The tragic final moments of Basford United chairman Jamie Brough were revealed as an inquest into his death concluded at Nottingham Coroner's Court on Wednesday (July 20). Mr Brough, who was 45 and lived in Hucknall at the time of his death, died on May 1 2022 while on holiday in Santa Cruz in Tenerife, Spain with his wife.
Mr Brough who died just three days after his appointment to run the non-league club. Mr Brough was appointed as chairman of the football club and director of Basford United Limited on April 28.
In the morning of the day of his death, Mr Brough went for a walk before having lunch at 1.30pm. He'd started to drink alcohol at around 3.30pm, and went exploring on the first day of his holiday, before returning around 6.30pm that evening.
But later that evening, he was found dead. His death was determined to be because of asphyxia following a post-mortem carried out in Tenerife after enquiries were made to the Home Office.
READ MORE: Heartbreak as 'devoted' Basford United chairman Jamie Brough dies 3 days after his appointment
A toxicology report was not available, and Assistant Coroner Gordon Clow said because of this he could not be sure if Mr Brough was under the influence of alcohol. Mr Brough's wife was asked about her late husband, and said that he was "normal" and there was "nothing out of the ordinary" before the tragic event.
Mr Brough's GP issued a report shortly after his death to say that no mental health issues were disclosed, but that he had a history of gout. He was suffering with this before his holiday, and attended his GP on April 29, two days before his death.
But Mr Brough's GP said there were no other concerns that were discussed. With all this taken into account, including what Mr Clow described as a "lack of evidence", the Assistant Coroner said it was "not possible" to reach any other verdict than a narrative one.
Mr Clow offered his sincere condolences to Mr Brough's family who were in attendance. And Chris Munroe, owner of Basford United, said the club will be supporting the family as it already has done for as long as they need it.
Mr Munroe said: "We were all so shocked and saddened at what happened. We even spoke over the weekend and it came as a complete shock, it was very sad.
"Jamie was a very focused and determined individual, he wanted to take the club forward and I was looking forward to working with him on that. He was a nice guy and had a good persona, everyone liked him.
"Jamie had a good business head on him, and I like the way he thought things through. He was a really good fit for us.
"The clubs thoughts will always be with his family and friends. We will try and support them as much as we can and this will be ongoing into the future."
The position of chairman has been left vacant in Mr Brough's memory for the 2022/23 season. Mr Brough was also the founder and driving force behind Sports Gateway, which ran football academies with Notts County and Alfreton Town, and he led charity initiatives through this such as providing meals for families struggling to make ends meet during school holidays and raising money for other sports clubs.
Shortly after his death, in a statement, Sports Gateway said: "Mr Jamie Brough had been working in sports for over 20 years and was passionate about making sports accessible for all to improve opportunities and outcomes for young people in Hucknall and the wider area. He leaves behind his wife and three children.
"Jamie was devoted to Sports Gateway, the staff and students, and saw them as an extension of his family. He will always be remembered for his tireless efforts and passion to make Sports Gateway a place where students can excel in sports and education.
"Jamie’s passion was to create an inclusive, enjoyable and inspiring environment, where all students are welcomed, encouraged and supported to be the best version of themselves. Jamie has developed an incredible and capable staff team at Sports Gateway.
"This team are committed to ensuring the students are supported through this difficult time and are dedicated to continuing with Jamie’s vision and ethos for Sports Gateway. Sports Gateway will continue to operate as normal and all events and activities will take place as planned. We are expecting 41 students to graduate this year with a Level 3 Diploma in Sports and we will welcome 40 new school leavers in September 2022."
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