Bolton Wanderers’ future secured
THE future of struggling Championship club Bolton Wanderers has at last been secured as the deal for a sale to the Sports Shield Consortium, fronted by ex-Bolton striker Dean Holdsworth, and Inner Circle, owned by Ken Anderson, has completed.
The Sports Shield consortium and Inner Circle have taken control of Eddie Davies’ 94.5% controlling share of Burnden Leisure for around £7.5m.
The remaining 5.5% of the Burnden Leisure shares will remain with individual shareholders.
Dean Holdsworth and Ken Anderson will both join the board of directors at Bolton Wanderers, the club said in a statement.
The deal brings to an end a long drawn out saga for the club, which was £172.9m in debt to its Isle of Man-based millionaire owner Davies when early in the current season he decided he could bankroll Wanderers no more.
Davies, who initially joined the board of directors at Bolton Wanderers in 1999 before then becoming majority shareholder in 2003, will become honorary president of the club.
He said: “It has been an honour to have initially been on the board of directors and then majority shareholder of the club I have supported all of my life.
“From 11 years in the top flight and seeing us topple some of the Premier League’s greatest teams down the years, to two successful UEFA Cup campaigns, my memories will last a lifetime. Together we have had some great experiences and we should embrace our wonderful history.
“Recently, we have gone through what has been a challenging period both on and off the field, but we now hope that we can once again move our great football club forward. I of course wish Dean Holdsworth, Ken Anderson and the Sports Shield consortium all the very best and thank the supporters for their loyalty and continued backing of the club.”
Holdsworth said: “We very much hope that we can build on the continued support of a club steeped in history for many years to come.
“We will not give up the fight of maintaining our Sky Bet Championship status. We believe we have a group of excellent players to work with and we hope that today’s news will give everyone a lift, both on and off the pitch.
“The performance and atmosphere against Ipswich Town was excellent and we hope that the fans will join us for an important game at the weekend against our local rivals Preston North End.”
