Businessman's £6m package for Spireites
Building work on Chesterfield FC's new stadium is set to start in around three weeks after a millionaire businessman put forward the £6m funding shortfall needed to get the project started.
Dave Allen, the former Sheffield Wednesday chairman, was last week formally given the go-ahead by the Football League to become the new majority shareholder and a substantial investor in the Spireites.
The 67-year-old Apperknowle resident has paid 4m to purchase 80 per cent of shares in the club and has also put forward a further 2m in loans to make up the 13m needed for the new 10,500 all-seater stadium at Whittington Moor.
Chairman Barrie Hubbard, who will continue in his post, said that a timetable for the construction of the stadium was being put into action now that the funding had been secured.
"We hope to start actually seeing things on the ground in about three weeks," he said, adding that a lot of preparation work on the site had been done ahead of the Blues and Mr Allen getting the green light from the Football League.
Mr Allen, who has long-standing ties with the Chesterfield area, including owning the town's Adam and Eve nightclub, said that he was first approached by Mr Hubbard for advice about the catering and banqueting suite at the new stadium, but soon became interested in investing in the club.
He said: "The attraction of the business is it's debt free, it's going to move to a new ground and has massive impetus.
"It's a nice family club and I have the opportunity to develop it."
Mr Allen said that the stadium's position on the former Dema Glass site will help attract more fans — particularly from south Sheffield — while the development presents the opportunity to earn money from other income streams.
"I think the stadium is absolutely knockout. I was very impressed with it," he said.
"There will be a big banqueting suite which will make a lot of money."
The Spireites hope to move into their new home for the start of the 2010/11 season.
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Weather for Chesterfield
Thursday 24 May 2012
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