NEW Burnley chairman Alan Pace is putting his board of directors together after revealing two new members.

Dave Checketts – the former president of basketball giants the New York Knicks – and highly respected academic Antonio Dávila will join the Turf Moor club.

They will take seats on the board alongside ALK Capital partners Mike Smith and Stuart Hunt while outgoing chairman Mike Garlick and former co-chairman John Banaszkiewicz will stay on as directors.

As well as his involvement with the Knicks, Checketts was also formerly CEO of The Madison Square Garden Company. The 65-year-old has been a leading figure in sport and entertainment for nearly four decades and brings a wealth of experience as in growing successful sports franchises, stadia and hospitality business to the club.

He will officially join the club in the summer after completing a three-year term of service as President of the LDS Church’s London mission.

At 28, Checketts became president and general manager of the Utah Jazz, making him the youngest chief executive in NBA history.

He then spent a year as the general manager of NBA International, where he worked to increase the league’s presence around the world, before joining the New York Knicks in March 1991 as president.

He went on to become president and CEO of Madison Square Garden, overseeing all venues, sports franchises and media properties owned by the group, before starting his own firm SCP Worldwide in 2001, an owner of sports and entertainment properties.

In July 2004, SCP established Major League Soccer franchise Real Salt Lake and later installed Pace as the club’s president and CEO, with the club going on to win the 2009 MLS Cup.

Most recently Checketts has invested in hospitality, entertainment and media companies through the private equity funds he manages and is an investor in ALK Capital.

Dávila also holds a personal connection to the Burnley chairman, as a senior academic at IESE Business School in Barcelona, where Pace gained a master’s degree in international finance.

A global authority on the growth of start-ups, innovation and sports management, Dávila has worked as a consultant to UEFA, supporting the organisation’s Certificate in Football Management diploma.

He has a doctorate from Harvard Business School and has taught at Stanford Graduate School of Business and the Harvard Business School.

Club chairman Pace said: “I am delighted to welcome Dave Checketts and Antonio Dávila to the board at Burnley Football Club, as we establish a strong leadership team to accelerate Burnley’s growth and continue the club’s long-term financial stability.

“Having known both individuals for many years, I know the immense value and expertise they will bring to our organisation and the wider business of Premier League football.

“I look forward to welcoming them to Turf Moor.”