Bolton Wanderers Football Club

Background

In May 2019 Hilco Appraisal Limited t/a Hilco Global was instructed by Paul Appleton and Asher Miller of David Rubin & Partners, the Joint Administrators of Bolton Wanderers Football Club Limited (“BWFC” or the “Club”) to assist in the sale and marketing of the Club and its related football assets.

BWFC was founded in 1874 and is one of England’s longest-standing professional association football clubs, having been among the twelve founding members of the English Football League from its establishment. The Club currently competes in the EFL League One and competed in the Premier League between 2001-2012. The Club has gained admiration over the years due to its success in English football, with the Club’s home games being well attended by the Club’s loyal following, commonly known as the ‘The Trotters’ or the ‘Wanderers’.

The Process

We assisted the Joint Administrators in managing the due diligence process and conducting a comprehensive sales and marketing exercise. We reached out to possible buyers with a marketing teaser and listed the sale opportunity on our website. We populated and managed a data room providing potential buyers with access and fulfilling their due diligence requirements as when required.

Prior to providing parties with access to the data room, we gathered information from parties such as proof of funds, source of funding and background of the acquirer. We provided this documentation to the Joint Administrators in order to ensure that our efforts as part of a highly publicised sales exercise were focused on serious and relevant parties in order to ensure the best outcome.

Outcome

A number of offers were received for the Club and after a highly competitive bidding process the Joint Administrators identified Football Ventures, led by Sharon Brittan, as the winning bidder.