After leaving Oxford, Anson returned to the north-west of England to work for
Andersen Consulting, where he represented various clients, including
North West Water. While at Channel 4, Anson was heavily involved in the launch of its sister channel,
E4.
Manchester United In 2003, Anson was approached by his childhood football club, Manchester United, to become their new Commercial Director in the wake of
David Gill's promotion to chief executive, after
Peter Kenyon departed to
Chelsea.
Association of Tennis Professionals In March 2007, Anson became the new chief executive of the
Association of Tennis Professionals in Europe (ATP Europe), replacing the outgoing Horst Klosterkemper. He remained in the role for two and a half years. He also served as chairman of the
ATP Finals at
The O2 Arena in London and co-CEO of the
ATP Champions Tour, a tournament for former professional players.
England 2018 In 2008, Anson was named as the chief executive of England 2018 Ltd, the company behind
The Football Association's bid to host the
2018 FIFA World Cup. He began work in his new position on 1 January 2009 and remained in the position until the company dissolved in 2011 following the unsuccessful bid results. The
England 2018 bid received recognition as the best all round technical bid However, England lost out to Russia in a process beset by corruption, leading to Anson criticising
FIFA president
Sepp Blatter for influencing the members of the committee that voted on the World Cup hosts against the English bid.
Fanatics International (formerly Kitbag) After a short break, in the summer of 2011, Anson was appointed chief executive of sports retailer
Kitbag. In February 2016, following the successful turnaround of Kitbag, Anson oversaw the sale of the business to US market leader
Fanatics. He remained with the business for 12 months ensuring the successful transition.
Teneo On 1 March 2017, Anson was appointed global president of Teneo Sports, the sports arm of New York-based international C-suite advisory firm and investment banking platform
Teneo.
Goals Soccer Centres plc April 2018 saw Andy appointed as CEO of Goals Soccer Centres plc
Lancashire County Cricket Club Anson was appointed chair of Lancashire County Cricket Club in 2020 after the death of David Hodgkiss from COVID. Anson's appointment was ratified at the 2021 AGM. In 2024, Anson was re-elected to the Board for a further three-year term, but at a board meeting held on 7th July 2025 announced his intention to resign following that summer's England v India test at Old Trafford.
British Olympic Association Anson was appointed CEO of the British Olympic Association at a Board meeting in May 2019, before starting his role in November 2019. He had previously served as a non-executive director of the National Olympic Committee between 2011-2019. Anson announced his intention to step down as CEO in July 2025, to take up a new role with private equity business bd-capital. He left the British Olympic Association in October 2025.
Sportscape Group Anson joined Sportscape Group as CEO in November 2025. Sportscape Group is a European sports e-commerce business co-owned by private equity companies
Bridgepoint Group and bd-capital.
Non-executive directorships Anson has also served as a non-executive director of Belfast-based
UTV Media, the British Olympic Association and the Racecourse Media Group. He is currently a serving non-executive director of sports nutrition business Science in Sport,
Hertha BSC and
Red Star FC. == References ==