adminBOURNEMOUTH. – Bournemouth are the latest English club with a Hollywood connection after Bill Foley completed his £120million takeover in a deal which also involves A-list actor Michael B Jordan.
While Creed and Black Panther star Jordan will bring stardust to the south coast, he is part of a minority ownership group and is unlikely to be as prominent as Ryan Reynolds and Robert McElhenney are at Wrexham.
Foley has outlined a number of key aims he is looking to tackle as he gets to work at his new club.
The American businessman, who turns 78 later this month, headed up a takeover bid to purchase 100 percent of Maxim Demin’s shares in the Cherries, who are the home of Jordan Zemura.
It marks the dawn of an exciting new era for the club, with Hollywood actor Michael B Jordan among those who were also part of the takeover group.
Funds are expected to be spent on the playing squad in the upcoming January transfer window to try and help Gary O’Neil’s side retain their Premier League status.
But that is far from the only area Foley is looking to improve.
Outlined in a statement by the club, Foley is “committed” to also improving the club’s academy – its status which has been held back by the training facilities.
That is also something high on the agenda, with work having already started on state-of-the-art facilities at Canford Magna under the Demin regime. Plans will now likely be accelerated with construction of the training centre set to begin “immediately”.
Foley is also planning to provide funding to Cherries’ women’s and girls’ teams.
Cherries Women, managed by Steve Cuss, currently compete in the fourth tier.
In an open letter to supporters, outlining his plans, Foley said: “We identified several areas we will be focusing on: facilities, player development, player recruitment, supporter experience and grow the game initiatives.
“These investments will stretch years into the future, aimed at maintaining and improving our position in the Premier League, as well as expanding participation at all levels of the game in our local region.
“Some initiatives will be immediately evident, most notably the construction of a new state-of-the-art training facility to help our players reach their maximum potential and to show prospective players our commitment to success.
“We will continue to build programming and make investments intended to support the growth of the game in our community across all ages, genders and experience levels.”
Foley has also made it clear how much he values the thoughts of Cherries’ fanbase and is keen to immerse himself in the local community, having already purchased a home in the area.
He said: “I am excited to be returning to England for our next home match, on New Year’s Eve, as my wife Carol and I get comfortable in our home in Bournemouth.
“We plan to visit regularly to support the Cherries in person. And wherever I am, our staff and I want to hear your thoughts on how we can improve.”
On a wider scale, Foley and Cannae Holdings’ investment in Cherries is set to be part of a “global, multi-club portfolio of leading football assets”. – Bournemouth Echo
Online Reporter