Tony Bloom

Tony Bloom

Anthony Grant "Tony" Bloom (born 1970) is a football club chairman and successful poker player.

Football chairman

Since 2009 Bloom has been the chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, who on 17th April 2017 secured promotion to the Premier League after 34 years out of the top flight of English football. He succeeded Dick Knight after securing a 75% shareholding in the club and investing £93 million in the development of the club's new ground, the American Express Community Stadium at Falmer.

Upon taking over the club, Bloom declared his love of the game, "I've been a football fan and a gambler since the age of about seven or eight. My interest in both developed at the same time." Bloom is a longtime fan of Brighton and his family has had a long association with the club: his uncle Ray is a director and his grandfather, Harry, was vice-chairman during the 1970s. On becoming chairman Bloom appointed former Uruguay international Gus Poyet as manager, and together they led the team to promotion from Football League One as champions in 2011. Poyet left the club in 2013 after losing the play-off semi-final to Crystal Palace. In June 2013, Bloom appointed Óscar García as the new head coach of the club; Garcia resigned after losing the play-off semi-final to Derby County and left the club in May 2014. The next manager was former Liverpool player Sami Hyypiä, and the club is currently managed by Chris Hughton.

External links

• Hendon Mob tournament results
• World Poker Tour Profile
• Jewish Chronicle feature