David
Sharpe (born c. 1992) is a football club chairman with Wigan
Athletic.
Sharpe who was educated at Shrewsbury School is the
grandson of former chairman Dave Whelan and was appointed as Chairman
on his grandfather's resignation in March 2015. At age 23, he became one of the
world's youngest football bosses
His
grandfather. Dave Whelan's dream of retiring and placing his grandson in charge
of Wigan came true on Tuesday when David Sharpe was formally introduced as the
club's new chairman.
The
23-year-old has a big job ahead of him with the Latics languishing in the
Championship's bottom three after relegation from the Premier League in 2013.
Here. Sportsmail takes
a closer look at the man tasked with reviving Wigan's fortunes. One day my
(grand)son this will all be yours
Whelan
identified Sharpe as a successor as long ago as 2011. According to a club
insider he intensified his efforts to show him the ropes in the last 12
months.
Sharpe's
all access pass, however, did not go down well with everyone. One former
employee quipped: 'He was turning up in places you would not expect to see the
chairman himself, let alone his grandson.'
A Sharpe
cookie:
Sharpe,
23, attended Oxford Brookes University, failed to finish his studies - but has
since impressed his granddad with his business acumen.
Whelan
clearly feels comfortable with handing over the reins despite Sharpe's tender
years and has often been heard singing his praises.
While
most of us dread Christmas presents from the grandparents, Sharpe has no such
issues.
No for
him white socks or beige knitted jumpers. On December 24 last year Sharpe
unwrapped a gift most could only dream of - a place on the board at a
Championship football club.
