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Stockport County have the best owners in the world.
THE FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!
The supporters of Stockport County have taken over their football club. Stockport County Supporters Trust has signed a deal to buy the club from previous owners, Cheshire Sport.
The deal, sees the football club bought by the fans for a nominal amount.
The deal contains a number of firm safeguards to ensure that County will be secure in Edgeley Park, including an option to buy the ground if circumstances allow, and agreements for County and Sale Sharks to share the revenues raised at the ground.
Last week the deal was under threat because Cheshire Sport had been unable to get the required sanction from previous Club Chairman Brendan Elwood, but thanks to legal assurances from Cheshire Sport over the future ownership of Edgeley Park, the Trust has decided to proceed with the takeover.
Trust Chairman Norman Beverley described the takeover as "the most significant day in the club's history since the formation of Stockport County as Heaton Norris Rovers in 1883."
He added: "We have secured the best deal available at this time and we are confident we can give manager Chris Turner the backing he needs to bring success back to this football club. The club now belongs to thousands of fans who care deeply for Stockport County, rather than one owner who can decide to pull the plug at any time."
Cheshire Sport Chief Executive Niels de Vos said: "This is an historic day for Stockport County and Cheshire Sport are delighted to have been able to play their part in transferring ownership of the club back to where it rightly belongs - to the fans and to the people of Stockport.
"When Cheshire Sport acquired County back in 2003, I spoke about the urgent need to put the club back on to a sound financial footing in order to secure its future as a self funding business within the local community. Stockport County is now in a position to achieve this. To get the club to this stage Brian Kennedy has personally invested over £4M into Stockport County in two seasons. His fervent belief that clubs should belong to their fans has driven Cheshire Sport's desire to complete this deal with the Supporters' Trust when he could have simply sold the club on to the highest bidder - our sincere hope now is that the town of Stockport will repay that investment and belief by really backing the Trust as Stockport County enters its new era.
"Cheshire Sport will continue to provide significant financial support to the Trust and is delighted to announce, as part of today's agreement, a SIX year sponsorship agreement worth in excess of £750,000. In addition, Cheshire Sport will continue to carry its share of stadium-based costs, such as ticketing and ground staff, giving Stockport County a huge cost saving against the running of Edgeley Park."
Stockport County Manager Chris Turner has welcomed the conclusion of the takeover deal. He said: "Since I arrived at Stockport County, the passion and enthusiasm of the supporters has been overwhelming, even after they have endured five years of decline in terms of results and league status. The supporters have been incredible, so I am very confident that these same fans are more than capable of running this club well."
County's Chief Executive Kevan Taylor said: "We have had six months of very positive negotiations to bring us to this stage. The future will be a challenge for both myself and the Trust members but with the full backing of the community, we believe everything is now in place to bring success to this football club."
Manchester law firm Cobbetts has advised the Supporters' Trust. The Cobbetts team was led by partner Jeremy Orrell and Adam Kaucher. Jeremy said: "We are delighted to have been able to assist the Supporters' Trust and to have played a role in safeguarding the future of Stockport County.
"We have worked with a number of Supporters ' Trusts in the past, helping them to take control of their clubs, which have proved to be very successful, and I am sure that under its new community ownership, Stockport County can only go from strength to strength."
Trust Chairman Norman Beverley believes the future is brighter than ever for Stockport County. He said: "We have already brought innovative ideas to the football club - we launched The 100 Club to attract businesses, we launched a £50 Bond Scheme to allow fans to invest in the club and we've put over 100,000 beer mats into pubs and clubs promoting our initiatives.
"But there is more to come - now we can really get to work on maintaining our existing levels of support and sponsorship, as well as tapping into new fans and new revenue streams. These are exciting times for the Hatters."
The Supporters Trust, which is a democratically elected body, has had significant support throughout its negotiations, including the backing of Stockport Council's Deputy Leader Brian Millard and football philanthropist Brooks Mileson, who has accepted an invitation to become Honorary Vice-President of Stockport County. Multi-millionaire Mileson, who made his fortune in insurance, has been a long term supporter of the County Trust and has always supported lower league football in England and Scotland.
