Wembley Stadium director Liam Boylan set to exit

Wembley Stadium director Liam Boylan has announced he is stepping down after nine years with the London venue.

Boylan, who joined the 90,000-cap national stadium from SJM Concerts in 2015, is yet to reveal his next destination, but describes it as “an amazing opportunity” he “simply could not turn down”.

“I am doing the unthinkable and leaving, what I believe is, the best stadium in the world,” he says in a post on LinkedIn. “I have had an amazing nine years under the arch and it was not an easy decision to leave. Unfortunately I cannot say where I am going at this time, but it goes without saying that my next role is an amazing opportunity and something I simply could not turn down and I cannot wait to start early in 2024.”

The English Football Association has begun advertising for Boylan’s successor, with a deadline of 10 October for the “high-profile leadership role”.

Boylan’s departure comes on the heels of a successful summer for the stadium, which attracted more than one million fans for events across music, sport and entertainment, including shows by Blur, Mötley Crüe & Def Leppard, Harry Styles and the Capital Summertime Ball.

“We have had some of the biggest stars of pop, rock, indie and new wave all perform here, and it’s been wonderful seeing such a diverse range of audiences”

In addition, The Weeknd smashed the venue’s ticket sales record for a concert with a traditional stage set-up after selling 87,000 tickets for his 18 August performance. The UK’s largest stadium, Wembley is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

“We have had some of the biggest stars of pop, rock, indie and new wave all perform here, and it’s been wonderful seeing such a diverse range of audiences,” says Boylan. “The screams at the Harry Styles’ concerts were some of the loudest I have ever heard, and we are still finding pink feathers in every nook and cranny of the stadium!

“The two Blur shows were epic. It was like the summer of Britpop all over again and those gigs will live long in the memory of everyone who saw them. We were also able to see history being made with the men’s and women’s rugby league Challenge Cup finals played here for the first time ever.”

The venue’s former music bookings chief, senior commercial manager James Taylor, also left last year to join ASM Global in the newly-created role of sales director for sports and alternative content for UK venues.

In 2024 Wembley Stadium will hold six nights of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour between 21 June and 17 August, and will also host the UEFA Champions’ League Final for a record eight time.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.