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[Football] FA receive offer to sell Wembley...



Titanic

Titanic

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Jul 5, 2003
39,069
West Sussex
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43906272

The Football Association has confirmed it has received an offer, thought to be worth £800m, to sell Wembley.

It is understood the approach includes £500m for the stadium and £300m for the FA to keep the Club Wembley debenture and hospitality business.

The matter was discussed at a board meeting on Thursday.

It has been reported that Shahid Khan, the owner of Fulham and NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars, is a prospective buyer.
 




Titanic

Titanic

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Helpful Moderator
Jul 5, 2003
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sp...LL-Wembley-Stadium-astonishing-800m-deal.html

The Football Association are on the verge of selling Wembley Stadium in an astonishing £800million deal.

Shahid Khan, the billionaire owner of Fulham Football Club and the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, has tabled a formal offer that was being discussed for the first time by the FA board this morning.

Khan, who is worth an estimated £5.2billion, is prepared to pay more than £500m in cash and allow the FA to keep the Club Wembley debenture and hospitality business that is valued at a further £300m.

If Khan were successful, it would open the door to the first NFL franchise outside the United States. The billionaire is keen to bring a permanent team to British shores, in what would be an unprecedented move.

While a deal has not yet been agreed, an FA spokesperson confirmed to Sportsmail on Thursday morning that a potential sale is in the pipeline: 'We can confirm that The FA has received an offer to buy Wembley Stadium.'

Sources have also told Sportsmail that the FA hierarchy believe it is an offer that is simply too good to turn down given the cash the governing body will be able to pump back into the game; with the full £500million invested at grass roots level - particularly pitches.

In January the FA said they would finally finish paying for Wembley by the end of 2024, 17 years after the new 90,000-seater stadium was opened at a cost of £757m. A debt of £142m reportedly remained.

But Khan's offer would clear the debt and release the FA from the significant financial burden of running and eventually modernising the stadium, although how much of the Pakistan-born American's money has to be paid to the other stakeholders remains to be seen.

While Sport England paid £120m towards the cost of rebuilding Wembley, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport put up £20m with a further £21m coming from the London Development Agency.

The FA will demand certain conditions as part of any deal. Wembley will remain the home of English football as well as the governing body, although Khan would be able to sell sponsorship rights to the stadium.

The current deal agreed by the FA with EE expires in 2020. And matches like the FA Cup final, the English Football League play-off finals and Rugby League's Challenge Cup final would remain at Wembley.

But England's autumn internationals will have to move away from Wembley if Khan is successful in moving his £1bn NFL franchise to London. That said, the FA believe England fans would welcome more internationals being played in other parts of the country, with one of England's games ahead of this summer's World Cup being held at Elland Road.

Khan already has an agreement in place to stage one Jacksonville Jaguars game at Wembley every season but he is clearly pursuing the deal to buy Wembley with NFL expansion here in the UK very much in mind.

Quite how that impacts on Chelsea, who have considered playing at Wembley for four years while Stamford Bridge is being redeveloped, and Tottenham, who have NFL games as a key part of their business plan for their new stadium, is also unclear at this stage.
 


beorhthelm

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,303
sounds like an London NFL franchise being planned?

and some new flats in Fulham.
 


H

Hotchilidog

Well-known member
Jan 24, 2009
8,692
Wow, just err.......wow!

This is just massive. A real chance for a London franchise, the FA may actually do something for grassroots football, Spurs and Chelsea get the hump, the England team get move around the country. Aside from genuine Jags fans in Jacksonville (Florida really a college state anyway) this looks like win win.

I'm excited.
 






vegster

vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,892
Probably going to be bought by Amazon as another depot.
 




Tim Over Whelmed

Tim Over Whelmed

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This could be a way of beating Spurs up on the price they're asking for to host NFL matches at their new stadium?
 






beorhthelm

beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
35,303
Kalimantan Gull said:
NFL in England - is there really the demand? I get that one off games sell out - but a permanent team?

if this means that FA Cup semis go back to other stadiums, however small a thing that might be, I'll be pleased
Click to expand...

NFL season doesnt clash with main FA use except the October internationals, which can probably work around. it'll essentially draw support from entire UK so yeah thats a big franchise potential.
 






Easy 10

Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
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Kalimantan Gull said:
NFL in England - is there really the demand? I get that one off games sell out - but a permanent team?
Click to expand...

They play 4 regular season games a year in England (currently at Wembley and Twickenham) and they always sell out, the demand is huge. I think a permanent NFL team based at Wembley would sell out no problem - there's only 8 regular home games a season anyway, so its not a giant leap from whats already being staged over here. I think it'd do well.
 


Westdene Seagull

Westdene Seagull

aka Cap'n Carl Firecrotch
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Oct 27, 2003
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The arse end of Hangleton
For the cost it always seemed a bit of a white elephant. The FA would be mad not to sell.The bonus being England games moving around and the FA Cup semis going back to how they should always have remained.
 
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Pantani

Pantani

Il Pirata
Dec 3, 2008
5,445
Newcastle
Kalimantan Gull said:
NFL in England - is there really the demand? I get that one off games sell out - but a permanent team?

if this means that FA Cup semis go back to other stadiums, however small a thing that might be, I'll be pleased
Click to expand...

Every NFL game will sell out, most likely well in advance. I got the train down from Newcastle the day we played Arsenal away, it was absolutely jam packed with American football fans. No one is going to pay £800m for a stadium for an NFL franchise if it is likely to fail. Khan knows what he is doing. A UK franchise would be in the top 7 or 8 biggest NFL franchises, possibly the biggest if done well.
 




Simster

Simster

"the man's an arse"
Jul 7, 2003
54,188
Surrey
Definitely should sell especially if the FA get to keep the debenture business - then build a new national stadium near Birmingham.
 




Pavilionaire

Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,569
Spurs have a contract with the NFL to host 2 matches every year for 10 years. Indeed, the stadium's design was created with NFL in mind.

I can't see Levy being stitched up when the contract's been signed, and I think even with a London franchise based at Wembley the Tottenham NFL matches would sell out.

The big loser is Chelsea who need Wembley as a temporary home whilst they build their new stadium.
 


T

Tweeting Seagull

New member
Mar 27, 2018
113
Considering the amount of public money used to build Wembley (believe I’m correct in saying this was £161m of total spend of £789m) shouldn’t that then be recooped from the FA if they sell it so quickly after building the stadium rather than just pocketing the money for themselves?
 
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Easy 10

Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
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Simster said:
Definitely should sell especially if the FA get to keep the debenture business - then build a new national stadium near Birmingham.
Click to expand...

Why ?

We don't even need a national stadium. Other countries seem to get by alright without one, and with the superb standard of stadia in this country nowadays, I don't see the point of building another one in the middle of England just to call it the national one.

The England football team should always play their friendlies and qualifiers around the nation IMO, and I don't know anyone who wouldn't be happy to see the FA Cup semi's played at neutral club grounds again.
 


Papa Lazarou

Papa Lazarou

Living in a De Zerbi wonderland
Jul 7, 2003
18,858
Worthing
Easy 10 said:
Why ?

We don't even need a national stadium. Other countries seem to get by alright without one, and with the superb standard of stadia in this country nowadays, I don't see the point of building another one in the middle of England just to call it the national one.

The England football team should always play their friendlies and qualifiers around the nation IMO, and I don't know anyone who wouldn't be happy to see the FA Cup semi's played at neutral club grounds again.
Click to expand...

Exactly, with the odd exception Wembley is a soulless bowl with little atmosphere.
 


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