At a meeting of The FA Council today, Lord Triesman was formally confirmed as Chairman of The Football Association, with Geoff Thompson standing down after nine years.

Lord Triesman began his role as The FA’s first independent Chairman on 1 February, initially at Board level, and today he assumed the full responsibilities as Chairman of The FA Council.

Geoff Thompson was elected to The FA Council in 1979 and spent 12 years as Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. He was voted onto its Executive Committee in 1989 and was elected FA Chairman ten years later.

During his tenure as Chairman he has been involved in the restructuring of The FA in 1999, which saw the introduction of The FA Board, and then in 2007 with a revamped Board, expanded Council and semi-autonomous Football Regulatory Authority. The trust and respect in which he is held throughout the game was the key in getting the reforms approved.

In recent years, he saw the opening of the new Wembley Stadium, the securing of TV deals worth over £550 million, and a commitment to progressing the National Football Centre from concept to reality.