Stags sale saved club, says supporters' chairman
The sale of Mansfield Football Club was “a lifesaver” for the club and its fans. That’s according to Dean Foulkes, the chairman of one of the team's supporters’ clubs. Foulkes told Insider there was previously “a lot of anxiety over the fact that the club has been struggling financially”.
Multimillionaire John Radford purchased the club for £1 after it was put up for sale last month. An official decision was made by the board of directors who said it had taken the club “as far as it can”.
Foulkes, the chairman of the Stags Supporters’ Association, said: “We are very grateful to the previous owners for their honesty and the fact that they told fans exactly how the club was doing financially.
“The big fear was, as our manager put it, that the club could all go pop anytime.”
Foulkes said that the club had suffered recently from poor ticket sales to away fans.
"We've had some clubs play here and bring eight or ten supporters," he said. "It's very difficult to finance when you play at a ground the size of ours."
Radford bought the club from previous owners Andy Saunders, Steve Hymas and Steve Middleton, who will remain at Field Mill as non-executive directors. He now takes up the position of chairman of the board.
Foulkes said: “We are a bit stunned really, because it took four or five years for the old owners to buy the club from the previous owner, and this deal has gone through in the best part of two to three weeks. We’re just delighted that we have got a secure future.”
He said the supporters' club's message to Radford would be: "Thank you for taking over and rescuing the club. Be honest, be open, involve the fans as much as possible, and remember we’re all in it together."
