Consortium has today completed the takeover of Notts County Football Club
thereby securing the future of the world's oldest professional football
league Club.
The deal to purchase the Club from the Administrators Kroll will fully
satisfy the conditions laid down by the Football League. This will enable
Notts County to continue its membership of the Football League and allow the
Club to exit from administration.
The new owners, who comprise of a group of local businessmen and the Notts
County Supporters Trust, will now begin work to consolidate the Club's
position in Nationwide League Division Two and to build a viable and
successful future for Notts County Football Club and its supporters.
The integral involvement of Notts County Supporters Trust in the takeover
means that supporters will for the first time in the club's history have a
significant shareholding in Notts County Football Club. Furthermore, the
Trust's investment secures a fan representative at boardroom level.
This is the culmination of three months of fundraising by the Supporters
Trust, which last week announced it had reached its minimum target of
£250,000.
Commenting on the takeover finally being completed, Trust Chair David
Hindley said:
"Today represents a new beginning in the future of Notts County
Football Club. It is now imperative that the takeover represents a
foundation stone, and that the club be built on solid foundations rather
than false dawns and grandiose promises. Financially, the next few months
and years will be tight and it is important that the club be managed in a
prudent manner so that Notts County are never placed in such a perilous
state again.
The Supporters Trust is under no illusion about the size of the task ahead,
and the process we have been through has strengthened our resolve. The hard
work in many ways begins now, and it is imperative that decisions are made
with an eye for the long-term, not the quick fix or short-term.
By securing a 'stake' in Notts County all members of the Supporters Trust
now own a share in our football club, which is fantastic. Through securing
representation at boardroom level, fans will be able to have an effective
say in how the club is run. This has been achieved on the back of hard work
by supporters to help get Notts County Supporters Trust up and running and
build a strong and credible voice for fans.
The Blenheim consortium deserve a lot of credit for coming forward at short
notice and for working tirelessly to help secure the future of Notts County.
In addition, Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire County Council have been
incredibly supportive - not least through donations to the Supporters Trust
to help us reach £250,000.
The level of support given to us from fans of not just Notts County but
other clubs has been absolutely phenomenal. Regardless of their own
allegiance, football fans around the country have made it clear that, for
the good of football as a whole, the world's oldest league club must
survive.
One thing is certain: you can kill a football club as a business, but you
will never kill a football club as a community institution. Notts County is
not only part of the game's rich history, but an integral and highly valued
part of the local community."
ENDS