[Football] FA receive offer to sell Wembley...

[Titanic]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43906272

The Football Association has confirmed it has received an offer, thought to be worth £800m, to sell Wembley.

It is understood the approach includes £500m for the stadium and £300m for the FA to keep the Club Wembley debenture and hospitality business.

The matter was discussed at a board meeting on Thursday.

It has been reported that Shahid Khan, the owner of Fulham and NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars, is a prospective buyer.

 

[Titanic]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sp...LL-Wembley-Stadium-astonishing-800m-deal.html

The Football Association are on the verge of selling Wembley Stadium in an astonishing £800million deal.

Shahid Khan, the billionaire owner of Fulham Football Club and the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, has tabled a formal offer that was being discussed for the first time by the FA board this morning.

Khan, who is worth an estimated £5.2billion, is prepared to pay more than £500m in cash and allow the FA to keep the Club Wembley debenture and hospitality business that is valued at a further £300m.

If Khan were successful, it would open the door to the first NFL franchise outside the United States. The billionaire is keen to bring a permanent team to British shores, in what would be an unprecedented move.

While a deal has not yet been agreed, an FA spokesperson confirmed to Sportsmail on Thursday morning that a potential sale is in the pipeline: 'We can confirm that The FA has received an offer to buy Wembley Stadium.'

Sources have also told Sportsmail that the FA hierarchy believe it is an offer that is simply too good to turn down given the cash the governing body will be able to pump back into the game; with the full £500million invested at grass roots level - particularly pitches.

In January the FA said they would finally finish paying for Wembley by the end of 2024, 17 years after the new 90,000-seater stadium was opened at a cost of £757m. A debt of £142m reportedly remained.

But Khan's offer would clear the debt and release the FA from the significant financial burden of running and eventually modernising the stadium, although how much of the Pakistan-born American's money has to be paid to the other stakeholders remains to be seen.

While Sport England paid £120m towards the cost of rebuilding Wembley, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport put up £20m with a further £21m coming from the London Development Agency.

The FA will demand certain conditions as part of any deal. Wembley will remain the home of English football as well as the governing body, although Khan would be able to sell sponsorship rights to the stadium.

The current deal agreed by the FA with EE expires in 2020. And matches like the FA Cup final, the English Football League play-off finals and Rugby League's Challenge Cup final would remain at Wembley.

But England's autumn internationals will have to move away from Wembley if Khan is successful in moving his £1bn NFL franchise to London. That said, the FA believe England fans would welcome more internationals being played in other parts of the country, with one of England's games ahead of this summer's World Cup being held at Elland Road.

Khan already has an agreement in place to stage one Jacksonville Jaguars game at Wembley every season but he is clearly pursuing the deal to buy Wembley with NFL expansion here in the UK very much in mind.

Quite how that impacts on Chelsea, who have considered playing at Wembley for four years while Stamford Bridge is being redeveloped, and Tottenham, who have NFL games as a key part of their business plan for their new stadium, is also unclear at this stage.

 

[beorhthelm]

sounds like an London NFL franchise being planned?

and some new flats in Fulham.

 

[Hotchilidog]

Wow, just err.......wow!

This is just massive. A real chance for a London franchise, the FA may actually do something for grassroots football, Spurs and Chelsea get the hump, the England team get move around the country. Aside from genuine Jags fans in Jacksonville (Florida really a college state anyway) this looks like win win.

I'm excited.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

NFL in England - is there really the demand? I get that one off games sell out - but a permanent team?

if this means that FA Cup semis go back to other stadiums, however small a thing that might be, I'll be pleased

 

[vegster]

Probably going to be bought by Amazon as another depot.

 

[Titanic]

Probably going to be bought by Amazon as another depot.

Drone central? Just imagine all those drones emerging from the roof of the stadium...amazing!

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

This could be a way of beating Spurs up on the price they're asking for to host NFL matches at their new stadium?

 

[AmexRuislip]

The nearby IKEA, will probably buy it, and rename it the
Appalack Stadium

 

[beorhthelm]

NFL in England - is there really the demand? I get that one off games sell out - but a permanent team?

if this means that FA Cup semis go back to other stadiums, however small a thing that might be, I'll be pleased

NFL season doesnt clash with main FA use except the October internationals, which can probably work around. it'll essentially draw support from entire UK so yeah thats a big franchise potential.

 

[Worthingite]

Some things are worth more than money. No from me

 

[Easy 10]

NFL in England - is there really the demand? I get that one off games sell out - but a permanent team?

They play 4 regular season games a year in England (currently at Wembley and Twickenham) and they always sell out, the demand is huge. I think a permanent NFL team based at Wembley would sell out no problem - there's only 8 regular home games a season anyway, so its not a giant leap from whats already being staged over here. I think it'd do well.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

For the cost it always seemed a bit of a white elephant. The FA would be mad not to sell.The bonus being England games moving around and the FA Cup semis going back to how they should always have remained.

 

[Pantani]

NFL in England - is there really the demand? I get that one off games sell out - but a permanent team?

if this means that FA Cup semis go back to other stadiums, however small a thing that might be, I'll be pleased

Every NFL game will sell out, most likely well in advance. I got the train down from Newcastle the day we played Arsenal away, it was absolutely jam packed with American football fans. No one is going to pay £800m for a stadium for an NFL franchise if it is likely to fail. Khan knows what he is doing. A UK franchise would be in the top 7 or 8 biggest NFL franchises, possibly the biggest if done well.

 

[Simster]

Definitely should sell especially if the FA get to keep the debenture business - then build a new national stadium near Birmingham.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

Classic Daily Mail reporting.

In paragraph 1 the FA are on the verge of selling Wembley, in paragraph 2 they're discussing the offer for the first time this morning. That was a quick £800 million deal!

 

[Pavilionaire]

Spurs have a contract with the NFL to host 2 matches every year for 10 years. Indeed, the stadium's design was created with NFL in mind.

I can't see Levy being stitched up when the contract's been signed, and I think even with a London franchise based at Wembley the Tottenham NFL matches would sell out.

The big loser is Chelsea who need Wembley as a temporary home whilst they build their new stadium.

 

[Tweeting Seagull]

Considering the amount of public money used to build Wembley (believe I’m correct in saying this was £161m of total spend of £789m) shouldn’t that then be recooped from the FA if they sell it so quickly after building the stadium rather than just pocketing the money for themselves?

 

[Easy 10]

Definitely should sell especially if the FA get to keep the debenture business - then build a new national stadium near Birmingham.

Why ?

We don't even need a national stadium. Other countries seem to get by alright without one, and with the superb standard of stadia in this country nowadays, I don't see the point of building another one in the middle of England just to call it the national one.

The England football team should always play their friendlies and qualifiers around the nation IMO, and I don't know anyone who wouldn't be happy to see the FA Cup semi's played at neutral club grounds again.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Why ?

We don't even need a national stadium. Other countries seem to get by alright without one, and with the superb standard of stadia in this country nowadays, I don't see the point of building another one in the middle of England just to call it the national one.

The England football team should always play their friendlies and qualifiers around the nation IMO, and I don't know anyone who wouldn't be happy to see the FA Cup semi's played at neutral club grounds again.

Exactly, with the odd exception Wembley is a soulless bowl with little atmosphere.