Billionaire to help non league club

[clippedgull]

Billionaire Robert Rich to plough part of fortune into Bedlington Terriers
• World's 488th richest man buys club £30,000 scoreboard
• Terriers currently seventh in Northern League Division One

First it was the Glazers and Manchester United. Then Randy Lerner followed suit at Aston Villa. Liverpool are on to their second set of American investors. Now the 488th richest man in the world, the US billionaire Robert Rich, has followed suit – by ploughing some of his fortune into lowly Bedlington Terriers.

With an estimated fortune of around $2bn, Rich has the wealth to have followed the recent trend of transatlantic investment in the Premier League. But instead, the chairman of the Rich Products Corporation (which specialises in "baked goods, desserts, barbecued meats, and Italian cuisine"), chose the Northumberland side currently seventh in the ninth tier of English football.

The 69-year-old, whose sporting background involves trials for the US Olympic ice hockey team in 1964, got involved after tracing his family back to the area. His wife bought him the title Lord of Bedlington and on further investigation he became interested in the Terriers. The American has become a shirt sponsor and has put in an undisclosed amount of cash.

He told the Journal: "I haven't made any promises. Having said that, I would love to see them do well and let them challenge me to increase our participation.

"I want to help Bedlington Terriers. I'm still learning about British football, and I understand that if they do well on the field it can move up in divisions. If this is the dream the community has, I want to help. I don't want to become an owner – I just want to help."

He will ship a £30,000 electronic scoreboard to the Welfare Park ground, and is looking to turn the club shirts into a cult item for US sports fans.

Rather than world domination, the Northern League club has modest aims, namely promotion to the same level as local rivals Blyth Spartans, four tiers above them.

"In my dream of dreams I would like to see Bedlington step on to the pitch as a League Two side," said the club secretary David Callop. "Who knows whether that might happen? But we are not splashing the cash on players now, we are slowly improving our ground."

He added: "Mr Rich could have bought Man U or Liverpool, I would imagine. He would sooner help the underdog."

Bedlington's players all have full-time jobs and are only paid expenses. Rich's current level of backing – which includes promoting the club's shirts to his 80,000 employees – will not see the side go full-time.

Callop said: "The backing has relieved us of the immediate worries of scraping by. Even at our level, clubs can take some running. For a night match when we might only have 60 or so paying punters, we have to pay £50 for the floodlights and £200 for the officials."

The link-up with Rich, who owns three baseball teams – the Buffalo Bisons, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Jamestown Jammers – came out of the blue. "It's true to say our chairman thought it was a wind-up when the first phone call came through," Callop said. "When we were told about it I was over the moon, but very sceptical at the same time.

"But this is real and he wants to help us achieve the chairman's targets, which are to get the club up."

Billionaire Robert Rich to plough part of fortune into Bedlington Terriers | Football | The Guardian

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I love the idea of being a rich sheikh and toying with a small club like buying them massive scoreboards or tellys or otherwise useless facilities and never putting any money into the playing side. That would be fun.

It'll all end in tears though.

 

[Husty]

Surely that 30 grand scoreboard will get nicked and or trashed because they dont have the security on the ground?

 

[Gully]

I reckon they will just about double their electricity bill just to power the flipping thing...maybe his £30k would have been better spent upgrading the facilities at the ground so they can move up a couple of divisions.

What is the betting that it comes with an American plug and runs off 110v?

 

[SUIYHP]

And I thought Puff Daddy's rumoured takeover of Crystal Palace, because he 'liked the name', was bizarre.

 

[Robot Chicken]

Not a bad shirt

 

[footychick]

Awwww I have a Bedlington Terrier

 

[BensGrandad]

My grandmothers maiden name was Rich must dig to see if there is any chance he could be a long lost relative

 

[RexCathedra]

Bedlingtons are the dogs that look remarkably like sheep, aren't they. Funny ovaloid heads...

 

[footychick]

Bedlingtons are the dogs that look remarkably like sheep, aren't they. Funny ovaloid heads...

Yep, they're the ones.
Mine looks nothing like that though lol

 

[Cpt. Spavil]

Awwww I have a Bedlington Terrier

me 2

 

[footychick]

They're great aren't they
Mine's so gay lol

 

[Cpt. Spavil]

They're great aren't they
Mine's so gay lol

lol, yeah they are its the second one we have had.

 

[RexCathedra]

Whenever the big NYC dog show -- Westminster Kennel Club -- was on the telly here my kids -- big now, little then -- used to love to spot the Bedlingtons. In their regulation haircuts they're so funny looking.