The Saddlers acquire freehold of stadium and land

Poundland Bescot Stadium. Credit: Walsall FC

Walsall Football Club has acquired the freehold of the Poundland Bescot Stadium and its adjoining land, in a deal advised by Burges Salmon.

This follows on from American sports investment firm the Trivela Group, acquiring a majority stake in the Saddlers in May from Leigh Pomlett.
 
The acquisition involved both debt and equity funding, with the debt financing being provided by First Southern National Bank in the US and the additional equity being provided by the Trivela Group, the club’s majority owner.

The club announced at the end of December that it had acquired Poundland Bescot Stadium and was now the owner of the stadium, the Saddlers Club, and the adjoining land, and rental payments which have been paid by the club for over 30 years stopped immediately.

Ben Boycott, Walsall FC’s co-chairman and Trivela Group’s managing director said the acquisition of the stadium was “a landmark day in the life of the football club.

“The club owns its own stadium after decades of tenancy.  The club’s home for the future in the town is secure.  The club owes a tremendous debt of gratitude today to Mr. Pomlett, who has now delivered on his promise from 2019 to facilitate a situation where the club would be reunited with the freehold”.

The Burges Salmon team was led by Rachael Ruane, Ross Polkinghorne and Dominic Davis.
 
Boycott also said that Burges Salmon, “have now guided us as a foreign investment firm through two fairly complex transactions in the UK, including the acquisition of the club and the club’s acquisition of the property, with multiple different sources of capital and several parties involved”.

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