Football League as a midfielder for Tranmere Rovers for 9 years and Crewe Alexandra for 3 years,. In the latter part of his career he played as captain in the European Cup-Winners' Cup for Welsh club Bangor City. In total he made over 400 League appearances and continued playing non-league football for many years after his professional retirement. Whilst playing in a friendly amateur game in 2001 Palios was elbowed in the chest and suffered a double cardiac arrest, but recovered and went on to resume playing football until the age of 58.
Unusually for a footballer, Palios was permitted by his clubs to pursue a career as an accountant, whilst remaining a professional player. He developed a successful career as a chartered accountant with Arthur Young and ultimately became a senior partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, specialising in business turnaround. In 2003 he was voted Turnaround Financier of the Year by the Turnaround Finance Group, and given a Lifetime Achievement Award. He then changed direction, resigning from PwC to become the Football Association's Chief Executive in July 2003, where he sought to apply his business skills in the field of sports governance. One of his priority tasks was to stabilise The FA's perilous financial situation, by resolving the financing of the Wembley Stadium project. He saved The FA from having to borrow a further $230 million, which would have put the whole organisation into financial jeopardy. Other successes at The FA included the successful overhaul of the disciplinary process, which resulted in speedier hearings and lower costs. Palios was not frightened to take tough decisions including a decision to ban Rio Ferdinand from the England team to play against Turkey in a crucial European Championship qualifier in 2004, for failing to take a drugs test despite widespread pressure from the remainder of the team, who threatened to go on strike but ultimately backed down.
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