Blackburn fans step up takeover efforts
TWO Blackburn Rovers fans’ groups have joined forced in a bid to take control of the club.
Blackburn Rovers Supporters Investment Trust (BRSIT) and Blackburn Rovers Supporters Trust (BRST) have formed the Rovers Trust with the goal of bringing club owner Venkys to the negotiating table.
Indian poultry business Venkys bought Rovers in a deal worth £38m from Jack Walker’s family in 2010.
But anitpathy towards the new owners and manager Steve Kean has grown following last season’s relegation from the Premiership.
The trust is seeking to raise £10m from fans by issuing 10,000 shares at £1,000 each. It hopes this will be enough to pursuade Venkys management to consider a sale. BRSIT has already received pledges of support worth £3m.
“The challenge for Rovers Trust is to convert those pledges into real shares and also persuade more supporters to buy into the scheme,” it said in a statement.
The trust will be co-chaired by BRST founder Oliver Jones, a music retailer, and Wayne Wild, one of the co-founders of BRSIT and group director of Darwen-based engineering firm WEC Group.
Mr Jones said: “Setting up Rovers Trust was the logical step to bring together the two supporter groups whose goal was the same – securing the future of Blackburn Rovers for the sole benefit of the club, its supporters and the wider community.
“We have brought together a talented team of fans who have spent many months working on the structure of the trust to ensure it is legally watertight and financially ready to gain an ownership interest in Blackburn Rovers.
“Our principal objective is to obtain full or part ownership of Blackburn Rovers and its assets on behalf of fellow supporters in order to represent supporters’ views whilst protecting the club’s short and long term future.”
Mr Wild said: “By uniting we can concentrate on our two main aims: making as many supporters as possible members of Rovers Trust and persuading as many supporters as possible to buy one or more shares in the community benefit society.
“This gives us the ideal platform to persuade members, supporters and the business community to raise enough capital to buy the club. Shares cost £1,000 each and this money will be the acquisition capital used by Rovers Trust to gain ownership of Blackburn Rovers.”
