A NORTH-EAST football club chairman has resigned from the board of the Wembley National Stadium.

Sunderland FC chairman Bob Murray played a key role in the development of the national stadium.

He said: "Since joining the board I have come to realise the time commitment required to ensure the success of the project is far greater than originally anticipated and, therefore, not feasible for me at present. My decision to resign is not one that I have taken lightly.

"The history, vast scale and national importance of this project means that a considerable amount of time needs to and should be devoted to it."

Mr Murray was the only board member with experience of building a football stadium.

He said: "I have been on the board for eight months and have thoroughly enjoyed my involvement. I hope I have made a valuable contribution during this time and am pleased that the project is now in a position to be progressed with the funding and contract in place."