The Drumaville Consortium was a group of seven
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
businessmen and one English businessman led by former footballer
Niall Quinn
Niall John Quinn (honorary MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit.
As a player he was a striker who played top flight football for Arsenal, Manchester City and S ...
, who were involved in the 2006
takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company (the ''target'') by another (the ''acquirer'' or ''bidder''). In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to ...
of English
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...
football club
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club (, ) is an English professional football club based in the city of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. Formed in 1879, Sunderland play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. The club has won six t ...
The
consortium was named after the village of
Drumaville in
Donegal.
Members
The consortium consisted of Niall Quinn and eight other businessmen:
*
Niall Quinn
Niall John Quinn (honorary MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit.
As a player he was a striker who played top flight football for Arsenal, Manchester City and S ...
had 1180 shares and was the Chairman of Sunderland A.F.C. – The former
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
international striker was a fan's favourite during his spell at Sunderland. In 2002, he donated the proceeds of his
testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, particularly in association football in the United Kingdom and South America, where a club has a match to honour a player for servic ...
to
charities in both Sunderland and Ireland. Quinn often expressed his affinity for the club, and in 2006 reports began to circulate that Quinn had spoken to Sunderland chairman
Bob Murray with regards to buying out Murray's
shares in the club. On 3 July a successful offer for the club was announced, with Quinn becoming club chairman immediately, pending the successful purchase of 90% of the club's shares. On 3 October 2011 Sunderland confirmed that Quinn had stepped down as chairman and handed the role over to Ellis Short, owner of Sunderland until 2018, and had taken a back seat role in international affairs.
* Charlie Chawke had 1180 shares –
publican
In antiquity, publicans ( Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'' (singular); Latin ''publicanus'' (singular); ''publicani'' (plural)) were public contractors, in whose official capacity they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed th ...
, and owner of the Charlie Chawke Group of
pubs
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
and has several pubs in Ireland. In October 2003 Chawke was shot in the leg during an
armed robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...
of one of his pubs. In 2010, he announced plans to take over Newcastle United for £80 million but the bid fell through. He has five children and lives in South Co. Dublin.
* Louis Fitzgerald had 1180 shares – Owner of the Louis Fitzgerald Group of 24 pubs with an estimated wealth of £86m. The Dublin publican supremo added another asset to his licensed property portfolio, by snapping up The Arlington Hotel on Bachelors Walk near O'Connell Street in Dublin 1 in an off-market deal believed to be worth €37 million.
* Jack Tierney had 1180 shares – Property developer and owner of
Faxhill Homes.
* Paddy Kelly had 2360 shares Paddy is a Property developer and owner of
Kelland Homes,
Rockbriar and
Markland Holdings with an estimated wealth of £80m.
*
John Hays had 1180 shares and is currently Vice Chairman of Sunderland A.F.C. – Owner of Sunderland-based travel company
Hays Travel
Hays Travel Limited is an independent travel agent chain headquartered in Sunderland, England. According to recent statistics, the company has the largest number of retail travel shops in the United Kingdom. As an independent agent, Hays Travel ...
, Hays is the only Sunderland-born member of the consortium.
* Patsy Byrne had 1180 shares – Property developer and owner of Byrne Bros (Formwork) Ltd, that was founded by Patsy and Johnny Byrne in 1969, and is one of the leading UK Concrete Frame contractors.
Notes
While
Sean Mulryan had been rumoured to have been part of the initial consortium, his name was absent from the list of consortium members revealed on 3 July 2006. However, an article on 13 May 2007 in the Irish
Sunday Business Post newspaper claimed that "Markland, a company jointly owned by Mulryan and Paddy Kelly
..owns 25 per cent of Drumaville", suggesting his silent involvement in the club. Mulryan is also reported to have attended at least one Sunderland match in the 2006–7 season.
The Drumaville Consortium, the vehicle for Sunderland's new owners, was registered in the tax haven of Jersey and comprised eight Irish businessmen, some of them prominent, including John Hays, a travel company owner based in Sunderland, and Quinn.
The latest filing at Jersey's Financial Services Commission shows that at 1 January this year, the consortium had paid just over £20m for investment in Sunderland. The Dublin-based Patrick Kelly, of the major house builder Kelland Homes, was then the largest investor, with 2,271 shares bought for £2,058.53 each — a total of £4.6m. The pub group owners Louis Fitzgerald and Charlie Chawke were the next-largest, each having paid £3m.
Hays and his wife Irene (the chief executive of South Tyneside Council) invested £1.6m combined, as did the builders Jack Tierney and Patsy Byrne. Then the developer and house builder Sean Mulryan bought almost £1.5m of shares, Patrick Beirne, managing director of the plastics company Mergon International, invested £1m, and the housing developer James McEvoy £740,000. A further £1.5m was held for unnamed beneficiaries by a Jersey-based trust company.
Purchase by Short
On 7 September 2008 it was reported in the Irish
Sunday Business Post that new shares had been issued to raise additional funding of up to £50 million (€62 million) for new players. It was understood that a number of the original consortium members did not take part in the fund rising and therefore their percentage share holding reduced.
Niall Quinn
Niall John Quinn (honorary MBE; born 6 October 1966) is an Irish former professional footballer, manager, businessman and sports television pundit.
As a player he was a striker who played top flight football for Arsenal, Manchester City and S ...
was quoted as saying that the Drumaville Consortium was still intact and the individuals behind it remained the driving force behind the club.
On 25 September 2008 it was reported that
Ellis Short
Ellis Short (born October 6, 1960) American businessman and founder of Kildare Partners, a private equity fund investing in distressed European real estate assets. Short was also the owner and chairman of English football club Sunderland A.F.C. ...
, a Dallas-based billionaire Irish-American fund manager, became the largest single shareholder in the Drumaville Consortium with a 30% buy-in. It was not known how this affected the shares of the original members. Short is one of the co-founders of
Lone Star Funds
Lone Star Funds, legal name of main entity Lone Star Global Acquisitions, Ltd. is an American private equity firm that invests in distressed assets in the U.S., Canada and internationally. The founder of Lone Star established its first fund in 1 ...
.
On 27 May 2009 Short announced that he had purchased the remaining shares of the club, becoming the sole owner. Quinn remained as chairman.
Takeover dates
Takeover
* On 19 April 2006, Quinn confirmed he was in the process of gathering a consortium for the purpose of launching a takeover bid for Sunderland. This followed a month of rumour and speculation.
* Nine days later, on 28 April, Sunderland confirmed they were in talks with a group led by Quinn, although they stated that no firm offer for the club had been made.
(BBC News)
/ref>
* On 14 June, Bob Murray announced his resignation as Sunderland chairman as of 30 June, but announced that he would remain on the board of directors of the club.
* On 3 July, Sunderland announced that they had accepted an offer from the consortium valuing the club at around £10m, with Niall Quinn becoming club chairman.
* On 27 July 2006, Drumaville Ltd took full control of Sunderland Football Club after securing 89.13% of the shares in Sunderland Ltd.
Short's buyout
* On 25 September 2008 Ellis Short bought 30% of the shares.
* On 27 May 2009 Short purchased the remaining shares.
Notes
{{reflist
Sunderland A.F.C. directors and chairmen