Charles Russell Speechlys advises Eddie Davies Trust on sale out of administration of Bolton Wanderers to Football Ventures
Charles Russell Speechlys has advised long-standing client, the Eddie Davies Trust, in relation to the sale out of administration of Bolton Wanderers Football Club (the Club) to Football Ventures (Whites) Limited. Completion of this long-running and complex transaction means that the Club will continue as a member of the English Football League and to compete in EFL League One.
The transactional team at Charles Russell Speechlys, a multi-disciplinary collaboration of the Corporate, Litigation and Banking teams, was instrumental to the successful completion of the deal.
Paul Appleton, the Club’s joint administrator, commented:
"This has been one of the most complicated administrations I've been involved with but I'm delighted to say we have finally reached a satisfactory conclusion with the sale to Football Ventures. I would like to pay particular tribute to the Eddie Davies Trust and their legal team [Charles Russell Speechlys] who, throughout this whole process, have been willing to do everything in their power to ensure Eddie's incredible legacy was maintained”.
Leading the transaction, Corporate Partner Keir Gordon, said:
“This was a complex and highly charged transaction. The Club’s situation was never far from the public eye, and one which affected a huge number of people connected with the Club, which added to the complexities we and the Trust had to deal with. Having worked with Eddie Davies and the Trust over the 20 years of their involvement with the Club, we were delighted to help facilitate its sale out of administration and secure its future, with the backing of our strong Sports sector expertise, specifically in the complexities of football club takeovers.”
The Trust stated that they “are pleased that after an exceptionally lengthy and difficult process the Trust was able to agree a deal which has secured the survival of Eddie’s beloved Bolton Wanderers in line with his legacy of support for the Club.”
The Charles Russell Speechlys team, led by Keir Gordon, comprised Corporate Senior Associate Tom Smitham, Banking Partner Jon Bond, Banking Senior Associate Isobel Young-Herries, Litigation Partner Hanh Nguyen, Litigation Senior Associate Tom McLachlan and Trainee Edward Garton.
The administrator’s full statement can be found here.
