Feedback from the latest meeting held on Tuesday 29/11/16.
The Club stated that the sale of the Club had been announced with Diego Lemos as the new owner. The sale, with much supporting evidence, had gone to the English Football League for their consent (which had been duly given). The specifics of the actual transfer of shares would remain private as there was no obligation for particular details to be divulged.
The Club explained that it was expected for the new owner to have some new members on the board of directors (Diego Lemos & Abdulrahman Al Hashemi were duly appointed to the board) but at this stage they didn’t expect anyone to leave as there was a wealth of football knowledge on the board. Diego Lemos does not head a consortium, his company will own his shares. He has indicated that he wished to be ‘hands on’ though Peter McGuigan would be stopping on at present. There was a legal process to be completed but the existing directors and shareholders would retain their shares (with the exception of Peter McGuigan who had transferred his shares).
The Club explained that the AGM was now overdue but the Club were endeavouring to hold it as soon as reasonably practical. The new owner would need to be part of that AGM. It was hoped to set out the long term development plan for the Club. There were a number of on and off field opportunities to be considered and they would need to be prioritised. It was intended to hold a Fans Forum straight after the AGM.
The Club said that the changes made to the JPT competition had meant a new set up for the competition. If it had been run under the old rules then the Club would have been eliminated already.
The Club advised that the proposal for a 5 tier League Football League System was an idea that had been put forward for formal consultation to the clubs within the EFL (this proposal had now been rejected).
The change of names for the Globe Arena Bar & Grill and the Club Shop had been approved to Legends Bar and Shrimps Store. It was hoped to rebrand the bar at some point soon.
The Club explained that the Club Academy was progressing the feasibility of moving from the current Level 4 status up to Level 3. If this could be achieved it would improve the standard of the Academy and improve its financial viability. The English Football League would do an initial assessment. The Club would be looking for an education provider to sponsor the Academy. It was hoped that this could be put in place for the start of the 2017/18 season.