Smith Partnership supports Burton Albion FC in sale of the club to nordic football group
A Midlands-based law firm who played a leading role in helping secure the sale of Burton Albion FC have spoken about “the warmth of the deal”.
Smith Partnership advised Chairman Ben Robinson and his family on a deal which will now see the Scandinavian-based Nordic Football Group (NFG) take a majority stake in the League One club.
During a process that took around six months, Smith Partnership worked with the club every step of the way to secure the deal went smoothly.
Partners Fraser Cunningham, Danielle Upton and James Johnson led on a transaction which will now see Ole Jakob Strandhagen become Burton Albion’s chairman.
Burton Albion’s new owners have appointed Fleur Robinson, Ben’s daughter, as the new chief executive, following three years in the same role at newly promoted fellow League One club Wrexham. And Ben’s son, Ben Robinson Jr, will remain an integral part of the club’s operations.
Commenting on the support, Smith Partnership offered, Ben Robinson MBE DL, said: “After careful consideration, I decided that the time was right to sell my controlling interest in the Club to the Nordic Football Group UK Ltd, and I am extremely grateful for all of the support and hard work put in by Smith Partnership to help make it happen.
“It presented a fantastic opportunity to bring new investment into the football club and following Smith Partnership’s due diligence processes it was clear that NFG had excellent football and commercial pedigree and importantly, they are aligned with the Club’s values and ethos.
“They are people who share the same core values of integrity, honesty and respect, which have helped Burton Albion get to where it is today. NFG have an inspirational vision of how they would like to take the Club forward and they understand the importance of working with, and supporting the local community, which is high on the agenda.”
> “We always take the time to learn about our clients, and how they operate.”
Reflecting on the deal, Danielle Upton, a partner who specialises in commercial property including property due diligence on corporate sales such as this, said there were a number of key areas where Smith Partnership had been able to offer their expertise.
She said: “First and foremost, as a business we always take the time to learn about our clients, and how they operate. This allows us to tailor the service we’re providing and ensure it’s the very best it can be.
“In a sale like this, when you are dealing with the property side, you are primarily focused on the stadium. You are aiming to ensure there are no massive red flags that are going to cause any issues.
“Anyone buying a football club will create a due diligence questionnaire listing everything they want to know about the business, and that will usually include a lengthy section about the property.
“It will ask questions like, ‘What properties does the business own?’ What do they use them for? Have they got tenants? Have they got occupational arrangements? What work have they done to them?”
“Any new owner will also want to know about the planning for the stadium to ensure all planning conditions have been complied with.”
Danielle added: “Since the stadium is open to the public, you’ve also got health and safety regulations that you have to be compliant with if you’re having members of the public in your premises.”
Smith Partnership also advised on matters relating to the Burton Albion Community Trust, and they liaised with the FA over the future use of St George’s Park, the English Football Association’s national football centre (NFC).
Asked what the key factors were in ensuring a high-level of legal support could be offered to the club, Danielle said: “As well as ensuring you get to know your client, it’s about being diligent, thorough, regularly communicating and making sure all of your occupational arrangements are properly documented and up to date. Obviously, this was a very significant deal for Burton, for the community, and for the fans of the club, so to play a part in helping finalise the deal speaks volumes for our standing in the area.”
“We have an expression…when a deal is on, it’s on. This one has a warmth to it.”
Fraser Cunningham, a partner who specialises in company and commercial law, said the key to the deal was timing.
He said: “There’s always drivers, in any deal, to try and get things done at particular times. But in this scenario of the sale of a football club you’ve got a season that dictates that. “There are contracts that need to be agreed by a certain time, for the players, so the club knows who’s playing from one season to the next.
“There’s the question of what the budget will be for the players from one season to the next. You’ve then got to tell the Football League who is signed and who isn’t. That’s why timing is such a crucial aspect of a deal of this nature.”
Explaining how Smith Partnership helped to get the deal over the line, he added: “We have the expression ‘When it’s on, it’s on’, and that might mean working 24/7. When there’s a deal to be done, there’s a deal to be done. It does occasionally involve working until three in the morning because there is a deadline.”
Ensuring the buyer will respect the traditions of Burton Albion FC – and nurture fans and club staff was vital to the Robinson family.
And, having worked closely on the deal, Fraser believes the club is in safe hands.
He said: “You want to make sure that the people you’re selling to aren’t just going to rip the thing up. I’ve met the buyers a few times, and they seem like good people to me, with the future and longevity of the football club at their heart. This sale has a warmth to it, and I think that’s why Ben may have looked at it and said this feels like a good deal to do.”
