Ashford Town are made of the Wright stuff

Ashford Town Football Club are delighted to announce today that Mr Tim Thorogood, who rescued the club from insolvency in 2001, has agreed to sell the whole of the issued share capital of the club to new investors Mr Tony Betteridge and Mr Don Crosbie with immediate effect.

During 2006, Mr Betteridge and Mr Crosbie purchased the freehold interest in the Homelands site and paid off the club’s remaining debt to Greene King, which had resulted from a loan taken out before Tim Thorogood acquired the club.

This transaction will therefore reunite the club with ownership of the stadium and most importantly, ensure that the future of semi professional football in Ashford is secure.

LEGEND:  Ian Wright is all smiles as Ian Ross is presented with the man-of-the-match award following Ashford Town's 2-1 win over Godalming Town at The Homelands on Saturday - a result that claws the Kent club out of the Ryman League Division One South drop zone.

Photograph courtesy of www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk

Under the terms of the agreement, the new owners are fully committed to the refurbishment and improvement of the existing facilities at Homelands.

On top of this, they will provide adequate funding to the club on an ongoing basis with the aim of seeking promotion from the current level of Ryman Division One.

The ambitious new owners are both lifelong football fans. They have several business partnerships and are involved with Kent Attractions, the company who own the Hop Farm Country Park and English Wines at the Lamberhurst Vineyard attraction and visitor centre.

The pair see the purchase of the club as a further extension of their business relationship and allows them to remain actively involved in football.

Prior to this, Mr Crosbie has also assisted with sponsoring and the redevelopment of Priestfield Stadium, the home of Gillingham Football Club. He, along with Mr Betteridge, is excited about renewing his interest in football and is hoping to bring success to Homelands.

To ensure this success on the field they have invited former Arsenal and England striker Ian Wright to become Director of Football Strategy at the club, a position he is delighted to accept.

Ian was present at Homelands on Saturday and was very impressed with the standard of football played during the Nuts and Bolts crucial 2-1 victory over Godalming Town.

He has bought a shareholding in Ashford Town to underpin his commitment to grass roots football in England and pursue his burning desire to get young Englishmen playing the game.

A full, exclusive interview with the legend will be published on the club’s website and in a forthcoming matchday programme, outlining his ambitions for Ashford Town.

Ian joins the new board of directors consisting of Mark Jenner as Chairman, Tim Thorogood as Director of Football, Tony Betteridge and Don Crosbie as Directors and Wright himself as Director of Football Strategy.

The board are looking to build a bright future for Ashford Town Football Club and new chairman Mark Jenner, speaking from Homelands today, believes this is a wonderful opportunity for the club.

He said: “This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the club to be properly financed and to realise the potential in Ashford Town which will ultimately benefit the whole community. Ian Wright is a real coup a club of our size and will open all kinds of opportunities.”

Article courtesy of www.ashfordtownfc.co.uk

Ashford Town v Hastings United
Ryman League Division One South
Tuesday 13^th March 2007
Kick Off 7:45pm
At The Homelands, Ashford Road, Kingsnorth, Ashford, Kent