The Sports Shield consortium, fronted by Dean Holdsworth, have successfully completed the £7.5m takeover of Championship club Bolton Wanderers.
Holdsworth, aged 47, returns to the Trotters at boardroom level, having represented them over a six-year period between 1997-2003. The former striker joins the board of directors alongside Ken Anderson, in what is a joint venture between Sports Shield and the Inner Circle Group, as they take control from out-going owner, Eddie Davies.
The group, who had been in the running to purchase the second-tier side for some time prior to Thursday’s announcement, had been asked to provide evidence of their future funding plans by the Football League, should Neil Lennon’s men suffer relegation to League One in May. Wanderers are ten-points adrift of safety at the foot of the table with ten games remaining.
Last month, the club were placed under a transfer embargo, and had to sell their Euxton training ground to Wigan Athletic.
Following on from the takeover news, Eddie Davies will now become the honorary president.
Holdsworth told Bolton’s official club website: “We would like to thank the staff, fans and club sponsors for their continued support during what has been an incredibly difficult period for all involved.
“Securing the club’s future was of paramount importance. This is a great day for Bolton Wanderers Football Club and Sports Shield.
“We very much hope that we can build on the continued support of a club steeped in history for many years to come.
“We will not give up the fight of maintaining our Championship status. We believe we have a group of excellent players to work with and we hope that today’s news will give everyone a lift, both on and off the pitch.”
