Club ownership changes again (June 2024)

[Apollo11]

Scunthorpe United can announce a split of ownership between four of the club’s Directors.

Chairperson Michelle Harness has allocated shares to Roj Rahman, George Aitkenhead and Ian Sharp, with the quartet now assuming equal joint ownership of Scunthorpe United Football Club with immediate effect.

Speaking about the decision to divide the club, Michelle said: “Nine months ago, I took 92% of the shares of the football club from the previous owner and had Roj, George and Ian at my side from day one. Since September, we have all worked extremely hard to battle the debt we inherited and work towards a more sustainable model. We’re not there yet, but we have made significant strides, and are on course to achieve this in the coming months.

“While we are at the stage where we can run from day-to-day on this sustainable model, I simply cannot grow the football club on my own, and I must also look to safeguard the business should anything happen to me, and should the football club need some additional support.

“Roj, George and Ian have shown a massive amount of commitment to this football club, and have made a big impact in helping us get to where we are today. Having them in joint ownership with myself will only help us progress further as we look to grow our reputation back to the well-run business that we can remember from years gone by.

“I’d also like to thank all the staff at the football club for their tremendous work ethic, determination and drive to bring us through the last nine months, and to the other members of my Board of Directors, who have all done some incredible work in assisting us to get to this stage.

“I have no doubt you will show your unwavering support to Roj, George and Ian, like you have shown to me so far.”

Vice Chairman Roj Rahman added: “What Michelle has achieved in the last nine months is nothing short of sensational. She will always be our Iron Lady, and everyone associated with Scunthorpe United will forever have the upmost admiration for what she has done to ensure there is, and will always be, a football club within our community.

“We’re all just custodians of this football club at the end of the day, and nothing will change as a result of this joint ownership. Scunthorpe United is a club that will always be for the supporters, for the community, and that will not change, regardless of who has the majority of the shares.

“Having had to go through an awful lot in nine months, Michelle wished to further safeguard the future of Scunthorpe United by welcoming George, Ian and I as joint owners. It’s something we’re all delighted to accepted. The hard work doesn’t stop, it only continues to grow, as we work to provide a football club for us all to be proud of.”

Following the splitting of the club’s ownership, Scunthorpe United can confirm Michelle Harness will continue as the club’s Chairperson, while Roj Rahman will continue as Vice Chair.

[Deereyme66]

Nothing ‘torid’ about that.

1 user thanked author for this post.

CMC

[64]

It’s exactly what she said would happen in the Iron-Bru interview .I guess we’re seeing who’s not involved and the roots of the bitter leaks

1 user thanked author for this post.

CMC

[Iron-awe]

Fantastic news, I’m guessing there will be some more investment coming through when the time is appropriate. No more big time Charlie’s no more ” my club” crap from previous owners, the club is in it’s safest space ownership wise for a long long time, nice one.

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Sanfran49, CMC

[WonderGoals]

Once Simon Elliot puts money in and helps the club as much as the 3 mentioned above who have been awarded part ownership, then he can come aboard, but until then he can be the clubs resident show pony.

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Ferrite

[Awaywego]

Keep the fundraising going lads to help them poor little multi millionaires who own the club.

[WonderGoals]

Awaywego wrote:

Keep the fundraising going lads to help them poor little multi millionaires who own the club.

I’m sure you’re one of badapple’s creations, you have to be, surely ?

1 user thanked author for this post.

backofthenet18

[Deereyme66]

Awaywego wrote:

Keep the fundraising going lads to help them poor little multi millionaires who own the club.

Multi-millionaires? Where you getting that information from?

1 user thanked author for this post.

backofthenet18

[Awaywego]

Tinternet Deerey,
Its a business not a bloody charity.

[Apollo11]

Awaywego wrote:

Tinternet Deerey,
Its a business not a bloody charity.

Again, as I said on another thread, the club is more than a business. Events over the last year or so in particular should have alerted you to that fact.

3 users thanked author for this post.

Deereyme66, Just Iron, Siderite

[Siderite]

Expecting our solvency to rely on the wealth of benefactors is precisely the problem which led us to fall to the depths under Swann and Hilton. Though, with the latter, the wealth they were portraying just wasn’t there.

6 users thanked author for this post.

lesgeo, Ironfan, Ferrite, Deereyme66, Just Iron, CMC

[Apollo11]

Siderite wrote:

… with the latter, the wealth they were portraying just wasn’t there.

Simon Elliott seemed to think that it was, and that naysayers should shut their dirty common idiot cake-holes.

[CMC]

Now i wonder if Ian Sharp can use his contacts and get a “This is Wrexham” type documentary on the go.

[Apollo11]

CMC wrote:

Now i wonder if Ian Sharp can use his contacts and get a “This is Wrexham” type documentary on the go.

For anyone reading this who has been on the fence about watching this programme, it has been fantastic. What has really shone through all three series of it is the human element, and the importance of a football club as the hub for so many lives.

1 user thanked author for this post.

CMC

[CMC]

They’re just any other small town club, who have been through the same struggles as us. i don’t hold any dislike for them how it’s turned out. Not like when they were a bogey club for us in the Nineties.

Plus WAW upset another NL league club, which was a bonus.

[Iron-awe]

Awaywego wrote:

Tinternet Deerey,
Its a business not a bloody charity.

We all know everything out on the internet is true don’t we !!!!!

[Deereyme66]

Awaywego wrote:

Tinternet Deerey,
Its a business not a bloody charity.

A website listing their actual net worth? I know they’re all pretty wealthy but it’s a grand claim that they’re all ‘multimillionaires’. Know someone in that field. Have asked to fact check seeing as you’re a bit vague about it.

[Ferrite]

CMC wrote:

Now i wonder if Ian Sharp can use his contacts and get a “This is Wrexham” type documentary on the go.

Christ, I hope not.

When the actors get bored of Wrexham, I wonder how deep a hole they’ll be in. At least they’re making some improvements to the ground but will they really be that much better off?

[Apollo11]

Ferrite wrote:

CMC wrote:

Now i wonder if Ian Sharp can use his contacts and get a “This is Wrexham” type documentary on the go.

Christ, I hope not.

When the actors get bored of Wrexham, I wonder how deep a hole they’ll be in. At least they’re making some improvements to the ground but will they really be that much better off?

One of the things that is clear in the programme is that they work within a budget (big as it may be) and are trying to work towards some sort of sustainability.

[Ferrite]

Apollo11 wrote:

One of the things that is clear in the programme is that they work within a budget (big as it may be) and are trying to work towards some sort of sustainability.

I mean they can say whatever they like in a show which they seem to curate but it doesn’t alter that they (and Stockport) have been financially doping for the last couple of seasons, completely distorting fair competition in their leagues, and buying their way to success.

I appreciate they have had much bigger crowds for the last couple of years since the actors came in but they still lost over £5 million in their most recent accounts. £5m in the Conference! Jesus wept. Makes our recent owners look like penny-pinchers. Those accounts show a player wage bill of £6 million. They owed nearly £9m to one of the actor-owners. Incredible numbers.

[Apollo11]

Apollo11 wrote:

There isn’t really a way to achieve fair competition.

[Sanfran49]

A shrewd move to bring further stability.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Ferrite

[Deereyme66]

Wonder what their definition of ‘some sort of sustainability’ is? Be a shame if it’s hollow words and they’re left with a huge unsustainable budget if and when the big spenders leave.

[Ferrite]

Deereyme66 wrote:

Wonder what their definition of ‘some sort of sustainability’ is? Be a shame if it’s hollow words and they’re left with a huge unsustainable budget if and when the big spenders leave.

I’ll credit them with improving the ground, that’s a tangible benefit. And the £9 million owed to one of the actors may be written off, which helps the club. But even though their latest accounts show impressive increases in turnover, they still lost nearly as much money as their wage bill, which is not my definition of “sustainable”.

1 user thanked author for this post.

Deereyme66

[Awaywego]

Funnily enough Apollo my invite to the north lincs business awards never came through like it did for those at the club, now who paid for the shindig us and who funded it the club (or the family has you say we are)or someone else God knows.
And that’s just how it should be they get the perks and glory and status, and I just pay and go to watch the team.
Always being constant in my stance, supported Swanny till he stopped putting money into the club the same with Hilton didn’t give a shite whether it was their money or borrowed or debt to the club, I don’t want to the club to be run sustainable if it means we have to be just happy with our lot.
So sorry I just don’t buy into this we’re all in it together malarkey or a family (except at matches) then the fans are as good as family, in the main anyway

[ironfromafar]

I presume Michelle has split the ownership up to not only recoup some of her funds but also to spread the decision making.
No mention of Simon Elliot getting in the owner mix … i take it hes still on the BoD but nothing to do with ownership .. very handy as he can carry on making the tea and hoovering up when theres a meeting.

[Deereyme66]

He’s unusually quiet about it all on X. How strange.

[Apollo11]

Deereyme66 wrote:

He’s unusually quiet about it all on X. How strange.

Not a surprise. Like many of his ilk, he hasn’t quite measured up to his (own) hype. I’d imagine he thought he’d be in a very strong position as ‘Mr Scunthorpe United’ around a timid Michelle and she’d put him in the Chair to front the whole operation up.

If he’s not actually put money in – and there are zero signs that he has – then why is he even on the board, other than by his own manoeuvring and an arrogant sense of self-belief that he should be there? He may be ‘doing stuff’ to help the club – but, then, so was Staffy, so was Matt Bru, so was Maw – and so was the lass in the office who donated 20k…

[Ferrite]

ironfromafar wrote:

I presume Michelle has split the ownership up to not only recoup some of her funds but also to spread the decision making.

Slightly the opposite I think – she said on the Iron Bru podcast that other people had put money in during the takeover and they would convert that into equity (shares), which is what has happened now. So it is essentially another step along the road of sorting out the club from last October.

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Just Iron, Sanfran49

[ironfromafar]

This issue well cleared up by Michelle in her latest interview.

[Author]

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