Grimsby Town Football Club confirms John Fenty’s shareholding in the Club has been acquired by 1878 Partners, a company owned by Andrew Pettit and Jason Stockwood.
Jason will be the new Chair of Grimsby Town FC for a fixed term of 3 years. Andrew joins the Board as Vice Chair. We are also delighted to welcome Kristine Green to the Board to represent the Mariners Trust alongside Dave Roberts. Philip Day has agreed to stay on to ensure a smooth transition to the new owners. The outgoing board members are John Fenty and Jonathan Wood who the consortium would like to thank for their service to the club.
Grimsby Town Football Club is also delighted to announce that Mark Palmer is helping us with the assessment of and options for the football operations. Mark is Managing Director of Insight 63 Ltd, a UK-based football consultancy.
Jason says: ‘Grimsby Town belongs to the fans and the community: we are truly honoured to now be the custodians of the club, running it on their behalf. To that end, involving the fans is essential for us: we will listen carefully to them and will want their help in running the club properly and setting an ambitious, progressive and – crucially – sustainable vision for progress. The board will be launching a survey in the next few days to gather feedback crucial to the future planning of the club. We will also be organising a series of ‘Meet the Fans’ engagements in conjunction with the Mariners’ Trust.
‘We’re fully aware we’ve inherited a club in a challenging situation and we commit to be open and transparent about what we can and can’t do – and to be realistic about the job in hand. We wish to give special thanks to Paul Hurst for all the hard work and commitment he and his team have been putting in to build the squad from a tough position. We look forward to continuing to work with Paul and the team into next season and beyond.
‘Andrew and I are working as close partners on all decisions. We are passionate about Grimsby Town and I am deeply honoured and privileged to take on the role of Chair and have the opportunity to try and help the club improve over the next few years.’
‘We’d like to send this message to the club’s supporters and the people of North East Lincolnshire and beyond: we need your support. At one level this means coming to games, buying season tickets and supporting the club’s commercial activities, such as sponsorship. At another level, it means recognising we’re all working towards the same goal – success for the Mariners, the club we’re all so passionate about. We’re welcoming and encouraging discussion about the club and want to hear people’s opinions, but we want this to be done in a positive manner and with a degree of respect.’
Andrew adds: ‘There are ‘three ‘Ps behind our investment. Passion for the club we love. Philanthropy – giving back to a community that has been home to our families and pride – developing and growing the Mariners as a community asset which can be a significant catalyst for the regeneration of the area. We are also proud that Grimsby Town will be the first professional football club to seek certification as a B Corp, a governance structure that requires balance between social purpose and profit, requiring active consideration of the community, our employees and the environment, as well as shareholders.’
