Huddersfield Town have today announced that beloved current owner and Chairman Dean Hoyle has agreed to sell the club to lifelong Terriers fan Phil Hodgkinson. The club made the announcement via a statement on their official website.
Hodgkinson will take 75% ownership of the club and take the position of Chairman. Meanwhile, Hoyle will retain a minority stake.
The club is at the heart of the Town, a family club. With the cheapest season tickets in the Premier League and Championship, the Terriers have shown their appreciation to their fans for many years.
Phil Hodgkinson to Buy Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town Ethos
The Ethos of the club is hard work, innovation and integrity. Alongside the family feel the ethos has always been praised. The Huddersfield Town Foundation, whose vision is “Our vision is for a resilient, inclusive community with the Club and Foundation at its very heart. We are: ONE CLUB ONE COMMUNITY.”
This includes running breakfast clubs in local schools, alongside educational programmes in primary and secondary schools. The trustees of the foundation are connected in some way to Huddersfield Town.
Why Now?
The answer is not as simple as it may first appear. It is certainly not down to money. Huddersfield Town have always had a small budget for transfers compared to other clubs.
The Terriers have even announced plans to upgrade the training facilities at Canalside. With all this new investment the questions being asked were why is Dean Hoyle selling up now? What has gone wrong? The answer is simple, nothing has gone wrong with the team.
There has been no falling out, no need for someone else to take the helm for extra money.
Sad News
Dean Hoyle has battled a variety of illnesses throughout this season. The 51-year-old had to undergo a procedure to remove a gallstone in October which, unfortunately, led to pancreatitis. To make matters worse, Hoyle then developed an infection in his pancreas five weeks later.
In a statement, the outgoing Chairman cited this health scare as a factor in his decision to sell,
“My heart doesn’t want me to sell the Club and I believe the Manchester United game will probably be the most emotional day of my life. However, my head is telling me that, after 10 years of total dedication and my recent ill health, I need to do what is right for myself, my family and Huddersfield Town and that is pass the reins to a new Chairman who can take our Club to a new chapter in its history.”
The hope for the fans, the club and of course the area itself is that Phil Hodgkinson will keep the family ethos.
? CLUB STATEMENT
? Sunday’s game against @ManUtd is set to be the final home fixture of Dean Hoyle’s decade-long tenure as #htafc Chairman, with a commercial agreement in place with Phil Hodgkinson for the sale of the Club.
➡️ https://t.co/3mPFPaOPmD (AT) pic.twitter.com/dZjr4LsOvf
— Huddersfield Town (@htafcdotcom) May 3, 2019
The Town model can be successful, as has been seen with Leicester City. Owned by a billionaire family, with money to invest in high-cost players. The Foxes though have not lost sight of where they are from. Leicester are also a family and area centred club.
The owners of the Foxes are also highly thought of locally, which is an echo of the Hoyles.
Looking Forward
Huddersfield Town will want to remain as a football club, the supporters will want to ensure Phil Hodgkinson will not to take the club back to the dark days of 2003. The club went into administration from overspending and faced liquidation.
The Terriers do not want to face that again.
Main Photo
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