Altrincham FC has received a cash injection of an estimated £1.5 million after a group of UK business investors have now backed the club.
The Trafford-based team currently compete in the National League and have now welcomed 20 new British investors as they look to continue developing the club and move further up the football pyramid.
With those involved said to be “leading UK business people with a direct connection to the local community”, the goal is to not only progress on the pitch but improve their football operations across the board, update the Moss Lane stadium and invest in the local area.
A big step forward for a club that only recently registered as professionals.
Club Statement: We can today announce new equity investment which will support the next phase of the club's development.
Altrincham FC’s full statement on the arrival of new investors.
Informing the fan base in an official statement, the club said, “The new investors will own a significant minority between them and have invested with the aim of supporting the Board’s vision of building sustainable success and the leading local community-focused football club in the country.”
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Detailing their backgrounds, they explained that the new parties “come from a range of industries including finance, media, property, technology and e-commerce, [bringing] a range of skills to support the club with its exciting plans for growth.”
The full list of backers is yet to be confirmed but one of them, Shalni Arora — of the Alder Hey Children’s Foundation Trust Hospital, Chair of the Innovation Committee and CEO of the Savannah Wisdom charity — stated that “investing in Altrincham FC is more than an investment in football. It is an investment in our community…
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“It is such an exciting opportunity to make a difference to those who live, work and play in our local area… We are a group of shareholders who are passionate about football and how a local club can have a powerful, positive impact on community relations.”
Lawrence Looney, Co-Chair of Altrincham FC, said: “The club has made great progress in recent years moving up two divisions and establishing itself as a full-time professional club.
“We are delighted to welcome our new investors who are completely aligned with our values and strategy and are passionate about football and the real impact the club can have on the local community.
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“Aside from the financial aspect, we believe that this group brings a unique breadth and depth of expertise. This investment should enable the club to accelerate its growth plans while maintaining its prudent approach to ensure the club has a strong, sustainable and exciting future.”
The money might not sound like much in the grand scale of football finances, but for a club the size of Alty it could prove truly transformative. We love a local success story and we can’t wait to see The Robins keep building this season and beyond.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
16th August 2023 
