SIMON Jones, Woking’s head of food and beverage, has revealed how an unexpected phone call presented him with an opportunity he could not resist. 

Jones, who has a master’s degree in business administration and more than 15 years of experience in hospitality, told the News & Mail about a career move that came about while he was running an empty office during the COVID-19 lockdown last year.

He said: “I was working in an office which was shut and [the job was] very unfulfilling, when I received a call from a recruiter who told me about Woking Football Club.” 

With his interest piqued, Jones met the club’s chief executive John Katz, who explained the Cards’ vision.

 “I thought ‘We can absolutely do something here’,” said Jones.

He joined the club at the beginning of the 2021-22 season, and his initial remit was to restructure their food and beverage operation and improve the matchday experience. 

Jones said: “It was the first time we’d ever done the catering ourselves at Woking. It was all done externally before. So they asked me to come in and bring everything in-house.

“The first few months were spent getting the matchday sorted and making sure we had everything we needed.

“And off the back of COVID-19, throughout that season there was a lot of supply-chain issues, social distancing, people needing time off work and disruption to the football schedule, which meant it was a challenge trying to get it off the ground.”

For the full story, see the 8 December issue of the News & Mail.