Liverpool’s new owners have issued a statement on the official website of the club they now own.
New England Sports Ventures became the owners of Liverpool Football Club on 15th October 2010.
There are lots of questions still to be asked and suggestions to be made – but the statement gives fans an early idea of what their ownership should bring.
Here it is in full:
Liverpool FC sold to NESV
New England Sports Ventures announces that it has completed the purchase of Liverpool Football Club. NESV wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the Board of Liverpool FC for their diligence and their efforts on behalf of the Club and its supporters.
The transaction values the Club at £300m and eliminates all of the acquisition debt placed on LFC by its previous owners, reducing the Club’s debt servicing obligations from £25m-£30m a year to £2m-£3m.
New England Sports Ventures is committed to winning and currently owns a portfolio of companies, including the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Network, Fenway Sports Group and Roush Fenway Racing.
NESV Principal Owner John Henry said:
“On behalf of the entire NESV partnership, I want to express how incredibly proud and humbled we are to be confirmed as the new owners of Liverpool FC. We regard our role as that of stewards for the Club with a primary focus on returning the Club to greatness on and off the field for the long-term. We are committed first and foremost to winning. We have a history of winning, and today we want LFC supporters to know that this approach is what we intend to bring to this great Club.”
Liverpool FC Chairman Martin Broughton, said:
“I am delighted that we have been able to successfully conclude the sale process which has been thorough and extensive. The Board decided to accept NESV’s offer on the basis that it best met the criteria we set out originally for a new owner. NESV is buying Liverpool in order to put it on an excellent financial footing and continue to develop it internationally. This is a good deal which comprehensively resolves the pressing issue of the Club’s debt and should give staff, players and fans great confidence regarding the future of Liverpool FC.”
NESV Chairman Thomas Werner said:
“We recognize that Liverpool Football Club is an historic institution ultimately grounded in the community and the fans. Our first step as new owners will be to listen. We want to hear from the Manager and the players and those who are part of the daily operation of the Club. We will be visible at Anfield and will embrace and listen to those who have stood by this Club and who are the rock on which its future success will be built. We want to hear from the fans, local leaders and the local community. We want to hear from those who know LFC best, who have made it the best and share our desire to return to a culture of winning.
NESV is committed to creating a long-term, financially strong foundation for the Club and dedicated to ensuring the Club has the financial resources to be successful again and attract the best players. To that end, the transaction has been structured in such a way as to eliminate all of the acquisition debt on the Club.
In the coming days and months, NESV will work closely with the LFC executive team to listen and learn about every facet of the organization. During this time, the new owners will begin to look at areas for greatest opportunity to increase the appeal of the Club nationally and internationally. NESV wants to once again create a culture and environment to allow people to excel at the Club on every front. During this period, NESV will also begin to examine opportunities to enhance the matchday experience in the short-term, while also carefully studying the various long-term options that may be possible.
Mr Henry and Mr Werner added:
“We are eager to commence with our plan, spend time with the organization, its leadership, its supporters, and the local communities. We will take these steps alongside the Club’s executives with a shared objective of stabilizing the Club and ultimately returning Liverpool FC to its rightful place in English and European football, successful and competing for trophies.”
Liverpool Football Club is in new hands.
I’m delighted, but that delight is based purely on the fact that two absolute abhorrent individuals that I cannot possibly describe have finally let us go. What an emotional rollercoaster this week has been. I’ve been less excited in important football matches.
I note that the new owners want to ‘listen’ to the fans. Well, in my eyes that would be an opportunity to draw up a long-as-your-arm list of challenging, relevant questions regarding their proposed running of the club.
Items for discussion should be debt, stadium, transfer funds, ticket prices, and many more.
And one thing I’d like to say to Henry & Co. is:-
Never ever put this club through such an embarassing, painful, circus-act period like the one we have just been through again. It will take a long time to gain our trust and convince us that you are not from the same stock as your compatriots, but we will give you a chance. Don’t mess us around. Be hands on but know when to keep your pockets open and your mouth shut.
Now bring on Everton. It’s the players turn to show they care and worry as much as we have this week. I expect them to sweat blood for the cause.
The time is now for ma family to see ma smile again but stadium, team, then ma smile will be more reasonable******
Thank god that’s sorted. Now lets please get back to playing football.
First Task: A convincing win on Sunday
I’m not sure if H+G let us go, it’s more like they lost their grip. Either way the 2+ years of wait for this day is finally done. Henry has a lot of bridges to build.
One thing he must do is to stay away from SOS. It’s the same group that publicly ostracized the independent directors and broke the trust of Christian Purslow. I suspect that many supporters should be issuing apologies to the independent directors in the near future. They did their job with confidentiality and did not cave in to the media whatsoever. This deal only became public when they chose to make it public. I think these three really deserve some praise for being professional as they truly had the best interests of Liverpool FC in heart.
The ball is in Mr. Henry’s court now.
PLEASE LETS NOT FORGET THE ROLE RAFA PLAYED IN HIGHLIGHTING ALL THE TIME HOW POORLY THE CLUB WAS BEING RUN AND WHAT THESE 2 CROOKS WERE UP TO AND THE PROTEST GROUPS WHO CARRIED ON THE FIGHT WELL DONE 2 YOU ALL.
I have just seen Hick’s interview and he is clearly delusional & confused as well as being a pathological liar. How in the world did he come to (formerly) own our great club?
His greed was his downfall. He could have sold to DIC for £500 million and he wanted more…….any regrets Tom….you fool?
He wanted a billionaire to buy the club, not for LFC but to line his pockets and for what? Buying is with debt.
He blames Rafa & Broughton & RBS. He blames everyone but himself. Broughton has played a blinder by stopping Hicks from paying off RBS’s debts (as he claims he had the money to do so).
Sickening drivel to watch and at least we can all celebrate the fact that he lost £70 million of his money. He is a laughing stock and completely lacks class in every way.
John Henry, welcome to LFC. Treat us with respect, do not load us with debt, invest on and off the pitch and make us proud. If you return us to winning ways and restore our pride and dignity, you will be rewarded with the full backing of the best fans in the world.
Let us never see such a circus ever again.
Fantastic news, a fantastic feeling that the epic swindler Hicks has finally gone. Wow, what a roller coaster the last few days have been.
Thank you to everyone who has worked tirelessly to bring about this moment, the removal of Hicks and Gillett. The efforts of many people, both ‘great and small’, everything you’ve done for this cause, you’ve done a great job. It shows what the supporters of LFC can achieve if they work together.
Now let’s look ahead to the future ‘with hope in our hearts’.
LETS HOPE WE DONT HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN. WELL DONE TO ALL WHO HAD A HAND IN GETTING THE CANCEROUS B*****S OUT OF THE CLUB WE ALL LOVE. EVEN IF WE DONT ALWAYS AGREE WITH EACH OTHER, ONE THING WE DO WHEN THE CLUB IS UNDER THREAT IS STICK TOGETHER. WE AS THE SONG SAY WALKED THROYGH THE STORM AND HELD OUR HEADS UP HIGH, WELL DONE EVERYONE,
YNWA
HOPEFULLY IF ANYONE CAN REMEMBER LETS GET BACK TO NORMALITY . OVER TO YOU NESV
FOR ME THATS STANDING UP FOR EVERTHING THATS RED NOT THE PERSON I’VE TURNED INTO LIKE CALLING FOR ROYS HEAD AND NOT TRUSTING ANYONE BAR KING KENNY. ALL I WANT HONESTY, NO DEBT IF THERE IS DEBT BE HONEST ABOUT ITAND NO MORE LIES PLEASE. LET ME BE GOOD AT WHAT I WAS BORN TO DO AND SUPPORT THE REDS .
I am very happy the turmoil is over and a new chapter can begin with John Henry as the owner. I have to confess that I will waite and watch and hope that all goes well. I have a great distrust when it comes to crossing the cultural boarders, from by my experience of living with Americans for 20 months, they know very little and care even less about anything outside of the USA and so I waite with a certain amount of nervouness.
I do feel a little bit sorry for H&G at loosing so much money but, they have only themselves to blame for causing the root problem by placing too much debt on the club.
I watched a discussion on ESPN and agreed with the opinions expressed that blame was 50/50, Rafa for buying so many poor players and H&G for the amount of debt and the way they ran the club, this is in spite of all the money that was spent on players.
The greatest pity was in the way the ownership change with so much bitterness and a great deal of greed was always so obvious, we were’nt looking at a football club but a poker game.
Ken, I have no sympathy whatsoever for both Tom & George.
They bought the club with money that they did not have.
They argued with eacother and sat like schoolkids many seats apart in the “posh” seats at Anfield.
Hicks gave birth to a son that took on his father’s traits and treats others with contempt, when he cannot sutainably argue his position. Financially and intellectually inept.
They bankrupted their HOME team and would have done the same to us.
They made promises that they could not keep to the fans, to RBS and to a host of other creditors.
They did not invest in the team after we came second, which has proven to be a disastrous move as we have gone into freefall since then (agreed that the responsibility lies mainly with the players and manager)
They undermined Rafa from the beginning with the Klinsmann fiasco.
History has shown us that title winning sides (or those with such ambitions) continually freshen up the competition within the side. We have had to deal with 4 consecutive transfer windows with a net profit.
He calls us “that noise” and has continually acted in a way that breeds mistrust. We are not stupid fans and I think we would have been fair had they been open and honest with what their plans and their strategy was.
They were all about greed and continue to be about greed.
They made the Texas Rangers bankrupt so this was not a one off. Hicks should not be allowed to own a pub team leat alone LFC.
I wuld say losing £70 Million + additional lawyer fees for the Mickey Mouse court action he is taking in Texas is about right.
Sleep well Tom & George, you got EXACTLY what you both deserved. Learn your lesson….be honest, be humble and dont invest what you do not have. Above all, stay away from anything related to sport and stay away from Liverpool.
Hi Jim.
I haven’t listened to the video yet as I had gremlins in my PC this morning.
The video that you have there doesn’t have any sound on it for me, and the video on the Sky site is no longer available it seems.
Can you either sort the sound out please or give me a link to another video where I can watch him cry please.