NEW FALKIRK BACKER’S PREMIERSHIP VOW
NEW FALKIRK investor Phil Rawlins last night vowed to help the Bairns bounce back to the Scottish Premiership. The club have an agreement in principle with Rawlins and his wife Carrie, who are believed to have pledged £250,000 in return for a 26-per-cent shareholding in the League One outfit.
A founder and life president of MLS side Orlando City and a former board member of Stoke City, Rawlins and his wife will join the Falkirk board when the deal is finalised.
Speaking after the club’s announcement yesterday, the Colorado-based couple said in a joint-statement: ‘For several months, we have been looking at clubs across Europe, and particularly in Scotland, who share our ambitions and are aligned with our views on how to advance a community-centric football club. Considering Falkirk’s size, history and fanbase, we recognise the club has been underperforming in recent years and we believe we can offer the financial impetus, network and expertise to help take Falkirk back to the Premiership. ‘Since our first interactions with the board, we have been extremely impressed with their leadership and vision for the future of the club. ‘We see a solid plan for transformative change in place at Falkirk and a very loyal, passionate, and dedicated fanbase. ‘Falkirk has excellent infrastructure and huge potential. We are excited to invest along with the fans and play our part in the revival of Falkirk FC. ‘While it has been challenging to do all our due diligence against the ongoing backdrop of a pandemic, we feel both confident and comfortable that Falkirk is the right choice at the right time. ‘We are eager to see the formalities completed and get to work alongside the other directors at the club. We believe Falkirk has a very bright future ahead of it.’
Falkirk chairman Gary Deans hailed the impending new investment from the Rawlins but stressed it is not a takeover. He said: ‘We believe that they bring enormous expertise and connections which will benefit the club but, likewise, they see huge potential in Falkirk to build a community-focused club which operates successfully in the Scottish Premiership. It’s important to point out that the club is not for sale and the Rawlins do not have any plans to be majority owners. ‘This is an exciting and important development for Falkirk FC. ‘The immediate priorities are clear — promotion to the Championship whilst managing the club’s finances closely through this difficult period. ‘However, it is important that we plan beyond the coming season. ‘Our ambition is to be a successful, well managed, top-six Premiership football club. To do this, we need to attract investment from a range of sources which will provide us with a platform for further progression to the Premiership.
‘There will be scepticism for sure but we are committed to returning this club back to the Premiership and staying there.’