2 million cash pumped into the business in return for shares. Reported at companies house.

Edited December 6, 20214 yr by Mounts Kipper

5 minutes ago, Rival Son said:

Others have mentioned the Arena. I recall we had a big stake (25%?) in that, when it was constructed. We also owned the waste land between the athletics track and the police station, which was used as an overflow car park in Premier League days.

With all the upheaval in the late 2010s, I don’t know if we still own all this. I’m hoping Michael James’ purchase included this.

if we do, the wider Arena, athletics stadium and, especially, that waste land would be ripe for development that would facilitate 365 days use.

We’re not necessarily just talking about more use of the pitch and stadium.

I'm guessing we'll have flogged at least some of it during the financial chaos

I'm still sceptical about how much money there is to be made but hope to be pleasantly surprised

3 hours ago, masi 51 said:

Not sure if you have been to the States. Quite a lot of the Stadia are out of town.

The hopelessly named "New York Stadium' in the World Vup was in an entirely different state.

A good few made me think of EasyJet/Ryan Air for how for they were from their title city.

10 minutes ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

The hopelessly named "New York Stadium' in the World Vup was in an entirely different state.

A good few made me think of EasyJet/Ryan Air for how for they were from their title city.

The one here in Rotherham’s even further!! 😁

57 minutes ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

The hopelessly named "New York Stadium' in the World Vup was in an entirely different state.

A good few made me think of EasyJet/Ryan Air for how for they were from their title city.

It was actually called the New York New Jersey Stadium so it's half right

But it was only for the World Cup presumably because MetLife, it's proper name, aren't a FIFA sponsor

Bit like that one where they had to cover up the huge Levis sign even though you could tell what it was

3 hours ago, Rival Son said:

Others have mentioned the Arena. I recall we had a big stake (25%?) in that, when it was constructed. We also owned the waste land between the athletics track and the police station, which was used as an overflow car park in Premier League days.

With all the upheaval in the late 2010s, I don’t know if we still own all this. I’m hoping Michael James’ purchase included this.

if we do, the wider Arena, athletics stadium and, especially, that waste land would be ripe for development that would facilitate 365 days use.

We’re not necessarily just talking about more use of the pitch and stadium.

Absolutely.

I suppose that is precisely why these guys are on board now, and if they can see opportunities, then great, let's see where it gets us.

3 hours ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

I didn't realise Middlebrook was the biggest retail park in the UK

But is there really much more money to be made from the stadium?

A few more concerts/events over year perhaps but I can't see that it'd generate a huge amount of money

Darts, gigs, boxing, international football games for smaller nations or women's teams, get the rugby league back for the semis like they did a few years back.

Plenty of commercial opportunities, and that's not even thinking about the corporate opportunities of the suites etc that seem to have dried up.

7 hours ago, RoadRunnerFan said:

Keep reading how close we are to the motorway we are etc. Its a nightmare getting out for those that go regular. Getting out for non regulars is carnage. Like this lot never happened

Manchester Evening News

Stadium bosses issue statement after car park chaos at Pi...

Fans were still stuck in the car park at the University of Bolton Stadium until the early hours

There all bad to get out of when everyone leaves at once the co op live is bad or queuing for a tram . The Trafford centre at Christmas was a 4 hour wait to get out

7 hours ago, Sluffy said:

Seems somewhat of a fools errand to me with the likes of City and United just down the road hoovering up any kid that shows any sign of talent.

We have had players that have been in the academy that have turned down city and united Conway was one the reasoning being it’s an easier path to the first team . The big 4 in the north west will spread there net massively and there is always the chance to get a few that get discarded early but show potential . Crewe did it for years the likes of David platt binned of at united

Edited July 25Jul 25 by Farnywhite

41 minutes ago, Farnywhite said:

We have had players that have been in the academy that have turned down city and united Conway was one the reasoning being it’s an easier path to the first team . The big 4 in the north west will spread there net massively and there is always the chance to get a few that get discarded early but show potential . Crewe did it for years the likes of David platt binned of at united

Wigan seemed to have done well over the years?

Or have they just nicked them from other clubs but I assume they must be academy as I've never heard of them before

31 minutes ago, DirtySanchez said:

Wigan seemed to have done well over the years?

Or have they just nicked them from other clubs but I assume they must be academy as I've never heard of them before

Yes by all accounts Wigan set up as been good for years under think it’s bruce rioch s lad

Saw a report that Danson is looking to off load the latics and find them a new owner so they could end up with a new owner that wouldn’t own the ground . When you compare that with the investment we could be getting in infrastructure we’re heading in opposite directions 😀

Edited July 25Jul 25 by Farnywhite

9 hours ago, gonzo said:

U.S. sports executive buys minority stake in second-tier Bolton after Donald Trump pardon - The Athletic https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7467956/2026/07/24/bolton-tim-leiweke-donald-trump/

Interesting article by Matt Slater.

This is a non paywall link

https://archive.ph/JzgF3

I hope the first thing they do is start charging for the bird seats, see us in the EPL in no time judging by the amount of bird shit around

12 hours ago, Sluffy said:

I don't believe his involvement is simply to power jet the stadium walls and wipe the bird seats

57 minutes ago, TrickyTrotter said:

Interesting article by Matt Slater.

This is a non paywall link

https://archive.ph/JzgF3

As stated before I’m not mad on it but at the same time I see no way of going up or kicking on organically like you could in the good old days.

Let’s hope it’s all good.

Thanks for sharing.

4 hours ago, Farnywhite said:

We have had players that have been in the academy that have turned down city and united Conway was one the reasoning being it’s an easier path to the first team . The big 4 in the north west will spread there net massively and there is always the chance to get a few that get discarded early but show potential . Crewe did it for years the likes of David platt binned of at united

I'm sure you are right in what you say, I have no knowledge of these things but unless I've missed something I don't recall very many youngster coming through and later changed hands for more than a million pounds or two.

Rob Holding comes to mind as arguably the best youngster we brought through since perhaps Kevin Nolan.

Clough was sold for £4m (iirc) but he certain wasn't worth a fraction of the price.

Yes we've had many that made a living in the lower leagues but they aren't the golden goose that brings in the money to the club.

Wigan is mentioned above but again how many of their youngsters actually made a career in the top two divisions (can anyone even name one who did?)

My logic is that if we don't find and develop these golden geese - and history seems to show we haven't, then we might as well do a Brentford and invest the £1m a year it costs to run a Cat 2 and spend it on a foreign top talent and give them the shop window of playing in our fist team (Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton have seemingly scoured the globe for such players and sell them on for tens of millions).

Do that over 5 years, and one of the five you brought in just might sell for over the £5m it's cost you and with that money start to buy even better foreign youth talent.

Ok it might well fail but spending £1m on Cat 2 and having no one come good is just the same isn't it - and at least if you bought a kid for £1m in the first place you must be pretty confident that he's only going to get better, otherwise you would have kept the £1m in your pocket

If the big north west 4 teams have fished our area to death anyway, then why carry on fishing here - try some place else, sort of thing.

Got nothing to lose really I would have thoght?

14 hours ago, Sluffy said:

No sorry, must have missed it

And I'm happy to receive anyone's help

Sharon Brittan: Creating Sustainable Success at Bolton Wa...

Caring, committed and courageous, Sharon Brittan is living proof that Football Clubs can achieve sustainable success under the right leadership.

Sharon Brittan: Creating Sustainable Success at Bolton Wanderers

Long Reads

14 Jun

Words: Jack Wylie

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Caring, committed and courageous, Sharon Brittan is living proof that Football Clubs can achieve sustainable success under the right leadership.

Bolton Wanderers’ chairman has conviction in her beliefs and refuses to compromise in her pursuit of taking the Whites back to the top flight, while maintaining a stable economic structure.

She explains: “I was very clear on how I would run a Football Club, with the right people doing the right job in the right way, with ethics, morals, principles, trust and transparency at the heart of everything.

“You need people who are bought into the vision and the journey, because this is a business that is full of noise. We want the noise to be on the pitch, with peace and quiet off the pitch, so we can all get on with our jobs and have fun.

“Each and every component has to come together for success. One thing that is a guarantee is that there will be highs and there will be lows – we share them all as one.

“We've got a culture here. It sounds a bit of a cliché, but I feel that we have created a family at Bolton Wanderers Football Club. We certainly feel proud of it and a lot of people from within the football world and outside of the football world are talking about it, which is really positive.”

In 2019, Bolton Wanderers was in freefall, with a desperate financial situation, a disengaged fanbase and a detached relationship with its community.

Fast forward to the present, it’s a Club reborn, with a foundation in place to rise and rise. On and off the pitch, its future looks healthy.

Brittan recalls: “I will never forget the day I walked into this Football Club in August 2019. Devastation seems like a really powerful word, but it was devastation. People had not been paid. They were unable to pay their mortgages. They were unable to pay their rent. Their anxiety was heightened. Their mental health and wellbeing had suffered.

Devastation means great physical damage or extreme emotional sadness. It describes a state of total ruin or a deep feeling of being overwhelmed by shock and grief. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Physical Damage

• Great destruction over a wide area

• Leaving a place in ruins or left as waste

• Common causes include storms, fires, and wars [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Emotional Impact

• Extreme sadness or distress

• Feeling completely broken or shocked by an event [1, 2]

“I'm not sure that people ever realise quite how much goes on behind the scenes in the running of a Football Club – the amount of work is enormous. It’s a huge responsibility to own a Football Club and people need to be very, very clear on that before they do this.

“We know what happens when a Club gets into the wrong hands. Here, we’re responsible custodians and I know that the EFL, because I’ve worked closely with Rick Parry, are doing everything they can to ensure the owner’s fit and proper test is rigorous.”

Almost four years on from saving the Club’s existence – with the help and support of a key group of initial investors – Brittan is admired and adored by the Wanderers faithful. Win or lose, they know they’re on the right track with her at the helm.

She continues: “When I came here, people had lost faith – the staff, the fans, the stakeholders, the community, everybody had fallen out of love with this Football Club. We had to come in and start from the bottom, and that doesn’t happen quickly.

“I thought the only way I'm going to earn the trust of the fans and the community is by being visible. They need to see me, they need to know me, they need to understand me, they need to hear me. Being an invisible owner wouldn't have worked for the journey that we want to take the Football Club on.

“I have a lot of communication with people in the community, with people at the university, with people at the Council. This is one of the largest towns in the UK and we should be singing from the same hymn sheet. I think the fans seem to be loving it now and we’re all proud of this journey.

“When I left Barnsley after the Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg, I was waiting to be let out and our fans were leaving in the coaches and they were banging on the windows, shouting at me saying the most wonderful things – and we’d just lost! We weren’t going to play in the Final and they were still shouting messages of support. That’s really, really special.”

The financial sustainability of the game has been the focal point of discussions for a long period, with the Fan Led Review White Paper on Reforming Club Football Governance representing a once-in-a- generation opportunity to address the systemic issues that football has been unable to sort itself over the last 30 years.

Brittan has implemented her own measures to protect the future of the Greater Manchester Club.

“It’s really hard work to make a Football Club sustainable, but it’s our duty to run the Football Club in a smart way,” she admits. “I respect everybody’s money and I want people’s investment to be well spent. I think we’ve got a proven record of doing just that.

“Four years in, we are running a sustainable Football Club in an organised and responsible manner. Doing that avoids the scenario of having the huge highs and then when the owner funding stops, you collapse. That's what can't happen.

“I’ve talked to so many of our fans and I think they appreciate our approach. They’ve said to me, ‘Sharon, we want responsible owners – we don’t want the boom and bust’.

“I am a great believer, first and foremost, that while we’re on the pitch for 90 minutes, there is no-one more competitive than me. I really like to win. But outside of that, we should all be collaborating and working together to ensure the future stability of the pyramid.”

In constructing her financial model, Brittan has been innovative in her methods to raise funds.

Wanderers launched an investment bond in May for supporters and other interested parties to support the future development of the Club. Within eight days, the funding target of £3.5 million had been achieved.

“When you do initiatives like the Wanderers Bond – in order to maintain our financial position and be competitive – it will only work if you’ve got trust around you,” she adds. “To have raised so much in such a short space of time just completely humbles me, and every single penny of that will go back into this Football Club, every single penny.

“My original four investors in 2019 – and our wonderful Swiss consortium who joined us in early 2022 – thought I was having a midlife crisis. However, thankfully, they bought into the idea that we were going to do things differently in football, alongside creating a platform to do good.

“Suddenly, we've got people coming to us with money, because they believe in what we’re doing and they want to be part of this movement and this journey. We're fully funded for the season ahead, and it's extraordinary from where we were.

“I think the fans know me well enough now to know that I'm very driven, I'm very determined and I know exactly where we want and need to be. I have enjoyed the last two seasons, but next season, we want to start in the right way and finish in the right way.”

On the pitch, the Trotters continue to go from strength to strength under the leadership of manager Ian Evatt.

Having secured promotion from Sky Bet League Two at the first time of asking in 2020/21, Wanderers have made gradual progress in the third tier, finishing ninth and fifth, although Play- Off success evaded them in May.

“We were disappointed that we lost to Barnsley, but when we look back and reflect, we're very happy with our progress,” Brittan notes. “Next season, I want us to have automatic promotion – that is our aim.

“I am very ambitious and I'd like to take this Club from the brink of liquidation back to the Premier League where it belongs. That’s the journey we’ve subscribed to and I, more than anyone, want to fulfil that.”

Although they fell short of promotion, Evatt’s side did deliver silverware in the form of the Papa Johns Trophy, with the comprehensive 4-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle at Wembley Stadium marking a significant milestone in the Club’s resurgent run.

“It was an utterly magical, perfect day,” Brittan recollects, gleefully. “It couldn't have been scripted any better. It showcased Ian, the players, the fans, the Club, the togetherness, the journey. It was a day I will never forget.

“In my mind, I thought about what I saw when we arrived in 2019. Then, to see the number of fans there and the success we had on the pitch at Wembley, I was very, very emotional.”

• WATCH: Go behind the scenes of the Papa Johns Trophy Final 2023

• Report: Bolton Wanderers cruise to victory in the Papa Johns Trophy Final

• Gallery: Wanderers Win at Wembley

The Club’s welcoming culture at the top has filtered down into the dressing room, with Brittan and Evatt sharing a close bond, while loan players like Conor Bradley and James Trafford have been able to flourish in a settled environment.

“I have a very close relationship with Ian Evatt,” she states. “Somebody gave me some advice very early on to not have a close relationship with the manager, because they're transient and they come and go. I thought that's the opposite of what I want to be.

“I don't want our manager to feel that he's transient and that it's only a matter of time before he's gone. I want our manager to feel that he's part of a journey, and that's where I think we are different.

transient

Transient means lasting for only a short time, temporary, or staying in a place briefly. You can explore more detailed definitions and usage notes on the Cambridge Dictionary. [1, 2]

Common Meanings

• Adjective: Describes things like a quick feeling, a short-lived trend, or temporary weather.

• Noun: Refers to a person who moves from place to place or stays somewhere for only a short time, such as a seasonal worker.

• Science and Physics: Means a brief change or short-lived surge in a system, like a sudden spike of voltage in an electrical circui

“When you build a culture, you build relationships, and that's exactly what we've done. We've built relationships with Liverpool, with Manchester City, with Manchester United. They know that this is a trusted place for their players to come to.

“We want them to progress here, so that when they leave, they're in a much better place than when they arrived. I think that's very clear to see with a few of the players we’ve had this season and that's enhanced our relationship with those Clubs, so that we can talk again and hopefully they'll see us as trusted custodians of their players.”

From the outset, Brittan made no secret of her desire to use the Football Club’s platform to do good in the local area.

In July 2021, she appointed Neil Hart as the new Chief Executive Officer, with his prior experience at Burnley FC in the Community viewed as a key factor in bringing community focus to the forefront of the Club’s priorities.

His efforts were recently recognised at the Football Business Awards, where he was named League One CEO of the Year.

Alongside Bolton Wanderers in the Community CEO Phil Mason, there is now significant collaboration between Club and Trust, adopting a ‘One Club, One Community, One Town’ identity.

“I always felt that the Club and the Community Trust should work together and be intrinsically linked,” says Brittan. “The bigger the platform we can get, the more good that we can do, and the community side is equally as important to me as the football.

“There are a huge amount of initiatives that are delivered to appeal to everyone in the town – all ages, all genders, all faiths, all cultures. Everyone is welcomed and embraced through the doors of this Football Club."

Keen to put her words into action, Brittan often attends community events and has spearheaded multiple charity walks that have raised funds that will be put towards a new Wellbeing Hub.

“I absolutely love the community activities – I love the walks and I love keeping fit,” she says. “We have this amazing interaction and I see the impact of the events and the programmes on the people in this town for their mental health and wellbeing, which is fabulous because people are struggling.

“It was hard before the pandemic and now everybody's anxiety and mental health and wellbeing has been heightened. I think if we can provide a space which is safe for people to come to, it's brilliant.

“I also had an evening with the Muslim community during Ramadan, where we broke the fast together and the tickets for the evening were taken up within 24 hours. More of the Muslim community are coming to games and engaging with the Club now – it’s brilliant.

“I also hear from supporters all the time who write to me or approach me to tell me their stories and explain what Bolton Wanderers means to them.

“It’s a regular occurrence that men and women alike will become incredibly emotional when they talk to me about what it means to see the place full of life again after coming so close to losing the Football Club they love so much.

“So many have gone from desperation to once again enjoying football with their families and friends. Their stories never cease to amaze me. Things like that are very rewarding and make the work we do worthwhile.”

In all aspects, the Bolton Wanderers model is a blueprint to follow.

A sustainable financial standing, a thriving community programme, an award-winning supporter engagement strategy – scooping the EFL Fan Engagement Award in April – and a successful team on the pitch, Sharon Brittan, along with her fellow board members and investors, has transformed a Club in turmoil into one primed to prosper.

“My ambition is to make a difference to people's lives and to ensure that this Football Club is on a firm footing – because it's going to be here a long time after me – and ensure that it never, ever finds itself in the place that it was in when I arrived,” she affirms.

“The next steps are to continue to progress, and that's what we're planning for. That's what I'm working at with my team of incredible people. On the pitch, we want to get to the Championship. Off the pitch, we want to continue to make a difference to people's lives who need help in various ways.

“Everything we're doing is for a reason. We have 300,000 people living in Bolton and how this Club is run impacts on their lives. I will not let them down.”

The town of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England, has an urban population of approximately 184,000, while the wider Metropolitan Borough of Bolton has an estimated population of 310,085. [1, 2]

Other places named Bolton include small locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia, which have significantly smaller populations. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Population Breakdown

• Town Proper: ~184,000 people

• Metropolitan Borough: 310,085 people

• Median Age: 38 years old [1, 2, 3]

If you meant a different Bolton (such as the towns in Ontario, Massachusetts, or Connecticut), let me know so I can provide the correct local figures.

What the Holy fck was all that about ?

Ffs just put a link and say "good read here".

Academies are so much more than "let's get a young player to make money off".. everyone's dreamed of playing for their team as a kid, it's part and parcel.

Take that love away as a kid and tell people there's no way, those dreams dissappear. I've taught kids in Wigans academy and it's a big deal.. it's giving back to the community and if a talent comes along... even better.

We'd be screwed without ours as those moments were had to rely on players from it, have been pretty pivitol.

I think our academy is starting to bear fruit you have Conway who is a first team regular, Toby Ritchie who looks one hell of a player, Inwood looks like he could play at league 1 level and Irwin who needs a good loan. We need all four playing at league 1 level first maybe TR might stay but future looks good and if they all progress then that’s one hell of a spine all for nowt

10 hours ago, Sluffy said:

I'm sure you are right in what you say, I have no knowledge of these things but unless I've missed something I don't recall very many youngster coming through and later changed hands for more than a million pounds or two.

I never mentioned millions of pounds so no idea were your getting that from ? .

I mentioned Wigan academy as produced well amd as actually helped them balance the books in the same catch ment area as us so it can be done .

If you think of it this way also and a number of the youth team make it into the first team think we had what 4 or 5 on the pitch yesterday by the end then make it into first team squad then it’s money you have saved in transfer fees.

For us to be a success without someone pumping millions in out of there own pocket were going to be good at everything youth , smart recruitment, coaching , and raising money from other streams . Which looks like FV model now

Edited July 26Jul 26 by Farnywhite

4 hours ago, Dr. Feelgood said:

What the Holy fck was all that about ?

A piss take, and skit on Sluffy's endless diatribes

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7467956/2026/07/24/bolton-tim-leiweke-donald-trump/?searchResultPosition=1

59 minutes ago, Farnywhite said:

I never mentioned millions of pounds so no idea were your getting that from ? .

I mentioned Wigan academy as produced well amd as actually helped them balance the books in the same catch ment area as us so it can be done .

If you think of it this way also and a number of the youth team make it into the first team think we had what 4 or 5 on the pitch yesterday by the end then make it into first team squad then it’s money you have saved in transfer fees.

For us to be a success without someone pumping millions in out of there own pocket were going to be good at everything youth , smart recruitment, coaching , and raising money from other streams . Which looks like FV model now

I mentioned millions because they take millions of pounds to run them.

Harkin has just announced it will cost £1m per year to have Cat 2.

So if we aren't producing kids to sell on for an average of £1m per year the club is loosing money.

Apart from Clough and whatever we got for Holding, I can't remember anyone we sold for such money in years?

Wigan might well have produced players (so have we) in the same catchment area as United. City, etc but we have both done so at a considerable financial LOSS over the years if few of these players were 'sold' to recover the cost of running the reserves (or whatever junior teams are called these days).

Of course if youth team players make it into the first team as regulars you have saved money by not having to buy them BUT what has it cost you to have 'produced' them in the first place?

Conway seems to be the only player out of his year to have made it into our first team for some years - yes?

For him and the rest of his year he's been here for how many years (say 3?)

If it cost to run Cat 2 at a £1m per year (and that covers the kids in other years to Conway whilst Conway was coming through - but none of them have made it to the first team as regulars, have they?) then it cost us £3m to 'make' him.

If we sold him today would anyone pay £3m for him.

I don't think so.

If he came through the Crewe youth system and we bought him at the start of last season he would only have cost us £25k or whatever for their development fee.

Of course it would be brilliant at everything but unless clubs can sell on their home grown players for more than it costs to produce them (and we don't) then what exactly is the point of continuing to do so?

Maybe I'm missing something perhaps?

52 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

A piss take, and skit on Sluffy's endless diatribes

@Zico Thank you, I guess.

After all...

"imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" means that when someone copies your actions, style, or work, it shows they admire and respect you. People naturally copy what they find successful or valuable rather than things they dislike

Clough was 3M, Holding 2.5M. Luca Connell was another we sold for next to nowt too. A more recent one is Regan Riley to Norwich for 250K - he's now playing for Bury.

Think it's a strategic investment and helps the club engage with the local community further. Can you put a price on that?

Edited July 26Jul 26 by jmjhb