By Rachael Grealish
Carlisle United Football Club has announced the US company, Castle Sports Group, has officially taken control of the football club following EFL (English Football League) approval.
It was confirmed today, November 22, the Piatak family, from Jacksonville in Florida, have completed the takeover of the Cumbrian League 1 team.
In a statement to fans, the Piatak family promised the takeover is a ‘commitment to the rich history and tradition’ saying they are ‘eager to build upon the club’s legacy’.
“We are delighted to have completed the takeover of Carlisle United Football Club,” said Tom Piatak. “This marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for the club, and we are committed to investing in its success and building a bright future together. We extend our sincere gratitude to the fans, staff, and everyone involved in making this transition a reality.”
The statement finished by saying the new owners hope the club will serve ‘as a source of pride for the local community’ with a wish to work collaboratively with the fans and community.
Former owners say thank you and goodbye
This is the first time the ownership and control of Carlisle United has changed since 2008 when Fred Story passed control to current Chairman and largest shareholder Andrew Jenkins along with John Nixon and Steven Pattison (and David Allen before he left in 2009).
They sat alongside CUOSC as owners ever since. Following a debt restructuring, long-serving director, Lord Clark of Windermere (David) then became a non-voting shareholder.
Andrew, John, Steven and David released a statement together in which they expressed their thanks for all the support they’ve received over the last 15 years.
They said: “As we sign over our shares to new owners, we want to say a big thank you to all the fans, supporters and businesses who have backed and rallied behind the club and the board during the last 15 years.
“Like all football clubs it’s been a ride of many ups and downs both on-the-field and in the administration of the club. The support we been given in that time has been much appreciated.
“The early days were fraught with a legacy of little or no cash. Two trips to Wembley for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final were hugely memorable, but they came along with a relegation from League One to League Two.
“After the flooding of 2005, the reoccurrence in 2015 was a particularly challenging time but from that adversity came some new beginnings. Attempts at takeovers followed (they always fell at the final hurdle due to lack of visible funds).
“More highs and lows on the field led to a play-off run in 2017. Last season saw a return to Wembley, a play-off final win and promotion back to League One.
“And now we hand over to new owners, the Piatak family from Jacksonville, Florida.
“We are very pleased they will take up the reins of the club as they’ve shown ambition, drive and focus to take Carlisle United to the next level. Not only that, they’ve been involved with the new EFL acquisition process since May which is a stringent set of requirements to ensure future ownership of clubs in the EFL are more protected from financial risk.
“We wish the Piatak family well and wish them good luck for the future. It’s been a pleasure working with them in the last 6 months and we are all confident the club is going into good hands.
“Finally, again, thank you all for the support over the last 15 years – we really have appreciated it.”
THE HERDWICK NEWS 