New Hatters boss wants to take club to another level
NEW OWNER WANTS CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL IN SEVEN YEARS
NEW Stockport County owner Mark Stott says he ‘has never been as excited about anything,’ after the local businessman completed a takeover of the Hatters this week.
Stockport-born Stott, the founder and chief executive officer of the Cheshire-based Vita Group, took control of the National League side last week.
And he has wasted no time in outlining his ‘exciting’ plans for his hometown club.
“The plan is to be in the Championship in seven years – and I actually think the hardest league to get out of is the National League,” he said.
“The next ten years are going to be incredibly exciting. There may be some lows, but I will make it my job to make sure that there are more highs than lows.
“It’s a very well-run club. The custodians at the club have done a great job, but I really feel that with the size of the club, it warrants being in a different league.
“We’ve done an awful lot of work in looking at clubs who’ve been successful at this level and found that they often kick on again to League One – it needs investment immediately to put the plan together and get out of this division.”
Stott revealed he has been working on a deal to purchase County over the last two years, with the transaction leaving the club debt-free and in what club officials describe as a ‘stable financial position.’ He believes his business experience will stand his new club in good stead for the future.
Born in Hazel Grove and raised in Poynton, Stott also has another link to the town.
“I started my first ever job at the Stockport Express, driving around in my Ford Escort in Romiley selling newspaper space. I started working for myself at around 20-years-old, and have done so for most of my life. Along that journey, I have been lucky enough to pick up some great friends, colleagues and contacts – and we have built two great businesses in Select Property Group and Vita Group.
“We have immensely talented people in all disciplines, with a lot of people there who are really excited to get involved in this project, too.
“What I will say is that there are very few clubs at this level who have a blank sheet of paper with no debt, and the financial firepower to be invested in with a great, talented bunch of people already here as well as new ones to join from my team.”
As well as an ambitious long-term vision for The Hatters, fans have also hailed Stott’s short-term goals for the club – keeping manager Jim Gannon and staying at Edgeley
Park. “The building blocks are here, we will make investment into Edgeley Park – Stockport County will remain at Edgeley Park and should always remain at Edgeley Park. “I think there has been a few false dawns in terms of takeovers here over the years, but we have worked to gain the trust of the council who are really on board, and I think we can really work well with them to bring Edgeley Park into the 21st Century,” he said.
The support of the new owner also provided a boost to manager Gannon, with Stott confirming plans to financially back the Irishman as the club seek a return to the Football League.
“From what I understand, Jim wants three things – a training facility, full-time football and more budget, so he will get all of those things,” he said.
“There will be budget this month for Jim to spend. He’s done an amazing job both last season and this season, with promotion and now doing well in the National League on a small budget. With my team and the current team knitted together, we can do great things.
“I think we’d be mad not to have a go (at promotion).”
Stott added that there would be changes to the set-up of the club behind the scenes going forward – with Stockport County’s new owner looking forward to an ‘incredibly exciting’ era for his club.
“There’s amazing people at this club, there’s a great board who’ve been good custodians – but now County needs the next phase of growth, and we have some incredibly talented people in our business who I think we can apply their talents to this as a business.
“The message to fans is that I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about anything in my life.
“The deal has been going on a long time, it’s not something which has arisen in the last couple of months. The time had to be right, we’re now within touching distance of the Football League – and every single fan knows that this club should be in the Football League.”
I feel with the size of the club, it warrants being in a different league
Mark Stott