Kroenke Sports & Entertainment have named Josh Kroenke as the new Vice Chairman of KSE and KSE UK, as his influence at Arsenal continues to grow.

The CEO and President of KSE, Jim Martin, announced the appointment in a statement this week.

“This appointment is a well-deserved and long overdue recognition of Josh’s many contributions to not only the Avalanche and Nuggets organizations but also his role in the overall global growth of KSE and our sister companies,” Martin said.

“Josh has evolved into a respected leader and innovator in sports business. He is already leading many of our organization’s investments in forward-thinking multimedia platforms and emerging technologies.”

Kroenke said himself about the promotion, “While the business of sport has transformed in recent years, we are still just getting started.

“Our current management structure won’t change, and Joe Sakic of the Avalanche and Tim Connelly of the Nuggets will continue reporting directly to me.

“This new position allows me the opportunity and flexibility to work closer with employees, fans, sponsors and community leaders to strategise and celebrate the power of sports and entertainment.

“I am particularly looking forward to sitting down with entrepreneurs and technology leaders to bring innovative platforms to connect and engage our millions of fans around the world 365 days a year.

“From our venues to our teams to the fan experience, I am incredibly excited about the future of KSE and about working with all of our teams and businesses to create memories that keep our fans coming back time and time again.”

Of course, the most relevant part of this from an Arsenal point of view is the appointment at KSE UK.

KSE UK is the majority shareholder in Arsenal Holdings PLC. The higher Josh Kroenke rises in the business, the greater his influence at the club.

We’ve already seen the signs that Stan Kroenke’s son is starting to take over from his father at Arsenal. The 37-year-old came to visit in February and is expected to stay until the end of the season to do a review of the club.

Josh Kroenke’s growing involvement with the club reinforces the fact that the Kroenke family are planning a long future with Arsenal, something they’ve always admitted.

He’s young enough that he could remain in charge for the next 30-40 years. We’ll have to see how he juggles Arsenal, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche though. He’s already currently President of the latter teams.

It doesn’t look like the Kroenke family are going away anytime soon.