Carolyn Radford has previously opened up on the issues she has faced as serving as Mansfield’s CEO
Carolyn has made it her mission to put Mansfield back on the map(Image: Tim Merry)
Mansfield Town CEO Carolyn Radford will chalk off another milestone this weekend as her team will face Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round. Mansfield have defied the odds to reach the latter stages of the FA Cup after beating Premier League opposition in the form of Burnley.
They will now host top-flight leaders as they look to pull off a giant-killing. Carolyn, 44, has a background in business and sport and is one of six female chief executives across English football.
Carolyn took on the role of club boss in 2011, after her husband, John Radford, bought the club. She has presided over two promotions, a Wembley play-off final and English football’s fourth-longest-serving manager, Nigel Clough.
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The CEO also has three children with her husband. In 2018 she candidly admitted that she suffered vile abuse from fans when she first took the position at the League One side.
Trolls on social media were quick to decry her position as a “publicity stunt,” while she was also at the mercy of rampant misogyny and hurtful remarks.
READ MORE: Mansfield pitch to give Mikel Arteta selection headache as Arsenal face culture shockREAD MORE: FA Cup fifth round fixture dates, kick-off times and TV picks confirmed
“Attitudes need to change for football to move forward,” she said, as she shockingly discussed being branded a “bimbo” by other club executives.
“It has become an old boys’ club, most of them are dinosaurs with outdated views and the whole game needs a massive shake-up.
“If I go into a boardroom, a lot of the time I’ll be talking to other chairmen of other football clubs or other executives at a high level and they’ll choose to just smile if I say anything and talk to my husband.
Carolyn Radford has been Mansfield Town FC CEO since 2011(Image: JAMES RUDLAND)
Carolyn Radford has opened up on the abuse she has received (Image: JAMES RUDLAND)
“Why are they judging me because I wear make-up and have long blonde hair? It is so trivial. I tackle that by speaking out, calling them out and making sure I know more than any man in that room.
“I had horrendous abuse at first. I am either too pretty or too ugly. I’m either full of Botox or not had enough Botox. If we lose, it’s that I don’t know what I am doing. All sorts of horrible things.
“When I was first appointed the home fans were a little bit wary and I totally underestimated what it would be like. But now I think they can see how hard I’ve worked and what I’ve achieved. But I don’t get it from them.
“It’s away fans mainly. I sat there one game with my husband and was repeatedly called a ‘f*****g s**g’. No man would ever have to endure that. Why should I? Just because I dress like a female, it doesn’t make me a bimbo.”
Carolyn turned the club around as it began to make a profit, overturned its debts, and chased promotion. Under her watch, work has been underway to provide the club’s stadium with a new stand, padel courts, and bars and restaurants.
“I made it my mission to put it back on the map. We have a new training ground, a 3G pitch, a sports bar and gigs showing tribute pop acts. I’ve done a deal to get a new Hilton Hotel built in the stadium. All that has come from me,” she said.
Mansfield Town Football Club Chief Exec Carolyn Radford. Pictured with husband John Radford (Image: PAGE ONE PHOTOGRAPHY )
Speaking in 2025, Carolyn opened up about running Masfield with John, the CEO of One Call Insurance. “Sometimes it’s still a bit awkward, but we have come a long way in women’s football, in terms of our visibility in the game,” she said.
“For a husband-and-wife team maybe it’s a different dynamic. For us there’s no separation. Business and family are always combined, I’ve got a voice here and if things go wrong it’s always my fault.
“Mansfield is a close-knit community and I wanted to reflect that in our demographics on match days. You’ve got to be so careful when you are cultivating a football club because it matters to so many people. It’s brilliant to put them on the map”
Mansfield will entertain Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal on Saturday, March 7 at One Call Stadium. Kick-off is set for 12:15pm.
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